Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs reacts before Game 5 of against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Getty Images Sometimes you find a game plan that works so well you just have to keep rolling with it. That’s the case for one bettor who went on quite a heater last week.
The anonymous bettor, who placed more than 30 bets on seven NBA playoff games over a five-day span at BetMGM, won more than $720,000, the sportsbook confirmed to The Post.
Well, they wagered a lot of money, $1.45 million to be exact, and placed ladder bets on spreads for the favorite in the matchup in most cases.
The odds for some of the bets were juiced as high as -230 in one instance, while other bets had shorter odds. All of the wagers were placed via the sportsbook app, according to BetMGM.
It all started on May 6 with a five-bet ladder on the Knicks in Game 2. The ‘Bockers opened as 7.5-point favorites, and the news that Joel Embiid would sit out with an injury pushed the line up to Knicks -10.5 ahead of tipoff.
This bettor apparently got in early because they placed $75,000 on the Knicks -3.5 (-190), $50,000 on Knicks -4.5 (-160), $35,000 on Knicks -5.5 (-145), and $20,000 each on Knicks -6.5 (-125) and Knicks -7.5 (-105).
The Knicks won by six and were a Miles McBride missed free throw from a seven-point win, which would have netted this bettor an extra $16,000, but in total, they made over $54,000 in profit.
Miles McBride #2 of the New York Knicks looks on during the game in the NBA playoffs. NBAE via Getty Images This carried on for the next few days, with $415,000 across nine bets on May 7 that won $294,000 and $510,000 across 11 bets on May 8 that won $314,000.
After a brief intermission on Saturday, the bettor went back for more on Mother’s Day.
They wagered $325,000 across 11 spread bets in the Games 4s: Knicks-Sixers and Spurs-Timberwolves.
The first leg of the double header again proved to be lucrative as the Knicks routed the Sixers at home and won the bettor a sweat-free $134,000.
The second game wasn’t as kind. The bettor wagered $75,000 on the Spurs to cover five different spreads and was upended by Victor Wembanyama’s flagrant foul that led to his ejection. That right elbow cost the bettor $42,000 in profit and ended a streak of 26 winning wagers.
After that, things got quiet, and who could blame them for knowing when to quit when they are ahead?
In total, this bettor walked away with $723,000 of the sportsbook’s money and only lost $115,000 in the process.
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
