FanDuel Sportsbook has upped the ante for new customers by offering a $2,500 “No Sweat First Bet” to help celebrate the 2023 NBA Finals.
Gaming Today caught up with FanDuel Sportsbook General Manager Karol Corcoran for a peek behind the curtain to see how action on the NBA Finals is playing out at his book.
FanDuel Bettors Favor Nuggets over Heat in Game 3
Despite the Heat heading home to play Game 3 on Wednesday after leveling the NBA Finals at one game apiece, Corcoran said a majority of the action is on the Nuggets. FanDuel customers have also gravitated toward Same Game Parlays during the NBA Finals.
“In Game 3, fans favor the Nuggets as they currently have 66% of handle on 51% of the bets,” he said. “As far as bet type, fans love to bet on storylines during the NBA Finals and Same Game Parlays continue to be popular in these standalone matchups. We see a majority of fans creating parlays with prop bets on their favorite stars.”
NBA Finals Odds at FanDuel Sportsbook
| Game Time | Teams | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed (12/25) @ 10:30pm ET | DEN Nuggets | +1.5 -110 | +108 | o226.5 -110 |
| PHO Suns | -1.5 -110 | -127 | u226.5 -110 |
FanDuel NBA Futures Liabilities
Corcoran acknowledged that FanDuel has a “small liability” on the favored Nuggets to win the 2023 NBA Championship.
“They’ve been a popular bet for fans,” he said. “The Lakers were our biggest liability, which is no surprise given the team’s national recognition and their late-season surge.”
NBA Finals MVP Betting Trends
At FanDuel, Denver’s Nikola Jokic is the -260 betting favorite to become NBA Finals MVP as of Tuesday. Jimmy Butler (+430) and Jamal Murray (+4200) have also been targeted by bettors in search of value in this betting market.
“Jokic currently has 56% of handle to win the NBA Finals MVP award and the closest one to him is his teammate, Jamal Murray, who has 20% of handle,” Corcoran said. “We’ve also seen bets on Jimmy Butler, who currently has 15% of handle to win the Finals MVP award.”
FanDuel Debuts ‘Finals Firsts’ Betting Markets for Heat vs. Nuggets
Navigating on the FanDuel sports betting app, click on “NBA” and then the “Finals Firsts” tab to explore new betting markets on the NBA Finals. You’ll find the following options:
- First basket
- Method of first basket
- First made three
- First rebound
- First assist
- Both teams to score in the first minute
- 2 or more 3s made in the first 3 minutes
- First quarter race to 15 points
- First quarter player combos
- First player to score 10+ points
- Number of dunks
Corcoran explained the reasoning behind offering betting markets that can lead to instant gratification.
“Quick-settling bets that give them something to root for out of the gate,” Corcoran said. “Our team had some fun with it and ‘method of first basket’ is proving to be popular. We’ve seen fans come up with creative combinations like a dunk from Bam Adebayo, or a layup from Jimmy Butler.”
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