Stephen Curry did not hold the record for most points in a Game 7 for very long. The Golden State Warriors point guard dropped 50 against the Sacramento Kings earlier in the postseason, but Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was quick to set a new mark with a masterclass on Sunday afternoon. After the Celtics dominated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7, Boston is now the favorite to win the championship, and the 2023 NBA Finals MVP odds show Tatum is skyrocketing up the board.
2023 NBA Finals MVP Odds: Jayson Tatum the Man to Beat
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Tatum (+160) is the favorite to win his first NBA Finals MVP. He is followed by Nikola Jokic (+250), Jaylen Brown (+550), LeBron James (+550), Anthony Davis (+700), Jamal Murray (+1500) and Jimmy Butler (+1700). New users at DraftKings trying to get in on the action can get $150 in bonus bets with any $5 wager!
Something clicked for Tatum in the fourth quarter of Game 6 in Philadelphia. Through three quarters, Tatum had made just one of 14 shots from the field and was looking like he was going to be going to have to shoulder the blame for Boston getting bounced from the NBA Playoffs. But he caught fire, pouring in 16 fourth-quarter points to carry the Celtics to a 95-86 win and force a Game 7.
Tatum saved his best performance for the winner-take-all game at TD Garden, scoring 51 points to dominate the 76ers and send the C’s to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in four years and the fifth time in the past seven years. The Celtics will face a familiar foe in the Miami Heat, who they beat in seven games in the conference finals last season to get their revenge from when Miami defeated Boston to reach the NBA Finals in 2020.
The Celtics now have all the momentum heading into the series with the Heat and have Tatum oozing with confidence after his electric Game 7 performance. The Heat-Celtics series odds opened with Boston (-500 at DraftKings Sportsbook) as the heavy favorites to win the series.
Based on the updated 2023 NBA Finals MVP odds, sportsbooks are not expecting Jayson Tatum to slow down any time soon. Bettors looking for the best NBA value for the rest of the playoffs can check out OddsShopper tools, including the Parlay Builder!
