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U.S. Open Headed for Grand Finale

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LOS ANGELES – At 10-under (200), Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowlershare the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy sits one back.

Fowler holds the 54-hole lead/co-lead for the 10th time on Tour and the first time in a major. He is only 2-for-9 to date in converting into victory.

Clark holds the lead/co-lead for the third time in individual stroke-play events on Tour and the first time in a major. Overall, he is 1-for-2 to date in converting into victory.

Four-time major champion and World No. 3 McIlroy opened his 15th U.S. Open with three rounds in the 60s for the fifth time. He went on to win three of the previous four times he accomplished that feat.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler holed out from 196 yards for eagle on the par-4 17th then followed with a birdie on No. 18 for a 2-under (68). He trails the leaders by three strokes after 54 holes.

This week marks just the third time in the last 20 years that two of the top three players in the world rankings will be in the Top 4 on the leaderboard entering the final round of the U.S. Open. The others: 2006 – Phil Mickelson/Vijay Singh and then 2022 – Scheffler/Jon Rahm).

History Lesson: The eventual champion has been within four shots of the lead heading into the final round of the last 24 U.S. Open tournaments.

The largest come-from-behind victory in the final round of the U.S. Open is seven strokes, an accomplishment by the great Arnold Palmer in 1960.

No. 15 played at 80 yards in the third round, making it the shortest par-3 in U.S. Open history.

123rd U.S. Open Leaderboard After 54 Holes

Wyndham Clark 64-67-69—200 (-10)

Rickie Fowler 62-68-70—200 (-10)

Rory McIlroy 65-67-69—201 (-9)

Scottie Scheffler 67-68-68—203 (-7)

Harris English 67-66-71—204 (-6)

Full Leaderboard: (link)

Let’s Play Two on Father’s Day

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BOSTON – The Red Sox-Yankees game scheduled for Saturday, June 17, at Fenway Park was postponed due to the heavy rainfall in the Fenway area throughout last evening.

The Saturday night game has been rescheduled as the first game of a split doubleheader today, June 18, beginning at 1:35 p.m. Tickets for Saturday’s game will be good for admission to the rescheduled contest. Tonight’s regularly scheduled game remains at 7:10 p.m.

The rescheduled game on June 18 will be televised on NESN and broadcast in English on WEEI 93.7 FM and in Spanish on WAMG 890 AM/WCCM 1490 AM.

Red Sox Have Upper Hand v NYY

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Meeting for the second time this season in Boston, the Red Sox and New York Yankees will conclude their three-game series with a day-night doubleheader on Sunday. The Sox have had the upper hand in the rivalry so far this season, taking two of three games in the Bronx last weekend before rolling to Friday’s 15-5 win at Fenway.

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Led by Justin Turner’s 3-for-5 performance that included two home runs and six RBIs, Boston set season-high marks for runs and hits on Friday. The Red Sox have scored 27 runs over their last three games.

“It seems like every game we have played has been in the 50s, and (Friday), it felt like summer,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “You know how it plays here in the summer and the ball will carry. And the guys did an outstanding job putting pressure on (Yankees starter Domingo) German. We did some great things. We put pressure on their defense.”

After a rainy Saturday, Boston looks to continue its success behind a shuffled pitching rotation.

Brayan Bello (3-4, 3.78 ERA) will start Game 2 after being initially slated to work on Saturday. The Red Sox have yet to name a starter for the first game of the twin bill.

Bello has a 2.80 ERA over his last eight starts, which included seven innings of two-run, three-hit ball last Sunday in New York. Three of the 24-year-old’s last four starts have spanned at least six frames.

“He came back up (from Triple-A Worcester) with a great attitude,” Red Sox utility man Enrique Hernandez said of Bello. “Same story as last year (when) he takes the mound. He seems like he gets better. I think he is mature beyond his years.”

The Yankees will trot out the hurlers who were originally lined up to pitch the final two games of the series.

Game 1 starter Clarke Schmidt (2-6, 4.70) boasts a 2.33 ERA over his last five starts. The right-hander took a no-decision despite allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings opposite Bello last Sunday.

Entering the opener of Sunday’s doubleheader, New York is 11-13 against American League East teams and 28-18 against squads from all other divisions.

