Sportsbooks would lose millions if Hawks win NBA title

For all of the nonstop stream of money bet on the Lakers to repeat as NBA champions, Los Angeles isn’t the largest liability at Las Vegas sportsbooks.

That distinction belongs to the Atlanta Hawks, who will deal the books a multimillion-dollar loss if they shockingly win the title.

BetMGM took a $10,000 wager to win $1.5 million on the Hawks, who were as high as 500-1 this season. The Westgate took two bets totaling $7,500 to win $900,000, and William Hill took two wagers totaling $10,000 to win $800,000 on Atlanta.

“We get killed with the Hawks,” William Hill sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich said. “Who knows, they might end up as a serious contender in a wide-open year. The Heat came out of nowhere last year and made it all the way to the Finals.”

Professional sports bettor Erin Rynning picked Miami to win the Eastern Conference last year in the Review-Journal. But he doesn’t envision the Hawks making a similar run in the playoffs, which start Saturday.

Atlanta, which won 27 of its last 38 games, is a -120 favorite to win its first-round series over the New York Knicks.

“It’s a superstar league, and I don’t know if Atlanta has those real difference makers,” said Rynning (@Ersports1). “I just don’t see it.”

Jazz all that

Rynning forecasts a Utah-Brooklyn Finals and likes the Jazz to win the franchise’s first NBA title. Utah, which led the league with a 52-20 record, is +750 at BetMGM and 7-1 at William Hill and the Westgate.

“That’s where any value lies,” he said. “There’s a lot of questions with all these teams. Brooklyn can be had by a better defensive team when push comes to shove.

“Utah’s been a solid team all year. They’re a really tight team offensively and defensively.”

Sixers on sale

ESPN “Daily Wager” host Doug Kezirian likes top seed Philadelphia to win the East. The 76ers are 3-1 at BetMGM. The Nets are the -110 favorites.

“They don’t have to play the Bucks or the Nets until the conference finals,” Kezirian said. “When the books have skewed odds like they do with all the liability on Brooklyn, you’re going to have value elsewhere. I just think there’s value at 3-1 to win the East.

“The Sixers are getting penalized for a lot of poor play from the previous regime. But this team is constructed perfectly around (Joel) Embiid and (Ben) Simmons with shooters.”

Westgate vice president of risk Jeff Sherman said Philadelphia also offers the best value to win the title at +850. The Nets are the 2-1 favorites, though Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden have played only eight games together.

“Being the No. 1 seed in the East is so important because the path of getting (to the NBA Finals) is so much easier for the 1-seed,” Sherman said. “And the Nets’ stars have been very susceptible to injuries.”

Backing the Blazers

Kezirian and Sherman like Portland (-120) to defeat Denver in their first-round series. Kezirian also recommends a play on the Blazers to win in exactly six games, which pays 4-1.

“Because home teams have historically done really well in Game 7s, if the Blazers win the series, I think they’ll do it in six,” he said. “In the regular season, Denver can get by without Jamal Murray, but it’s a lot to ask against a team that has so much firepower in Portland.”

Saturday best bets

Rynning played two totals on Saturday’s games.

— Celtics-NETS O227½

“I thought that number was pretty short,” he said. “This is going to be a Nets team we really haven’t seen all year. In the playoffs, Durant, Harden and Kyrie should certainly play more minutes than they played in the regular season.

“They’re going to be an offensive juggernaut. I don’t think we’ll see a Nets total this low the rest of the playoffs. The Celtics have offensive firepower of their own with (Jayson) Tatum and (Kemba) Walker.”

— Mavericks-CLIPPERS U219

“These two teams basically have had a week off, which could mean a little rust, and it’s an early start in LA,” Rynning said. “The Clippers underachieved defensively all season, but I think they turn it up defensively here. They are very good at trying to take the No. 1 option away. If they do that here with Luka (Doncic), that really cuts the head of the snake off for Dallas to score.

“If the Mavericks are going to be Western Conference and NBA championship contenders, they have to play some type of defense.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.