Nevada sports books suffer record loss on basketball in May

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with fans after Game 5 of basketball's NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers in Oakland, Calif., Monday, June 12, 2017. The Warriors won 129-120 to win the NBA championship. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson, from left, guard Stephen Curry and forward Kevin Durant celebrate after Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Nevada sports books in May joined the ranks of the San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics in getting dominated by the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The books lost $4.4 million on basketball in May. It was their worst basketball month ever, shattering the previous record loss of $3.5 million in April 1997.

“The books got hammered with the public loading up on the favorite and over during the NBA playoffs,” said Michael Lawton, research analyst for the Gaming Control Board, which released the numbers Thursday.

The Warriors and Cavaliers went a combined 16-1 straight up in May, 11-5-1 against the spread and 12-5 over the total.

“The Cavs and Warriors crushed the books,” Caesars Palace sports book director Frank Kunovic said.

The books still won $2.9 million overall in May, thanks in large part to winning $6.6 million on baseball. They also won a record $41.3 million on basketball in March.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.