“Through this stretch where it’s been tough for us over the last 10 days, we’ve played really well,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We just haven’t put a lot of points on the board. (Friday) we were at least able to get some runs on the board, but overall, we just did not play a very clean game.”

In the nightcap, Luis Severino (0-1, 6.48) will look for his first win of 2023. He allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings on Tuesday in a Subway Series game against the Mets, which the Yankees eventually won 7-6.

Severino has only surpassed the five-inning mark once this season (May 27 against San Diego) and has given up five or more earned runs in two of his last three outings.

Combining those games, Severino has covered just 13 2/3 innings and has allowed 16 earned runs on 22 hits. He has also surrendered seven homers during that span.

“I didn’t get better,” Severino said. “I need to be a better pitcher. I feel like every time they give me the ball, I’m not helping the team right now. I just need to figure out what’s going on. Hopefully, I can do that soon.”

–Field Level Media

Yankees: Not Ready for Prime Time

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Justin Turner had a career-high-tying six RBIs and Masataka Yoshida posted his first career four-hit game as the host Boston Red Sox rolled past the rival New York Yankees 15-5 on Friday night. The Red Sox reached their season high in both runs and hits (17).

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Turner went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and a grand slam, and Yoshida finished 4-for-4 to help Boston compile a season-high 17 hits.

Alex Verdugo, Triston Casas and Pablo Reyes had two hits apiece for the Red Sox, who have won back-to-back games and improved to 3-1 against New York this season.

Red Sox starter Tanner Houck exited the game after taking Kyle Higashioka’s comebacker off the head in the top of the fifth. He walked off under his own power, with blood on his right cheek, and he was diagnosed with a facial contusion.

Joe Jacques (1-0) earned his first major league win despite allowing three runs (one earned) in two innings.

Josh Donaldson went 2-for-4 and Anthony Rizzo had three RBIs for New York.

Boston led 4-1 before a six-run third broke the game wide open. Adam Duvall hit a leadoff double, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Yoshida’s base hit. Christian Arroyo followed with a double that ended Yankees starter Domingo German’s outing and continued the inning.

Reyes hit an RBI single off Matt Krook to make it 6-1. After a Verdugo single, Turner crushed a grand slam to straightaway center to bring the Red Sox into double digits.

In the fourth, Connor Wong and Reyes hit back-to-back RBI singles.

New York got back on the board in the sixth as Rizzo lined a two-run double to center and scored on Billy McKinney’s single. A Casas RBI single gave Boston a run in the next half-inning.

Donaldson hit a towering solo homer in the eighth, and Casas replied with an RBI double in the bottom of the frame.

The Yankees got on the board in the first inning as Jake Bauers hit a leadoff double into the right field corner and scored on Rizzo’s groundout.

It did not take much time for the home team to respond and flip the score as Yoshida’s two-out, two-run double made it 2-1 in the bottom of the first. A Turner double and Rafael Devers walk with one out set up the Japanese star.

The Red Sox extended their lead when Turner hit a two-run shot into the Green Monster seats after Verdugo’s two-out double in the second.

German (4-4) was charged with seven hits and seven runs over two-plus innings. He walked two and struck out one.

–Field Level Media

Bah, Morant: NBA Docks Ja for 25 Games

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Grizzlies Guard Suspension w/o Pay Will Cost $10m

NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The hammer finally came down.

The NBA suspended Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant for 25 games without pay for brandishing a handgun in a viral video for the second time.

The suspension for conduct detrimental to the league covers the first 25 games of the 2023-24 regular season and includes conditions for reinstatement. He is ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games, during the course of his suspension.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.

“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

Morant issued an apology and said he is working on his “mental health and decision making” in order to prove that he’s “a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”

“I’ve had time to reflect and I realize how much hurt I’ve caused,” Morant said. “I want to apologize to the NBA, the Grizzlies, my teammates and the city of Memphis. To Adam Silver, Zach Kleiman (Grizzlies vice president and general manager) and Robert Pera (Grizzlies franchise owner) — who gave me the opportunity to be a professional athlete and have supported me — I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better. To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.

“I’m spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making. I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back on the court. I know my teammates are going to hold it down and I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you at the beginning of the season.

“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man that what I’ve been showing you.”

The Grizzlies offered the following statement shortly after the suspension was announced:

“We respect the League’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode. Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them.”

The National Basketball Players Association, however, took issue with the length of Morant’s suspension and its conditions on Friday.

