The Brooklyn Nets have drifted out to +800 to win the NBA Championship after suffering a fourth straight defeat on Thursday night.
They were down by 20 points heading into the fourth quarter of their game against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center. The Nets but they mounted a stirring late comeback, but they ultimately slumped to a 117-112 defeat.
It was their fourth straight loss since Kevin Durant was injured, underscoring his importance to this team. The Nets have now lost three consecutive games to sub-.500 opponents, and they must now prepare for a tricky stretch that sees them face the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers in their next three games.
They have fallen from second down to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, but they remain the joint second favorites for the NBA Championship this season.
The Celtics are the favorites, best priced at +400 with BetMGM, followed by the Nets and the Bucks at +800 apiece.
Some sportsbooks will only go to +600 on the Nets, but you can find +800 at FanDuel, BetMGM and PointsBet.
The top three in the betting are all from the Eastern Conference, suggesting that the team that emerges from the east will go on to win the NBA Finals.
In the short-term, Brooklyn needs more from Ben Simmons on both sides of the basketball if it is to arrest its losing streak. “We need him to be productive, and that is without the fouls,” said coach Jacque Vaughn of Simmons, who was ejected for arguing with referee Eric Lewis on Thursday.
