Jay-Z places staggering bet on NBA Finals... but it's already on the brink of losing
By OLIVER SALT
Jay-Z wagered a million dollars on the Indiana Pacers and Oklhaoma City Thunder's NBA Finals showdown - and it's off to the worst start imaginable.
Fanatics Sportsbook revealed hours before Game 1 on Thursday night that the rap legend had placed $1million on Oklahoma City - who destroyed the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals - to get past Indiana in five games.
Yet thanks to the brilliance of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, he now needs the Thunder to win four consecutive games.
In the dying minutes of Game 1, Haliburton nailed a game-winning jumpshot right at the death to seal a 111-110 victory and move the Pacers 1-0 ahead in the series.
Jay-Z therefore needs the Thunder to win four straight games in order to win back a total of $3.3million. If they suffer just one more defeat, his seven-figure bet will be lost.
Oklahoma City did enter the NBA Finals as overwhelming favorites after cruising past the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets as well as the Timberwolves to make it to their first championship series since 2012.
Jay-Z has wagered a million dollars on the Pacers and Thunder's NBA Finals showdown
But Tyrese Haliburton's game-winning jumpshot at the buzzer has left it on the brink of defeat
Fans mystified by Tyrese Haliburton's voice in interview after his Indiana Pacers NBA heroics
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They led by 15 points at one stage of the fourth quarter against Indiana on Thursday night, only for the visitors to pull off a sensational comeback at Paycom Center.
Haliburton's 21-foot jumper with 0.3 seconds left gave the Pacers their first and only lead of the game as they stunned the Thunder in a comeback for the ages.
'Man, basketball's fun,' Haliburton said. 'Winning is fun.'
The Pacers turned the ball over 25 times and trailed by a significant amount in the fourth quarter against a team with the best home record in the NBA, while they also had no answers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - the NBA MVP who led all scorers with 38 points.
But they had the league's new Mr. Big Shot in Haliburton, who has now had one of these moments in every series the Pacers have played in the playoffs this season.
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