Booker and Middleton Injuries Impact NBA Futures Betting

Written by :

Don Shapiro

Published on :

22 April, 2022

Booker and Middleton Injuries Impact NBA Futures Betting

Phoenix and Milwaukee were favored to win their respective conferences before the playoffs began, while the Suns were the overall favorite to go all the way and win the NBA Championship. But injuries are now taking a toll.

Now, with Devin Booker out 2-3 weeks (and possibly more considering it’s a hamstring injury) and Kris Middleton sidelined for at least the remainder of the Bulls series, the Suns and Bucks have seen their odds worsen immensely.

BetOnline initially made Milwaukee a -1000 to advance past Round 1 and Phoenix -2500, meaning both had greater than a 90 percent chance to move on.

Here are the book’s current odds with each series tied 1-1, and the lingering injuries in mind:

Bulls +230

Bucks -275

(Odds imply a 73.3 percent probability Bucks advance)

Pelicans +265

Suns -315

(Odds imply a 75.9 percent probability Suns advance)

Both teams are favored by around 2 points on the road Friday night. The Suns would be 5.5- to 6-point favorites with Booker in the lineup while the Bucks would be -4 or -4.5 with Middleton.

Additionally, the Bucks now have the third-best odds in the East while the Suns have slipped to second in the West behind Golden State.

Nick Bahe and Drew Butler give out their NBA picks against the spread for game 3 in the Phoenix Suns vs New Orleans Pelicans First-round series.