Betting on the Golden State Warriors to beat the Utah Jazz on Wednesday was always a risky proposition.
They held out Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins, so the team was a 5.5-point underdog on the road. But all that did was add value to Golden State’s moneyline odds, enticing bettors to take a swing. It’s not often you get a chance at plus odds on the Warriors.
For a minute at the end of the game, it looked like a great beat. After trailing the entire fourth quarter, the Warriors took a 119-117 lead with 2:10 left.
That’s when they started to completely melt down.
• Warriors miss two free throws ✅
• Wide open three for Utah ✅
• Force a turnover down one point to win the game ✅
A miracle for those that needed Jazz ML 😅 pic.twitter.com/tZhbViul3g
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 8, 2022
If you notice in the clip, there’s only 24 seconds on the clock and the Warriors are still stuck at 122. That’s because they went 1-for-6 from the field after taking the lead.
They failed to further extend that lead when Jordan Poole and Jonathan Kuminga each missed a free throw. Then a 3-pointer and a bad turnover later, and the Jazz were dunking on a fast-break to take the lead back for good.
No matter which side your money was on, you were probably sweating out the ending. But most bettors came away happy. According to Action Network, 81% of moneyline bets were on the Jazz. But the bettors who did pick the Warriors had more money riding on the game — 56% of the money was on GS.
That’s a tough way to lose it.
