First-round series odds and 2019 NBA playoff betting trends

The Golden State Warriors secured the top seed in the Western Conference with a record of 57-25 straight up and 35-46-1 against the spread. The Warriors will kick off their path towards a fourth championship in five years this Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Golden State is a staggering -20000 favorite to win its first-round series at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Bettors looking to fade the Warriors can take a shot on the Clippers at +5000 to knock off the defending champions.

While not quite as massive of a favorite as the Warriors, the Milwaukee Bucks are also going off as big chalk at -5000 to win their first-round series against the Detroit Pistons (+1500). Milwaukee had the best record in the NBA this season at 60-22 SU and 47-31-4 ATS. The Bucks haven’t won a playoff series since 2001, losing in the first round in each of their last eight trips to the postseason.

The entire Eastern Conference is pretty lopsided with the Toronto Raptors going off at -1200 against the Orlando Magic (+825), the Philadelphia 76ers (-650) facing the Brooklyn Nets (+500) and the Boston Celtics (-500) squaring off against the Indiana Pacers (+405). Boston’s late 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS surge earned the Celtics home court over the Pacers who went just 4-9 SU and 6-7 ATS down the stretch.

Out West, the second favorite to the Warriors are the Houston Rockets who are going off at -370 on the NBA odds as they clash with the Utah Jazz (+310). The Rockets enter the postseason red hot with a 20-4 SU and 14-8-2 ATS record over their last 24 games per the OddsShark NBA Database.

Rounding out the first round are a pair of intriguing matchups as the Denver Nuggets (-245) take on the San Antonio Spurs (+205) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (-133) face the Portland Trail Blazers (+113).

Denver won six more games than San Antonio this season to earn the No. 2 seed in the conference, but this is a Nuggets franchise that has won only two playoff series since 1995 facing one of the most experienced playoff coaches and teams of the era in Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. Oklahoma City is the only team in the postseason that is favored at online betting sites despite owning the lower seed.

For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify or listen to it at OddsShark.libsyn.com.