Games to Bet On
By Bodog
The Winter Olympics have officially made the grade as an online sports gambling spectacle. Now the NHL can finally get back to its season, which took a two-week hiatus. We?ve got hockey?s bitterest rivalry lined up for you in this week?s betting preview; we?ve also got college basketball?s Sunflower Showdown, plus a double dose of NBA action. All times are Eastern, and fresh odds are just a click away at Bodog Sports.
1. NBA: L.A. Lakers at Orlando (Sunday, 2:30 p.m.)
The eyes of the basketball nation are on the defending NBA champions. The Lakers lead the Western Conference at 45-15, but they?re facing a serious money shortage at 25-32-3 ATS, including 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games. Kobe Bryant (28.7 points per 40 minutes) has played the last four games with a sore ankle, missing his last six 3-point attempts and turning the ball over 12 times. The Magic (40-20 SU, 31-28-1 ATS) have a completely healthy roster and are 5-3 SU and ATS in their last eight contests. But Orlando also lost 98-92 to the Lakers (-6) at the Staples Center in their only meeting thus far.
2. NCAAB: Kansas State at Kansas (Wednesday, 8:00 p.m.)
The Jayhawks (27-2 SU, 10-15-1 ATS) clawed their way back to No. 1 in the polls at the start of February, only to lose 85-77 at Oklahoma State (+6) on Saturday. That leaves the door open for the Wildcats (24-4 SU, 16-6-1 ATS) to tie Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season title with two games remaining including this one. Kansas State has the much lower profile of these two teams, therefore the profit margin. The ?Cats extended Kansas to overtime when they met at the end of January before losing 81-79 as 3.5-point home dogs.
3. NBA: Utah at Phoenix (Thursday, 10:30 p.m.)
Way out West, the Jazz (38-21 SU, 36-20-3 ATS) have been soaking in money, as have the Suns at 37-24 SU and 35-26 ATS. Utah is about as healthy as could be hoped; Andrei Kirilenko (16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds per 40 minutes) is suffering through back spasms and is reportedly a game-time decision for Monday?s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix is playing four games this week and will be without the services of Leandro Barbosa (21.5 points/40). Kirilenko scored a team-high 25 points back in January as the Jazz defeated the Suns 124-115 as 7-point home faves.
4. NHL: Montreal at Boston (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
The Canadiens (29-28-6, 7.24 units) and Bruins (27-22-11, -0.07 units) have over 80 years of bad blood between them. They?re also in a furious battle to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference; Boston is in seventh, one point ahead of Montreal with three other teams nipping at their heels. The Bruins have lost nine straight games at home, but their last four games were all wins on the road, with Tuukka Rask (.928 save percentage) winning all four in his new role as Boston?s No. 1 goalie. Jaroslav Halak (.923 SV%) is coming off a very strong Olympics for Slovakia, who finished a best-ever fourth place. Montreal has won three of its four games against the Bruins this year, two by shootout.
5. Soccer: Tottenham Hotspur at Fulham (Saturday, 12:20 p.m.)
Tottenham were originally scheduled to face Manchester City on Saturday, but the Spurs (14 wins, seven losses, seven draws) are still alive in the FA Cup, so they?ll take on Fulham instead in a quarterfinal matchup at Craven Cottage. The Tottenham lineup has been hit with a nasty virus that forced the club to shut down its training facility, but the Spurs were still able to beat Everton 2-1 on Sunday to cash in at ?110 and hold onto fourth spot on the Premiership table. Fulham (10-10-8) are having a strong season, currently ninth in the Premiership and also advancing to the Round of 16 at the UEFA Europe League competition. Spurs beat Fulham 2-0 at home (no line) in January and drew 0-0 at the Cottage (12-5 odds) in December.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: Boston at Detroit (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
NCAAB: Georgetown at West Virginia (Monday, 7:00 p.m.)
NHL: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers (Thursday, 2:45 p.m.)
Soccer: Manchester United at Wolves (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.)
