After reports surfaced on Monday the Brooklyn Nets would be without stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden for Tuesday’s Game 5 versus the Milwaukee Bucks with the second-round series tied 2-2, BetOnline.ag listed the Bucks as the favorites to win the NBA Finals for the first time during the 2020-21 season.
The situation changed on Tuesday, however, when Harden was upgraded to doubtful and then to questionable. It’s now known he intends to test his strained hamstring during warmups and play in Game 5 as long as he doesn’t encounter a setback. As a result, BetOnline now has both the Nets favored to win the whole things (+325), followed by the Phoenix Suns (+340) and then the Bucks (+350).
Phoenix completed a four-game sweep of the Denver Nuggets in that second-round series on Sunday.
While Harden appears set to again play alongside two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant on Tuesday evening, it’s unclear if Irving will return for the series after he went down to a sprained right ankle in the second quarter of Sunday’s Game 4. Harden hasn’t played since he aggravated a previous hamstring problem on June 5 and may not be 100% again until the fall, so don’t be surprised if more bettors fade Brooklyn ahead of Tuesday’s tip-off.
Keep an eye on BetOnline throughout Tuesday and the remainder of the playoffs for updated odds.
