Sports fans and bettors that went to bed early Monday night were in for a shock Tuesday morning. The Golden State Warriors blew a 31-point lead and lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 135-131.

Some bettors who did stay up had the foresight to place some money on LA’s historic comeback before it came to fruition.

What happened?

The Warriors led the Clippers by 23 points at halftime, 73-50. The only thing not going the Warriors way was DeMarcus Cousins leaving in the first quarter with a torn quad muscle (he will be sidelined for the rest of the playoffs).

The Warriors came out of the halftime break and extended the lead to 31 points. Golden State led 94-63 with 7:31 remaining in the 3rd quarter before the Clippers started chipping away. As the 3rd quarter ended, LA had scored 44 points led by Lou Williams 17 and the Clippers cut the margin to 108-94 entering the 4th quarter.

Historic comeback

Yet even as the fourth quarter began, it still appeared the only thing left to be decided was the point spread with the Warriors (-13.5) in control to take a 2-0 series lead. The over/under of 234 was on pace to be an easy winner for OVER bettors, but the shocking result was that it was the LA Clippers that would win 135-131.

You can watch the comeback highlights below.

👀 the @LAClippers erase a 31-point deficit to top GSW on the road and even the series at 1-1! #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/aPTNVMTXge

— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2019

The LA Clippers’ playoff comeback topped a 29-point rally by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989 Western Conference semis over Seattle.

Odds and in-game action

The Warriors were a -13.5 point favorite before the game and -1300 on the moneyline. According to numberFire, the Warriors had an 88.2% win probability from the opening tip. The Clippers were +870 on the moneyline and FanDuel Sportsbook took a $500 moneyline bet on Los Angeles, which returned $4,350.

With the Warriors leading by 23 points at halftime, FanDuel Sportsbook made the Clippers a -0.5 point favorite on the 2nd half line.

But in-game betting offered some much bigger prices on the Clippers. FanDuel took 14 bets on Los Angeles at a +10000 price (100-1) with the largest bet of $50 to return $5,000.

According to numberFire Live, Golden State had a 99.65% chance of winning when leading by 31 points.

Perhaps that’s why BetStars was offering the Clippers at +100000 (1000-1) odds at that point in the game. Unfortunately, nobody in NJ had the stones to put a bet down.

Some bettors at DraftKings Sportsbook took the Clippers live at odds of 20-1 later in the game. One bettor had the vision of a historic comeback and bet $150. He was rewarded for his long-range jumper and longshot bet with a $3,150 payoff on the Clippers victory.

It’s fair to say that bettors will be paying even closer attention to in-game odds for the rest of the NBA playoffs.

ALSO READ: Are The Clippers Too Long Of A Longshot Against Golden State?

With LeBron James sitting out the playoffs for the first time in as long as anyone can remember, the NBA has a problem on its hands: Which team are they going to showcase to a national audience to prevent folks from spending their weekends watching The Masters?

That series turns out to be the Los Angeles Clippers against the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors, with ABC showcasing that series with a Saturday night telecast of Game 1 and a Sunday afternoon (April 21) showcase of Game 4.

And the Clippers have no chance, correct?

That is what the sportsbooks are predicting, with the Clippers listed as 55/1 underdogs to win the best-of-seven series at DraftKings Sportsbook … or to put it another way, the Warriors being listed as -20000 (200/1) to advance to the second round.

Well, please pardon the oppositional nature of this column … because there is a school of thought that the Warriors are vulnerable for a number of reasons:

• Coach Steve Kerr and Draymond Green have endured a great deal of friction this season.
• Kevin Durant’s impending free agency has been a dark cloud hanging over the team the entire season.
• Steph Curry has a foot injury that is being described as “minor” … but no injury below either of Curry’s knees is ever really “minor.”

Yes, the Warriors won the season series 3-1, including a 27-point beatdown four days ago in which Golden State clinched the No. 1 seed in the West and outscored the Clippers 42-18 in the third quarter to turn the game into a runaway.

And that is bound to happen again in Games 1, 2, 3 and 4, correct?

