NBA In-Season Tournament a hit with sports bettors

The NBA’s In-Season Tournament was a hit with sports bettors.

Bets on tournament elimination games were up threefold compared to the average regular season game, according to Kambi, a sports betting technology and research firm.

The knockout stages of the tournament, per Kambi, provided six of the top 10 most wagered-on games of the season thus far.

Additionally, the seven IST elimination games averaged an increase of 191% in pre-game bets and 164% in in-game bets compared to the normal regular season game, Kambi found.

The quarterfinal contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns had the most betting action of the tournament, edging out the championship game between LA and the Indiana Pacers.

The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks had the most number of bets to win the tournament. The eventual champion Lakers had the third-most tickets.

Los Angeles opened at +1400 to win the tournament. Before the knockout stage, they sat at +550. The Celtics were the favorites until being eliminated during the quarterfinal against Indiana.

LeBron James, perhaps unsurprisingly, had the most bets to be the tournament’s MVP. Tyrese Haliburton of the runner-up Pacers had the second-most action for the award.

James entered the championship game as a -145 favorite to take home the award, just ahead of Haliburton at +130.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and Jayson Tatum rounded out the top five for the number of MVP award bets.

The tournament also resonated with television viewers.

The championship game was the most-watched non-Christmas Day regular season game since February of 2018, per the NBA.

The league also reported that average NBA League Pass viewership was up 45% compared to a similar time span last season.