The Knicks had previously received nearly no betting interest in this series or all season long, having just received 3.4 percent of the NBA Finals betting handle at BetMGM. Even with the odds favoring them, the Knicks still have to close out the defending champions.

Everything that happens in sports has additional context when viewed from a betting perspective. From season-changing injuries to record-setting moments and so much more, the news cycle will constantly and significantly affect the sports betting industry.

Isaiah Hartenstein went from playing behind Denver's Nikola Jokic to playing against him with OKC in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

The Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seeds in the playoffs and owners of the best regular-season records in the NBA, find themselves in dire need of wins as they host Game 5s in the conference semifinals on Tuesday night.

Game 2 looked a lot like Game 1 for New York with a 20-point deficit, a lopsided scoring run and a Mikal Bridges steal to ice the win.

The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder looked very much like the dominant teams they were during the regular season in securing lopsided first-round playoff series wins. Suddenly, both teams are facing their first dose of adversity this postseason following Game 1 losses to open Round 2.

Oklahoma City Thunder: +125 (bet $10 to win $22.50 total ... 900 (bet $10 to win $100 total) New York Knicks: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total) Denver Nuggets: +1600 (bet $10 to win $170 ...

The two road teams of Monday's conference semifinal games executed well in the fourth quarter and stole Game 1 victories.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said the Oklahoma City Thunder "came out desperate," sparking an NBA-record-setting blowout of the Denver Nuggets to climb back into the Western Conference semifinals series.