Heading into their second meeting of the regular season on Monday, there are slightly more bets on the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA title than there are on the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
But there's far more money on the Warriors.
At William Hill's Nevada sportsbook, 52 percent of the money that has been wagered on the odds to win the NBA title is on Golden State. That's more than triple the amount that has been bet on Cleveland.
The Warriors are 7.5-point home favorites over the Cavaliers on Monday night. Cleveland beat Golden State 109-108 on Christmas Day and has won four in a row against the Warriors dating back to last year's NBA Finals.
Golden State is a -140 favorite to win the championship this season, with Cleveland next at +190. The San Antonio Spurs, at 6-1, are the only other team with single-digit championship odds at William Hill.
Las Vegas sportsbook operator CG Technology has noticed lighter than normal action on its NBA championship odds.
"The handle [on NBA futures] is the lowest we've had," CG Technology vice president of risk Jason Simbal said. "I think it's just because it's an obvious conclusion."
The Los Angeles Clippers actually have attracted the most bets to win the title at CG Technology, followed by the Cavaliers and Warriors. But nearly four times as much money has been bet on Golden State as has been bet on Cleveland.
Neither the Warriors (34-6) nor the Cavs (29-10) have been a good bet in January. The two teams are a combined 2-11 against the spread this month.
