Games to Bet on this week (January 12th)
Here’s where popular US sportsbook Bodog think we should all put our money on this week in the way of American sports betting action.
Congratulations to the Florida Gators on yet another national college football championship. Now it’s time to turn things over to the pros. The NFL enters its Conference Round this week; two Wild Card teams are within one game of reaching the Super Bowl. These two matchups lead our Top 5 list of games to bet on this week – all times are Eastern, and current lines are available at Bodog Sportsbook.
1. NFL: Baltimore at Pittsburgh (Sunday, 6:30 p.m.)
The second game of Sunday’s doubleheader features a nasty, nasty rivalry between two AFC North teams. The visiting Ravens (13-5 SU, 14-4 ATS) dropped both their games against the Steelers (13-4 SU, 10-7 ATS) during the regular season; Week 4 saw Baltimore (+6) take Pittsburgh to overtime at Heinz Field before losing 23-20, while the Steelers (+3) came back to take the Week 15 rematch 13-9 at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens were 5-3 SU and 6-2 ATS in their previous eight meetings with Pittsburgh.
2. NFL: Philadelphia at Arizona (Sunday, 3:00 p.m.)
The Cardinals (11-7 SU and ATS) are the home team in this matchup as kings of the NFC West, but they’ll be underdogs Sunday versus the Eagles (11-6-1 SU, 12-6 ATS), who advanced to the Conference Round by eliminating the defending champion New York Giants. However, if the Cards play the way they have in playoff victories over Atlanta (+1.5) and Carolina (-10), the sky’s the limit for Kurt Warner and company. Philadelphia disposed of the Giants (-4) in the Divisional Round despite two picks by Donovan McNabb and a safety for intentional grounding in the end zone. The Eagles were much better, however, in their 48-20 victory over the Cards (+3) in Week 13 at the Linc.
NFL odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.
3. NBA: L.A. Lakers at San Antonio (Wednesday, 9:00 p.m.)
That Christmas Day win by the Lakers (29-6 SU, 16-19 ATS) over the Boston Celtics keeps looking better and better. While the Celts stumble, L.A. is 5-1 SU (3-3 ATS) since the holidays. The Spurs (24-12 SU, 17-18-1 ATS) are pretty hot themselves of late at 9-2 SU and 5-5-1 ATS in their last 11, although their level of competition during that stretch was rather shaky: just three winning teams. It’s not known whether Lamar Odom (bruised knee) will play in this game, although he does plan on making the trip to San Antonio. The Spurs are healthy for their first rematch with the Lakers since last year’s playoffs – Los Angeles beat San Antonio in five games at the Western finals.
4. NCAAB: Georgetown at Duke (Saturday, 1:30 p.m.)
Non-conference games don’t get much bigger than this until March Madness. The Hoyas (11-3 SU, 5-5 ATS) are one of the best teams in the Big East, which is trying to unseat the ACC as the top conference in Division I. However, the Blue Devils (14-1 SU, 8-6 ATS) are off to another fast start that includes wins over Purdue (-2) and Xavier (+6). Duke is No. 1 on the Pomeroy efficiency charts and No. 2 on the AP poll, while Georgetown holds down the No. 8 spot in the Pomeroy rankings and No. 9 with AP. Watch for Duke’s outstanding defense to set the tone in a game where neither club figures to provide much offense from beyond the arc.
5. NHL: Montreal at Boston (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
Versus has the television coverage in the United States (RDS in francophone Canada) for the never-ending struggle between the 25-10-6 Canadiens (16-25 ATS, minus-1.66 units) and the 31-7-4 Bruins (32-9 ATS, 35.34 units). Boston is by far the No. 1 team against the puckline; the B’s are best in the league in goals scored at 3.62 per game, and they’re best in goals against at 2.14 per game. That’s a difficult combination to beat. The Habs have won their last four in a row with Jaroslav Halak in net instead of Carey Price, who remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Montreal outscored the opposition 23-14 in those four games.
NHL betting in the Bodog Sportsbook.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: New Orleans at Cleveland (Friday, 8:00 p.m.)
NCAAB: Notre Dame at Syracuse (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.)
NHL: Philadelphia at Tampa Bay (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.)
Soccer: Wigan at Manchester United (Wednesday, 3:00 p.m.)
MMA: Dan Henderson vs. Rich Franklin, UFC 93 (PPV at 10:00 p.m.)
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Add comment January 13th, 2009