The NBA Finals took a big turn Monday as sources told NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole that Kevin Durant will make his return to the Warriors and immediately be inserted into the starting lineup.
Adding Durant should make a big difference for the Warriors as they face a three-games-to-one deficit to the Raptors, and it's already changed the odds for Game 5 and the series as a whole.
Going into Game 5, Golden State was 3.5-point underdogs in Toronto. Now that Durant will play, DraftKings Sportsbook has moved Raptors down to 1.5-point favorites. His return can play a big role on the entire best-of-seven series, too.
After the Warriors fell to the Raptors 105-92 in Game 4, the series line reached +480. That number is now down to +370, according to Julian Edlow of DraftKings.
GSW opened +3.5 on @DKSportsbook and have moved to +1.5 in anticipation of KD playing. This news will move the game closer to a pick 'em.
After G4 the series line reached +480. DKSB currently offering +370.
I'll likely just ride out my GSW series line at this point. https://t.co/lGMIsZ45dw— Julian Edlow (@julianedlow) June 10, 2019
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[RELATED: Kerr explains why Durant's injury has been so frustrating]
Don't forget, before Durant strained his right calf in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, the forward was going for a third straight Finals MVP. Achieving the feat is back in play now if the Warriors win in seven games.
Durant's Finals MVP odds have moved from 33-1 to 14-1, according to the Action Network. He has the third-best odds to win the award behind just Kawhi Leonard and Steph Curry.
