Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

Westgate in Vegas drops the Sixers’ title odds nearly in half after Tobias Harris trade, other bookies aren’t so sure

The Sixers dropped from 16-1 to 10-1 out in Vegas. Around here, the odds were more favorable ... for now.

The Sixers pulled off a deal that the Westgate in Vegas feels puts them ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference race.
The Sixers pulled off a deal that the Westgate in Vegas feels puts them ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference race.Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

The Westgate SuperBook in Vegas is so bullish on the arrival of Tobias Harris that they moved the 76ers to near the top of their list of favorites to win the NBA title.

While the Warriors (2-5) continue to be the prohibitive favorite, the Sixers' odds dropped from 16-1 to 10-1. They had trailed the Celtics, Raptors and Bucks among Eastern Conference teams. Now, only the Celtics (8-1) have better odds to come out of the East. The Raptors also are 10-1. Milwaukee is 12-1.

The Westgate feels “that Toronto will go all out to win the division. They need home court (advantage) more than Boston or Philadelphia,” said SuperBook manager Jeff Sherman. “We’ve seen Toronto in the playoffs. They’re more of a regular-season team.”

The Raptors were swept by Cleveland in the conference semifinals the last two years, which will not happen this season. Toronto beat the Sixers on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers acquired Harris, a power forward who can stretch defenses with his outside shot, and reserves Boban Marjanović and Mike Scott for Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Landry Shamet and a protected first-round pick.

Elsewhere, initial reaction to the deal was lukewarm.

The folks at William Hill-US, the sportsbook which runs operations at the Ocean Resort and Tropicana casinos in Atlantic City, moved their odds slightly from 17-1 to 15-1 as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.

“We thought about it,” said Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading. “We’re in good shape with them, so we left it. If we were in bad shape liability-wise, we probably would have lowered them a bit (more).”

» DAVID MURPHY: The Sixers have acquired the “perfect player”

Pennsylvania sportsbooks SugarHouse, Parx and Harrah’s were at 14-1.

Again, these are NBA title odds. The Sixers would still have to get by the Warriors, which has won three of the last four titles. Though they did win in Golden State a week ago, beating them four out of seven in mid-June would be Herculean by the Sixers. Plus, there’s always the Celtics. And Toronto. And Milwaukee.

“They’re live,” Bogdanovich said of the Sixers' chances. “Hope them or the Bucks do it. New blood.”