Morning Coffee: Knicks upset Celtics, Mavericks defy odds to win NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA’s got that Salt Bae type of swagger.

Last night, it flashed that trademark grin one more time as it sprinkled one surprise after another on us with a full menu of unforgettable moments.

The New York Knicks could be found as high as +5000 to win a championship at FanDuel when the second round of the NBA Playoffs got underway.

The Knickerbockers were +590 just to win their series against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Despite leading for just under 25 minutes through the first four games, the Knicks are up 3-1 in the series after another memorable upset at Madison Square Garden.

Jalen Brunson stole the spotlight once again in Game 4 with 26 of his game-high 39 points scored in the second half of a 121-113 win.

For the third time in four games, New York overcame a double-digit deficit to win outright as an underdog.

Just like that, the Knicks are down to +500 as the second choice to win the NBA title at FanDuel this morning.

Meanwhile, the Celtics were dealt another devastating blow when Jayson Tatum left Game 4 with an injury.

Tatum, who has been one of the most prolific scorers in NBA postseason history so far in his career, is scheduled to have an MRI on Tuesday.

After spending most of the last year as the NBA title favourite or a close second choice behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston’s odds to repeat ballooned all the way from +190 to +2600 in one night.

As if the NBA playoffs weren’t salty enough already, nothing could have prepared us for the main course.

The Dallas Mavericks had a 1.8 per cent chance to win the NBA Draft Lottery.

We all smirked at the thought of Dallas winning it.

Then the Mavericks won the No. 1 pick.

Suddenly, NBA fans are too salty to even crack a smile.

This is the Morning Coffee for Tuesday May 13th, 2025.

Knicks Upset Celtics, Mavericks Defy Odds To Win NBA Draft Lottery

The Mavericks won the NBA Draft Lottery with just a 1.8 per cent chance.

That’s the fourth-lowest odds for any team to win the NBA Draft Lottery since 1985.

Dallas climbed 10 spots in the NBA Draft order.

That’s the biggest jump by any team since the NBA Draft Lottery format chanced in 2019.

FanDuel had the Mavericks as high as +3900 to land the No. 1 overall pick.

A $50 bet on Dallas to win the lottery paid out $2000.

Three months ago, Mavericks fans dreamed about the potential for Luka Doncic to lead them to an NBA title.

Then they burned their jerseys after Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.

Now those same fans might want to wait until June to find out what number Cooper Flagg will wear when he’s drafted before they order a new Mavericks jersey.

Flagg is -100000 to go first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

For perspective, a $1000 bet at FanDuel would pay $1.

Mavs fans are approaching the end of the ride after an unprecedented three-month period.

Suddenly the 2025 NBA Draft can’t get here soon enough.

In the meantime, the Knicks have emerged as the second choice to win the NBA championship at FanDuel behind only the Thunder.

Per the FanDuel traders, New York accounts for 25 per cent of the bets in the NBA championship winner market over the past 12 hours. 

As impressive as their upset wins over Boston have been, I haven’t forgotten that this is the same team that went six games against the Detroit Pistons in Round 1.

With the Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers on the ropes in the Eastern Conference, the path to an NBA title seems wide open for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an OKC team that has been the favourite for most of the season.

The Thunder are down to -105 to win the NBA title at FanDuel this morning.

Oklahoma City is a 10.5-point favourite for Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets tonight.

The Thunder are -620 to win their series versus Denver.

Steph Curry is injured, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are one win away from the Western Conference Finals.

With the Knicks and Pacers also both one win away from their conference finals, we might not get a better number to bet Oklahoma City to win the title the rest of the way.

A FanDuel Best Bet For Tuesday Night

Stuart Skinner turned aside all 23 shots he faced and Adam Henrique scored twice as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 4.

If you asked me to consider all the potential outcomes for last night’s game, the Skinner shutout/Henrique 2+ goals parlay had about a 1.8 per cent chance on my Bingo card.

I was tempted to take the Oilers to win outright as my FanDuel Best Bet, and now I wish that I had.

Turning the page this morning, I’ll lock in another builder Same Game Parlay as my FanDuel Best Bet for the lone game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight. 

I’ll take Kyle Connor 2+ shots on goal, Nikolaj Ehlers 2+ shots on goal, and Mikko Rantanen 2+ shots on goal at +101 odds.

Connor and Ehlers are a combined 6-for-6 for 2+ shots in the series and 14-of-15 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With the Winnipeg Jets trailing the Dallas Stars 2-1 in the series, they’ll need two of their best offensive threats to get as many shots on goal as possible tonight.

Meanwhile, Mikko Rantanen leads all scorers with nine goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including four goals through three games in this series.

Rantanen 2+ shots on goal is 2-for-3 in the series and 8-for-10 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

I’ll lock in the builder SGP as a FanDuel Best Bet at +101.

I’ll also pair Thomas Harley 2+ shots on goal with Nino Niederreiter 1+ shots on goal at -122 odds as a second FanDuel Best Bet for this column.

As always, make sure you give me a follow @Domenic_Padula on X for my full card.

Have a great day, everyone!