Toronto Raptors' NBA Finals Odds Increase Dramatically Before Game 2 Against Golden State Warriors

All it took was 48 minutes for the Toronto Raptors to no longer be heavy underdogs in the 2019 NBA Finals. After beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 at home in Game 1, Toronto’s odds to win the title have essentially doubled.

The Raptors began the finals with +250 odds to upset the Warriors. With a 1-0 series advantage, they are only +130 underdogs.

Golden State has gone from -300 favorites Thursday night to -150 favorites. Looking to win their fourth championship in five years, the Warriors lost the Game 1 of the finals for the first time during their historic run. This is also the first year in which Golden State doesn’t have home-court advantage.

Toronto’s victory wasn’t actually an upset since they were one-point favorites to start the game. The betting line for Game 2 in Toronto Sunday night is two points in favor of the Raptors, per OddsShark. The Raptors look like a more than formidable opponent for the Kevin Durant-less Warriors.

The Raptors were in control for nearly the entirety of the series opener, taking a 10-point lead into halftime and never trailing in the second half. Toronto did it without a superhuman effort from Kawhi Leonard, who scored 23 points on five-of-14 shooting.

Pascal Siakam was the star of the night, totaling 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists on 14-17 shooting. Marc Gasol was terrific, as well, going for 20 points and seven rebounds on six-of-10 shooting.

Toronto’s defense continues to impress. The Raptors completely shut down the Milwaukee Bucks’ half-court offense in the conference finals, and the Warriors’ historic offense was forced into taking tough shots all night.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 34 points on 18 shots. Klay Thompson had 21 points on 17 shots.

Durant seems unlikely to return Sunday for Game 2.