“Ja has expressed his remorse and accepted responsibility for his actions, and we support him unequivocally as he does whatever is necessary to represent himself, our players and our league in the best possible light,” NBPA executive director Tamika Tremaglio said.

“As to the discipline imposed, which keeps him off the court until December and requires some unstated conditions to be met before he can return, we believe it is excessive and inappropriate for a number of reasons including the facts involved in this particular incident, and that it is not fair and consistent with past discipline in our league. We will explore with Ja all options and next steps.”

Nike also released a statement:

“We are pleased that Ja is taking accountability and prioritizing his well-being. We will continue to support him on and off the court.”

Based on his $33.5 million salary for 2023-24, the suspension will cost Morant approximately $10.2 million.

The video, which was on Instagram Live, featured Morant waving a gun while sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car while listening to rap music. The clip was released on May 13, and the Grizzlies suspended the guard from all team activities the following day.

It was the second time in three months that Morant was caught with a firearm on social media. He previously was suspended eight games and sought counseling after a March 4 incident in which he filmed himself holding a gun at a Denver strip club following a 113-97 loss to the Nuggets.

Ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver said the “history of prior acts” and “the individual player’s history” would be taken into account when the league made its decision on Morant’s punishment.

Morant, 23, is coming off his fourth season with Memphis after the Grizzlies selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. A two-time All-Star, Morant averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists in 61 games (59 starts) in 2022-23.

–Field Level Media

Sox Salvage Series with a Win

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BOSTON – Dodging thunderstorms and downpours, the Boston Red Sox put together a five-run seventh inning to help them end a five-game home losing streak with a 6-3 victory over Colorado. The Red Sox salvaged the finale of a three-game series.

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Rob Refsnyder‘s triple was the big blow in the inning as it scored Jarren Duran and Connor Wong and broke a 2-2 tie. Justin Turner followed with a single that scored Refsnyder, and then Alex Verdugo hit a double that drove in Turner to give Boston a 6-2 lead.

Red Sox starter Garrett Whitlock (4-2) limited the Rockies to two runs on six hits in seven innings. Rockies starter Austin Gomber (4-6) yielded three runs on six hits in six-plus innings.

Today is a rare off-day for the Sox who will welcome in the New York Yankees for a weekend set.

U.S. Open: Ready for Hollywood

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LOS ANGELES – Defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick earned his first PGA TOUR title at the 2022 U.S. Open, becoming the first player to do so in a major since Danny Willett at the 2016 Masters Tournament. The last player to successfully defend a major championship title was Brooks Koepka at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Koepka is also the last player to win the U.S. Open in back-to-back years (2017, 2018). Fitzpatrick, who won the RBC Heritage earlier this season, enters the week at No. 28 in the FedEx Cup standings.

The 2023 U.S. Open is the first major championship held at The Los Angeles Country Club and will be contested on the North Course. The first edition of the Los Angeles Open, now known as The Genesis Invitational, was held at LACC (North) in 1926, and the event has been held there a total of five times (1926, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940). The last major championship played in the Los Angeles area was the 1995 PGA Championship, held at The Riviera Country Club, the host venue of The Genesis Invitational.

2021 U.S. Open winner Jon Rahm enters the week as the FedExCup leader with four wins this season, including the Masters Tournament. With a win this week, Rahm would become the first player to win five times in a season since Justin Thomas in 2016-17 and the first to win multiple majors in the same year since Jordan Spieth in 2015 (Masters, U.S. Open). With 3,042 FedExCup points so far this season, Rahm has the fifth-highest total in a single FedExCup Regular Season since the inception of the FedExCup in 2007. He is 17 points behind No. 4 (Tiger Woods/2013) and 1,127 behind No. 1 (Jordan Spieth/2014-15).

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The 2011 U.S. Open winner and reigning FedEx Cup Champion Rory McIlroyhas won four majors (2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, 2014 Open Championship, 2014 PGA Championship) but none since the start of the 2014-15 season. McIlroy has 18 Top-10s in majors since his most recent title, the most of any player in that span.

McIlroy is making his 48th start in a major and 33rd since winning the 2014 PGA Championship.

There are four players in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking that have not won a major: No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 5 Viktor Hovland, No. 6 Xander Schauffele and No. 7 Max Homa. Those four players have combined for 25 PGA Tour titles and have all won at least twice since the start of the 2021-22 season.

