The Cup is in the building tonight in Toronto — or no, wait, it's on its way somewhere else. Hasn't sniffed the ice in Toronto in roughly 42 years.
Instead, Torontonians will have the chance to celebrate winning the Larry O'Brien Trophy with a victory over the Warriors in tonight's Game 5.
According to oddsmakers, the Raptors chances to end the series tonight were pretty decent. Toronto was a 3-point favorite when this line opened, and was -145 on the moneyline. The Raps even reached -3.5 and hit the -160 range (61.5% implied probability) on Saturday.
Since then, though, we've had a few developments.
Number one: Kevin Durant's status has gone from being completely up in the air to active. That gradual news-break settled the line to an updated Toronto -1.5.
Number two: Sharp bettors hit this line.
Following the Durant news, the line continued to move in favor of the Warriors, meaning bettors were finding value even on the adjusted line. And according to Sports Insights Bet Signals, those bettors were of the sharp variety.
A signal was triggered on the Warriors at 3:26 p.m. ET — the only one to come since Durant's status was clear. Sportsbooks are now listing the line on both sides of the fence, with some favoring the Raptors by a point, and some, like the Westgate Superbook, have shifted to Golden State -1.
Currently, bets are split right down the middle, with the Warriors collecting 51% of tickets. The Raptors have drawn more money (66%), though it's important to note that both figures are taking into account all bets that have been made since the line opened — meaning before KD was announced as active.