Well … let’s take a closer look at the Clippers.

Don’t dismiss them

First and foremost, the Clippers turned over their roster at the trade deadline when they dealt Tobias Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers and brought in rookie Landry Shamet, along with another trade in which they acquired center Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Lakers.

“The chemistry was instant,” said Danilo Gallinari … a comment that was echoed by Doc Rivers in a late-season visit to Madison Square Garden at which he marveled at the way his youth-laden roster had become a solid defensive team with a bunch of players in their early 20s who were great listeners when it came to receiving tutelage from the coaching staff and Sixth Man of the Year shoo-in Lou Williams.

A top-five finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting is expected for Montrezl Harrell, who will tag team with Zubac to defend DeMarcus Cousins as Boogie he plays playoff basketball with the Warriors for the first time.

“It’s a whole new season,” coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s time to get going.”

Something else to keep in mind: When Game 1 of the NBA Finals was played last season, the Warriors were prohibitive favorites in Game 1 but might have lost if J.R. Smith had not had his moment of cranial flatulence, leading to an excruciating loss that prompted LeBron James to take out his anger on an Oracle Center blackboard.

You never know what to expect in a Game 1, so keep that in mind when considering the relative merits of the Clippers being listed as a 13-point underdog for Saturday opener.

Shooting star needs to shine

The key player in the series for Los Angeles will be Williams, who has not had a single-digit scoring game since Dec. 6 —  a run of 47 consecutive games in double figures.

The 15-year veteran will be appearing in the playoffs for the eighth time (with no starts), and for the Clippers to have any chance of pulling off the unimaginable Williams will have to improve on his career postseason shooting percentages of 40.5 overall and 32 percent from 3-point range.

Also, the Clippers are a very young team — usually a sign of a team that needs to learn how to absorb losses rather than figuring out ways to produce victories. The task of focusing on one game at a time will fall upon coach Doc Rivers, who has coached 161 postseason games during his 20 seasons holding a clipboard.

But Rivers does have one of the best defensive guards in the NBA at his disposal in Patrick Beverley, who will likely draw the defensive assignment on Curry.

“Should we take that personal that the Warriors are the favorite?” Rivers said. “The [Clippers] have a chip anyway. … My guess is in the next 48 hours someone’s going to write something or say something that will piss Pat off, and he’ll tell everybody and it will work out for us.”

Rivers played his regular group in the season finale against Utah and watched as they picked up right where they left off in March, when the Clippers (48-34) went an NBA-best 13-2.

Win or lose, the Clips are value

Of course, March is in everyone’s rearview mirror. And because memories are short, everyone is sort of concentrating on how Houston may be the team to beat in the West because of the way they finished the regular season.

But remember, wagering opportunities that make sense — especially in terms of long odds — are few and far between. The Clippers may or may not be one of them …. that is for the reader to decide.

But discount them at your own peril. They are one of the stronger No. 8 seed to come along in quite some time.

Zion Williamson’s college season is over. Ja Morant is done, too. And if you listen to 99% of the talking heads out there, those are the two guys who are going No. 1 and No. 2 in the 2019 NBA draft.

But if you sit back and think about it, and you consider history, there is a case to be made: What everyone is predicting in early April will not come to fruition in late June.

Which then brings us to Jarrett Culver.

Potential draft raider

Only one lottery-bound player competing in the NCAA Final Four this weekend in Minneapolis, and it is the Texas Tech Red Raiders swingman who is averaging 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

I am told that the New York Knicks are dialed in on him as the No. 3 pick if they fail to win one of the top two spots in the lottery. It is time to take a close look at whether he may move up to No. 2 with a breakout performance this weekend.

The bottom three teams in the NBA each have a 14% chance at winning the lottery. Right now, the Knicks, Cavaliers and Suns appear to be those three teams — especially with Trae Young making a late push for rookie of the year as the Atlanta Hawks are knocking off quality teams.

Under the old system, which encouraged taking, the top seed had a 25% chance of winning the lottery, the second seed had a 19.9% chance and the third seed had a 15.6% chance.