 

Oh, What a Knight

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The City that Never Sleeps has another reason to stay up late.

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The Vegas Golden Knights won the first Stanley Cup Final in team history on Tuesday night on their home rink in Las Vegas, getting three goals from team captain Mark Stone en route to a 9-3 victory against the Florida Panthers in the deciding Game 5.

Stone produced the first hat trick in the finals since Peter Forsberg accomplished the feat for the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 and raised the NHL Stanley Cup in celebration in the post-game ceremonies.

The Golden Knights lifted the Cup in just their sixth season of existence to become the fastest expansion team in NHL history to claim a title.

“I can’t even describe the feelings in my stomach right now,” Stone said while still celebrating on the ice. “Everything you can imagine. The grind of an 82-game season, four playoff rounds. …. You grind and you grind and you grind. At the end of the day, the last team standing, it’s incredible.”

Six other players scored goals for Vegas, Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore each contributed three assists and Adin Hill made 32 saves in another steady performance for Vegas, which outscored the Panthers 26-12 in the best-of-seven series.

The Knights’ Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. He tallied an assist in Game 5, giving him 12 for the playoffs to go with 13 goals. He tied for the league lead in postseason goals this year and finished one point behind Eichel’s league-leading playoff point total.

“One night it’s one guy, one night it’s another guy,” Marchessault said. “That’s the mentality we have this year, just next man in has to do the job. We’re a bunch of good teammates in that locker room and we’re always happy for each other and everybody stepped up at different times. That’s why, today, we’re winners.”

Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart each had a goal and an assist, Aaron Ekblad also scored and Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves for Florida, which was outscored 21-7 in the three games at Las Vegas.

“Appropriate congratulations to Vegas,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “They earned it. They were outstanding. We didn’t have an answer for them.”

The Panthers played without leading scorer Matthew Tkachuk in Game 5 because of a broken bone in his sternum/clavicle area. The injury occurred in Game 3, but he played through the pain in Game 4 at Sunrise, Fla., a 3-2 loss that put Florida on the brink of elimination.

Maurice said after Game 5 that three others were playing with broken bones, including Ekblad, who competed with a broken foot since the opening-round series against the Boston Bruins.

Maurice said some of the injuries could take four to six months to heal.

“We’re going to have a hell of a time making the playoffs next year,” he said.

Stone scored short-handed off a two-on-one breakaway to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead at 11:52 of the first period.

Bobrovsky made a save on Eichel’s backhand try and then tried to lay on the puck in the crease, but it was poked out to Nicolas Hague, and Hague shot it into the net for a 2-0 lead at 13:41 of the first.

Ekblad cut it to 2-1 with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line at 2:15 of the second, but the Golden Knights answered with four straight goals before the end of the period.

Alec Martinez scored off the rush to make it 3-1 at 10:28, and Smith put away a between-the-legs pass from William Karlsson for a 4-1 lead at 12:13.

Stone scored his 10th goal of the postseason to extend the lead to 5-1 at 17:15, and Michael Amadio capped the barrage by scoring with two seconds left in the period to make it 6-1.

Ivan Barbashev scored at 8:22 of the third period before Reinhart scored 25 seconds later to trim Florida’s deficit to 7-2.

Bennett gave Florida three goals in regulation for the first time in the series when he scored at 11:39 to pull the visitors within 7-3.

Stone secured the hat trick when he scored into an empty net with 5:54 left to make it 8-3.

Nicolas Roy finished off the scoring with 1:02 remaining.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our team, our organization,” Marchessault said. “We’ve grinded for a few years, and it’s just unbelievable getting here.”

Florida finished 0-for-14 on the power play in the series to become the first team without a power-play goal in the finals since the Detroit Red Wings in 1948.

–Field Level Media

Can Rockies Sweep Sockies?

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Colorado Rockies hope left-hander Austin Gomber can improve on his recent form as they attempt to complete a three-game road sweep of the Boston Red Sox  tonight. Colorado earned 10-inning wins at Boston the past two nights, prevailing 4-3 on Monday and 7-6 on Tuesday.

The Rockies scored three runs in the top of the 10th on Tuesday, then held on despite Rafael Devers‘ second two-run homer of the night in the bottom of the frame to seal their third straight victory.

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“It was a good team win,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “A lot of guys in a lot of different spots helped out.”

