The Boston Celtics are still favored to win the Eastern Conference Finals over the Miami Heat, but a couple key players out for Tuesday's Game 1 — and perhaps longer — saw a shift in the betting markets.
Al Horford was ruled out due to health and safety protocols shorty before tip-off, while Marcus Smart is sidelined with a midfoot sprain he suffered in Sunday's Game 7 win over the Miami Bucks.
The Celtics, who were priced at -185 to win the series at DraftKings, closed -155; the Heat dropped from +155 to +120.
The Game 1 spread and total were also affected.
Miami was a consensus two-point favorite, but skyrocketed up to -4.5 across the market — and as high as -5 — following the news. The over/under, meanwhile, dipped a point from 204 to 203.
Horford had his moments in the previous round against Milwaukee, highlighted by a 30-point Game 4 in which he drilled five of his seven 3-point attempts.
His 10.2 points per game during the regular season were the fewest since his rookie campaign. However, he posted 7.7 rebounds per contest, the most in a C's uniform.
Smart, on the other hand, was questionable leading up to the opening matchup.
The 28-year-old this season became the first guard to win Defensive Player of the Year since 1996 as a cog for Boston's top-ranked unit.
The Golden State Warriors are still the team to beat in the futures market, as they're consensus +127 favorites to cut the nets down.