Under the new system, the difference in lottery odds between the first three seeds (14%) and the fourth seed (12.5%) will be 1.5%.  The difference between the fourth seed and the fifth seed (10.5%) will be 2%, and the difference between the fifth seed and the sixth seed (9%) will be 1.5%.

So, let’s imagine that a random team, perhaps the Washington Wizards, win the draft lottery. Williamson would be a no-brainer — unless the person taking over for the fired Ernie Grunfeld can package the No. 1 pick and John Wall’s burdensome contract to move down a few spots.

The Wizards are already overloaded at Williamson’s position with Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker (although Parker has a $20 million contract that will likely be declined). The opportunity to shed Wall’s contract (he is due $38 million, $41 million, $44 million and $47 million over the next four seasons) will allow the Wizards’ new head honcho to clear $58 million in cap space if Parker’s option is not renewed.

This would incentivize the Wizards to trade away the draft right to Williamson and allow them to become players on the free agency market (Kevin Durant grew up in Maryland).

If the team picking No. 2 was so ga-ga over Williamson that they would take on Wall’s contract, it makes sense. Then it would be a question of whether the Wizards would want Morant at No. 2, or whether Culver might be a better fit next to Bradley Beal and Durant.

And much of that might depend on whether the new person in charge is sold on Tomas Satoransky as a long-term option at point guard.

Why are we kicking this idea around?

Because DraftKings Sportsbook has Culver listed at 70-1 to be the No. 2 pick in the draft, with Williamson listed at 11-2. Coby White, of North Carolina, and Rui Hachimura, of Gonzaga, are both on the board at 16-1.

And the history of No. 2 overall picks is a checkered one.

The jury is still out on the 2018 No. 2 pick, Marvin Bagley III, who has battled injuries throughout his rookie season in Sacramento but has been a favorite of the front office and the coaching staff because of his work ethic.

Lonzo Ball went No. 2 in 2017 — one pick after Markelle Fultz, whose tenure in Philadelphia was unremarkable at best (and that is being generous).

Brandon Ingram went No. 2 in 2016, and he has done well in his Lakers career but will no doubt be playing for the Pelicans next season after the Anthony Davis-to-LA deal finally gets done.

D’Angelo Russell went No. 2 to the Lakers in 2016 but is now plying his trade in Brooklyn, where he is an all-star but rarely goes to the free throw line.

Jabari Parker went No. 2 in 2014, and Victor Oladipo went No. 2 in 2013 after the Cavs sort of whiffed on Anthony Bennett.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been unremarkable ever since being the No. 2 pick in 2012, and we haven’t heard much from Derrick Williams since he went No. 2 in 2011.

Evan Turner (2010) and Hasheem Thabeet (2009) were not exactly the greatest No. 2 picks of all time, and we still have not even mentioned the words “Darko” and “Milicic.”

So, keep something in mind when locking in Williamson and Morant as sure things at No. 1 and No. 2: Things change, and if Culver wins a national championship for Texas Tech with the whole country watching, there is going to be some serious reconsidering going on.

Culver at No. 2 is worth a flyer at 70-1, but the folks at DraftKings are pretty sharp and will not leave him at that price is they see sharp money coming in.

Timing is everything, as they say, and the time to place that wager is now if you choose to go against conventional wisdom. Good luck.

NBC Sports continues to expand its sports betting coverage. NBC Sports Philadelphia will feature a second feed of the 76ers game versus the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. The additional feed on NBC Sports Philadelphia+ will provide a sports-betting telecast that will be presented by NBC Sports Bet.

76ers sports betting broadcast

The sports betting broadcast of this NBA game will be led by NBC Sports Philadelphia and 97.5 The Fanatic host Marc Farzetta. He will host the show alongside Brad Feinberg from NBC Sports Philadelphia’s The Daily Line. The show will also include Anthony Gargano from 97.5 the Fanatic. The trio previously hosted a weekly sports gambling show during the NFL playoffs.

Commentary and analysis from the hosts will include discussion about the odds, point spreads, and totals. This will be complemented with unobtrusive on-screen graphics featuring betting information. One unique feature of the graphics will be the quarterly points total being updated each time a team scores.