The Red Sox have lost their past five home games, and they are just 4-11 in their past 15 games in Boston. They have dropped five of the past seven contests overall.

“Keep playing hard, clean up a few things and go from there,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said following the Tuesday defeat. “We just have to play well. That’s it. Two extra-inning games, kind of a flip of the coin, right? … From my end, it’s not deflating.”

Gomber (4-5, 7.57 ERA) allowed 15 runs on 25 hits in just 10 2/3 innings over his past three starts. He walked eight and struck out eight during that span.

Gomber took the loss in his latest outing after he surrendered 11 hits — including three home runs — and seven runs in four-plus innings during a 9-6 defeat against the San Diego Padres on Friday. All three home runs came on four-seam fastballs.

The 29-year-old Florida native, who is in his fifth major league season, has not pitched against the Red Sox.

Rockies reliever Daniel Bard earned the win in each of the first two games in the series. The Red Sox selected Bard with the 28th overall pick in the 2006 draft, and he pitched for Boston from 2009-13.

“We’re pushing Daniel a bit because we think things are coming together for him,” Rockies manager Bud Black said of Bard, who has a 0.87 ERA in 20 2/3 innings over 20 appearances this season.

The Rockies haven’t swept an opponent since they won three straight against the Milwaukee Brewers from May 2-4.

Right-hander Garrett Whitlock (3-2, 4.78 ERA) is scheduled to start on the mound for Boston, and unlike Gomber, he’s trending in a positive direction. He is a 2-0 with a 3.38 ERA in his past three starts.

Whitlock outdueled Gerrit Cole in his most recent outing, a 3-2 win against the New York Yankees on Friday. Whitlock yielded two runs (one earned) on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six and issued one walk.

Whitlock replaced Corey Kluber in Boston’s rotation after Kluber, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, began the season with a 2-6 record and a 6.26 ERA in his first nine appearances. Whitlock has not faced Colorado during his career.

Despite Devers’ heroics on Tuesday, the Red Sox went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

The Wednesday game will be the third contest of a 10-game road trip for the Rockies, who will start a four-game series at Atlanta on Thursday before finishing the trip with three at Cincinnati.

The Red Sox are 0-2 to start a six-game homestand that concludes with a three-game visit from the New York Yankees this weekend.

–Field Level Media

Nuggets Open as NBA Faves in 2024

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LAS VEGAS – Fresh off capturing the first NBA championship in franchise history on Monday, the Denver Nuggets were installed by sportsbooks as favorites or co-favorites to repeat as champions.

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The Nuggets closed out the NBA Finals in Game 5, defeating the visiting Miami Heat 94-89 to end the best-of-seven series. Finals MVP Nikola Jokic amassed 28 points and 16 rebounds in the title-clinching win.

DraftKings listed Denver as a +500 favorite to win the championship again in 2024. The nearest followers per DraftKings are the Boston Celtics (+550), the Milwaukee Bucks (+650) and the Phoenix Suns (+850).

FanDuel posted Denver and Milwaukee as co-favorites at +460. The Celtics (+500) and the Suns (+700) are the only other teams with odds better than +1200, which is the number listed for both the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers.

BetMGM has the Nuggets at +500, followed by the Celtics (+550), the Bucks (+600) and the Suns (+850).

Others among the favorites according to FanDuel are the Cleveland Cavaliers (+1900), the Los Angeles Lakers (+1900), the Los Angeles Clippers (+2100), the Heat (+2500), the Dallas Mavericks (+2700) and the Memphis Grizzlies (+3000).

Per DraftKings, the other favorites aside from the top four are the Lakers (+1200), the Warriors (+1200), the 76ers (+1300), the Mavericks (+1300), the Clippers (+1500), the Heat (+1800) and the Grizzlies (+1900).

BetMGM’s other top contenders are Dallas, Golden State and the Lakers, all at +1200; the Clippers and Philadelphia, both at +1400; and Memphis and Miami, both at +2000.

The biggest longshots according to FanDuel are the Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, all at +50000. DraftKings has the Hornets at +40000 and the Pistons alone at the bottom at +50000, while BetMGM has Charlotte and Detroit bringing up the rear at +50000.

Neither of this year’s finalists were among the top five favorites in odds posted right after the Golden State Warriors won the 2022 NBA Finals.