Warriors' 2019 NBA Title Odds Drop After Upset Loss to Clippers; Bucks Rise

After a surprising start to the NBA playoffs, the championship odds have been altered slightly. 

Per Caesars Palace (h/t B/R Betting), the Golden State Warriors are still favored to win a third straight title, but their odds moved down after splitting two games against the Los Angeles Clippers:

The Warriors find themselves at an early crossroads in the postseason. The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off the largest comeback in playoff history to win Game 2 135-131 after trailing by 31 points in the second half. 

In addition to losing the game, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported DeMarcus Cousins tore his quad and that his status for the postseason will be determined after two weeks of rehab. 

While much of the focus is on the Warriors, there are other top contenders in early trouble. The Toronto Raptors have dropped from +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000) to +1400 following their Game 1 loss to the Orlando Magic. 

The Philadelphia 76ers (+2500, down from +2000) salvaged a split in their first two games against the Brooklyn Nets. The Denver Nuggets (dropped from +1400 to +1600) were held to 96 points against a San Antonio Spurs team that went 16-25 on the road during the regular season. 

The Spurs were the biggest winners from the weekend. Their Game 1 win over the Nuggets bumped them up from +6000 to +4000. They have the same odds as the Oklahoma City Thunder, who went 5-of-33 from three-point range in a 104-99 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. 

As those teams search for answers moving forward, the Milwaukee Bucks (up to +400 from +450) and Houston Rockets (+500, same as last week) made things look easy in their Game 1 wins over the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz. 

Since it's still early in the playoffs, don't turn up the panic meter on some of the disappointing teams. If they look sluggish after their next game, that's when it's time to start thinking seriously about upset scenarios.