NASCAR: Kobalt Tools 500 (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
By Bodog
The Winter Olympics have officially made the grade as an online sports gambling spectacle. Now the NHL can finally get back to its season, which took a two-week hiatus. We?ve got hockey?s bitterest rivalry lined up for you in this week?s betting preview; we?ve also got college basketball?s Sunflower Showdown, plus a double dose of NBA action. All times are Eastern, and fresh odds are just a click away at Bodog Sports.
1. NBA: L.A. Lakers at Orlando (Sunday, 2:30 p.m.)
The eyes of the basketball nation are on the defending NBA champions. The Lakers lead the Western Conference at 45-15, but they?re facing a serious money shortage at 25-32-3 ATS, including 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games. Kobe Bryant (28.7 points per 40 minutes) has played the last four games with a sore ankle, missing his last six 3-point attempts and turning the ball over 12 times. The Magic (40-20 SU, 31-28-1 ATS) have a completely healthy roster and are 5-3 SU and ATS in their last eight contests. But Orlando also lost 98-92 to the Lakers (-6) at the Staples Center in their only meeting thus far.
2. NCAAB: Kansas State at Kansas (Wednesday, 8:00 p.m.)
The Jayhawks (27-2 SU, 10-15-1 ATS) clawed their way back to No. 1 in the polls at the start of February, only to lose 85-77 at Oklahoma State (+6) on Saturday. That leaves the door open for the Wildcats (24-4 SU, 16-6-1 ATS) to tie Kansas for the Big 12 regular-season title with two games remaining including this one. Kansas State has the much lower profile of these two teams, therefore the profit margin. The ?Cats extended Kansas to overtime when they met at the end of January before losing 81-79 as 3.5-point home dogs.
3. NBA: Utah at Phoenix (Thursday, 10:30 p.m.)
Way out West, the Jazz (38-21 SU, 36-20-3 ATS) have been soaking in money, as have the Suns at 37-24 SU and 35-26 ATS. Utah is about as healthy as could be hoped; Andrei Kirilenko (16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds per 40 minutes) is suffering through back spasms and is reportedly a game-time decision for Monday?s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. Phoenix is playing four games this week and will be without the services of Leandro Barbosa (21.5 points/40). Kirilenko scored a team-high 25 points back in January as the Jazz defeated the Suns 124-115 as 7-point home faves.
4. NHL: Montreal at Boston (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
The Canadiens (29-28-6, 7.24 units) and Bruins (27-22-11, -0.07 units) have over 80 years of bad blood between them. They?re also in a furious battle to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference; Boston is in seventh, one point ahead of Montreal with three other teams nipping at their heels. The Bruins have lost nine straight games at home, but their last four games were all wins on the road, with Tuukka Rask (.928 save percentage) winning all four in his new role as Boston?s No. 1 goalie. Jaroslav Halak (.923 SV%) is coming off a very strong Olympics for Slovakia, who finished a best-ever fourth place. Montreal has won three of its four games against the Bruins this year, two by shootout.
5. Soccer: Tottenham Hotspur at Fulham (Saturday, 12:20 p.m.)
Tottenham were originally scheduled to face Manchester City on Saturday, but the Spurs (14 wins, seven losses, seven draws) are still alive in the FA Cup, so they?ll take on Fulham instead in a quarterfinal matchup at Craven Cottage. The Tottenham lineup has been hit with a nasty virus that forced the club to shut down its training facility, but the Spurs were still able to beat Everton 2-1 on Sunday to cash in at ?110 and hold onto fourth spot on the Premiership table. Fulham (10-10-8) are having a strong season, currently ninth in the Premiership and also advancing to the Round of 16 at the UEFA Europe League competition. Spurs beat Fulham 2-0 at home (no line) in January and drew 0-0 at the Cottage (12-5 odds) in December.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: Boston at Detroit (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
NCAAB: Georgetown at West Virginia (Monday, 7:00 p.m.)
NHL: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers (Thursday, 2:45 p.m.)
Soccer: Manchester United at Wolves (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.)
NASCAR: Kobalt Tools 500 (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)
