The Warriors pursuit of NBA history has dominated talk around the league all season long and Vegas was certainly paying attention back in November when the defending NBA champs got off to a blistering start.
That's when the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook offered gamblers the prop bet "Will Golden State win 73 or more games in the 2015-16 regular season. According to ESPN, after initially installing the Warriors as big underdogs, the sportsbook has drastically decreased the prop's odds while taking plenty of action on Steph Curry and company to best the Bulls '95-96 72-10 mark.
According to Jeff Sherman, the manager at the SuperBook, the prop has received considerable action. In an email, he said 75 percent of the tickets and 60 percent of the money has been wagered on Golden State to break the record.
The SuperBook initially opened the Warriors as big underdogs (Yes +500/No -700). ESPN reports that during the All-Star break, the Warriors became favorites to win 73 games and following last night's come-from-behind victory in Miami, the updated odds reflect Vegas' confidence in Golden State.
After a 118-112 victory Wednesday night over the Miami Heat to get to 51-5 on the season, the "yes" bet is currently minus-125, while "no" is plus-105. The win pushed the Warriors to the best 56-game start in NBA history. The Bulls were 50-6 through 56 games in 1995-96.
With 26 games to go, the Warriors schedule isn't an easy one since they still have another meeting with the Thunder (Saturday), one more showdown with the Clippers, and three more with the Spurs (two in San Antonio, including the second to last game of the season). The rest of the schedule features games against seven teams currently .500 or better, but considering Golden State's losses have come courtesy of mediocre teams it might be wise to start loading up "yes" while it's still reasonable.
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