Spurs' meaningless dunk in final seconds of playoff loss saved the day for many gamblers
- The Spurs hustled until the buzzer sounded on Thursday, with Dejounte Murray slamming down a windmill dunk in the final seconds of the game despite being down 15.
- While the dunk was meaningless to the game itself, it held enormous consequences for many bettors in Las Vegas, as it pushed the game over for bettors who had bet total at 205.5.
- On social media, bettors rejoiced or lamented their loss depending on which side of the dramatic bet they were on.
The San Antonio Spurs were in desperate need of a win on Thursday night. Already down 2-0 to the Warriors, a Spurs loss at home would put them on the brink of elimination just three games into their 2018 postseason run.
While the Spurs would fall short of their goal, thanks to a bit of late-game heroics from Dejounte Murray, many bettors in Las Vegas went home happy.
Heading into the game, the over/under for total points scored in the matchup was 205.5, with 74% of bettors taking the over, according to The Action Network. When the Warriors missed a jumper with just over four seconds left in the game the score still stood at 110-95, and the over looked all but dead - most teams would merely dribble the clock out and head to the locker room to prepare for Game 4.
But the Spurs are not most teams.
Down 15 points with seconds left in the game, Murray ran to catch an outlet pass and slammed home a windmill dunk just before the clock expired, bringing the final score of the game to 110-97.
In the context of the game the dunk was utterly meaningless, but to some bettors, it was the difference between winning and losing.
On Twitter, bettors gave thanks to Murray for his bet-saving play.
Meanwhile, on the unlucky side of the night, under bettors mourned their lost funds.
The lesson, as always, is that gambling is a cruel mistress.
The Spurs will have one more shot to keep their postseason run alive when they meet the Warriors for Game 4 in San Antonio on Sunday.
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