The special gambling broadcast will feature hosts inside a broadcast studio commenting on the live game feed. The traditional broadcast with announcers inside Wells Fargo Arena featuring Marc Zumoff, Alaa Abdelnaby, and Serena Winters will still be available on regular NBC Sports Philadelphia feed.

Initially, NBC Sports is only committing to one game featuring this secondary sports betting feed.

Sports betting in and around Philadelphia

The actual market of Philadelphia is larger than the city in Pennsylvania. There Philadelphia sports fans in Delaware and south New Jersey. Coincidentally NBC Sports Philadelphia reaches all three of these states that happen to offer legal sports betting.

This will be the first NBA broadcast in the area that is specifically focused around sports betting. Since this is a new topic for many mainstream sports fans, NBC Sports Philadelphia will also include a glossary of gambling terminology.

More sports betting coverage from NBC Sports

Philadelphia is the second city where NBC Sports will deploy a sports betting feed for an NBA game. Earlier this year NBC Sports Washington (DC) debuted a sports betting broadcast of select Washington Wizards games.

NBC Sports’ first sports betting broadcast featured a prediction game with a graphics-heavy screen wrap with stats, prediction questions, and a sponsor. The “Predict The Game“ feed will air for the eighth and final time of the season on April 5.

NBC Sports Radio also produces “The Daily Line.” This is a weekday afternoon drive radio show from 3-7 p.m. ET that airs in partnership with Westwood One Radio. There are 400 NBC Sports Radio affiliates around the country. The show can also be listened to live online at NBC Sports Radio or downloaded as a podcast.

The repeal of the Professional Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018 opened the doors for states to legalize sports betting. It also opened the doors for mainstream sports media to embrace sports betting more than ever.

Websites and podcasts were the first to act since those are the forms of media that are quickest to respond. Older, traditional forms of media, like television and radio, are still working toward getting off the ground.

As 2019 begins, local and national sports betting radio shows are just ramping up.

While “Lock It In” debuted nationally on Fox Sports 1 last year, we’ve yet to see a major influx of TV shows dedicated to sports betting, though that should change this year.

The next step for televised sports betting could begin on the local level.

Next step for sports betting in the media

NBC Sports Washington is taking sports betting on television to another level. Instead of another show providing analysis, the regional sports network will debut a unique prototype of what TV could look like when sports betting is fully integrated.

On Jan. 11, NBC Sports Washington will air a second feed of the Washington Wizards game versus the Milwaukee Bucks. The traditional broadcast will be shown on the main station while an interactive broadcast will air on NBC Sports Washington Plus.

The game broadcast will be the same. The screen will feature wraparounds similar to what you’d see on ESPN News, any game on YouTube TV and new digital cable boxes.

However, this broadcast will include statistics and look more like FanDuel’s “More Ways To Win” videos and shows.

View a preview of the new broadcast here.

Those major difference from the regular broadcast of this basketball game will be interactive and feature sports betting information. The screen will show odds, point spreads and wagering options surrounding game action.

Even though NBA League Pass is available nationally, most of the audience for this game will be in the Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland where sports betting isn’t legal yet. The gambling interface for the game will be a sweepstakes-style game.

‘Predict the Game’

According to Sports Business Daily, the gambling will be more of a question-and-answer activity called “Predict the Game.”

Viewers will be able to answer questions like: “How many points a specific player will score in a quarter?” or “How many assists will a player have in a half?” for a chance to win $500.

While this will be a free game, it could also be the future of sports betting during live games.

NBC Sports Washington and Monumental Sports (Wizards’ ownership group) both see this as a way to appeal to new, mainstream sports bettors. This new television broadcast could be used as a model to incorporate sports betting more deeply into game broadcasts.

The idea of rewarding customers by predicting outcomes in sporting events isn’t necessarily a new concept. However, this will be the first time it will be integrated on TV with a live game.

Sports betting continues to take small steps toward mainstream distribution and acceptance, and this is just another step forward for legal sports betting in the US.