Game 7 line drops as Pacers try for Finals upset

The Indiana Pacers, 1 triumph distant from the biggest upset successful a modern NBA Finals series, person earned the respect of influential bettors heading into Sunday's Game 7 against the Thunder successful Oklahoma City.

Multiple sportsbooks reported taking bets connected the underdog Pacers from crisp bettors Friday and Saturday, causing the Game 7 constituent dispersed to driblet by arsenic galore arsenic 2 points. After opening with the Thunder favored by 8.5, the enactment astatine ESPN BET moved Oklahoma City -6.5 connected Friday. The statement enactment connected Sunday greeting was Thunder -7, tied for the largest constituent dispersed successful a Game 7 successful the Finals since 1991, according to ESPN Research.

"With the mode the bid has played out, I tin spot radical taking the [points] alternatively than laying," Jeff Sherman, vice president of hazard for the Westgate SuperBook successful Las Vegas, told ESPN.

Sherman, a seasoned NBA oddsmaker, added that his publication took bets connected Indiana +8 and +7.5 from influential bettors.

Chris Andrews, sportsbook manager astatine the South Point successful Las Vegas, said helium took crisp enactment connected Indiana and had to determination the enactment down to Oklahoma City -7, earlier helium could pull immoderate wealth connected the favored Thunder.

The Pacers entered the Finals arsenic +525 underdogs to bushed the Thunder successful the best-of-seven series. At those odds, Indiana would go the biggest underdog to prevail successful the Finals since astatine slightest 1975, surpassing the 2004 Detroit Pistons, who upset the Los Angeles Lakers arsenic +500 underdogs, according to SportsOddsHistory.com.

Indiana, aft reaching the Eastern Conference finals past year, got disconnected to a dilatory commencement to this season. The Pacers' likelihood to triumph the title got arsenic agelong 150-1 midway done the season, and fewer bettors believed they had a accidental entering the playoffs. Sixteen teams had attracted much bets to triumph the rubric than Indiana astatine BetMGM, including the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers, 2 squads not successful the postseason. The Pacers accounted for 1% of the wealth wagered connected the sportsbook's likelihood to triumph the championship.

Indiana, which entered the play astatine 50-1 to triumph the NBA title, would beryllium the biggest preseason agelong changeable to triumph a rubric successful the past 40 seasons, according to ESPN Research.