Posts filed under 'NBA Basketball'
This is the moment the Golden State Warriors have been waiting for all season.
After blowing that 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in last year’s NBA Finals, the Warriors are back, and they’re better than ever; Golden State has opened as a 7-point home favorite for Thursday’s opener (9 PM ET, ABC), and the Dubs are –240 on the NBA championship futures market.
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Last year’s Warriors may have won 73 games, but they didn’t win the only game that counts: the last one. So they added Kevin Durant in free agency, giving them yet another league MVP to join Stephen Curry in the starting lineup. Durant is +220 and Curry is +230 to be named Finals MVP at the end of this series.
LeBron James is also +220 to win MVP, which would be his fourth award. Even though the Cavs are +200 underdogs to defend their title, James is easily the best player on his team – Kyrie Irving is his closest MVP competition at +1000. James has played at an exceptionally high level in these playoffs, too, putting up 32-8-7 per game while hitting 42.1% of his 3-pointers.
But will James be enough firepower to stop the Warriors – we don’t think so.
Get your NBA odds at Bovada today.
May 29th, 2017
The Toronto Raptors were down by double-digits through most of Game 5, but they dominated the fourth quarter to win Game 5 by 102-99 on Tuesday night over the Indiana Pacers.
From a betting standpoint, the Indiana Pacers still managed to cash in as 7-point road dogs, but they’ll be behind the 8-ball Friday night when they host Toronto in Game 6 on Friday night in Indianapolis.
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This Eastern Conference quarterfinal has seen each team make multiple adjustments to gain an advantage over the other. On Tuesday, the Raptors benched Luis Scola and started Patrick Patterson at power forward; it wasn’t effective, as Patterson posted a minus-20 after struggling at both ends. However, Indiana committed 14 turnovers to Toronto’s seven, handing the game and the series back to the Raptors.
Game 5 also saw the two teams go over the closing total of 194 points, up from 192 at the open. Unders had previously dominated 4-0 in this series, and 24-10 in the playoffs overall going into Tuesday’s action. Paul George helped change that with 39 points for Indiana, while Toronto’s DeMar Derozan finally broke out of his shooting slump, scoring 34 points on 10-of-22 from the floor and 12-of-13 from the free-throw line.
Get your NBA odds at Bovada today. 
April 27th, 2016
Memphis Has To Answer The Bell This Weekend
After losing the first two games in the series, the Memphis Grizzlies must win four of the next five games to capture the Western Conference championship of the NBA.
The journey starts with a must-win game this Saturday night.
Saturday, May 25
Western Conference Finals, Game 3: San Antonio Spurs @ Memphis Grizzlies
Sport betting line: Memphis -5
Why San Antonio Might Win ?
There’s one particularly good reason to go with the Spurs: They will be rested. San Antonio has some high-energy players blessed with youthful vigor, such as Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
However, the core of the roster is still the Big Three, the trio of Hall of Fame players who lifted the organization to three world championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. These players are all nearing the end of their respective careers. They need time to rejuvenate amidst a punishing playoff schedule.
San Antonio finished a grueling West semifinal series against Golden State late Thursday night last week and then had to start this West final on Sunday afternoon. Coming right back and playing on Tuesday represented a grind for the Spurs, so having three full days off before Game 3 should provide a real boost for the old guys on the San Antonio roster, especially Parker, who had an MRI taken in the in-between time before this game.
Rest is exactly what the Spurs need in order to regroup and keep pace with the younger Grizzlies in this contest.
Why Memphis Might Win ?
At the end of the day, one needs to realize that even though San Antonio is the team leading this series by two games, the odds strongly back Memphis in this specific game. The odds suggest that Memphis will play with supreme focus, intensity and desperation in this spot.
The Grizzlies also have the knowledge that they fell behind the Los Angeles Clippers, 2-0, in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Memphis returned home for Game 3 and spanked the Clippers, engineering a turnaround that led to four straight wins.
Yes, it’s true that San Antonio’s older roster – especially its aging trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili – gets three full days of rest before Game 3. However, that seems like the kind of thing that will help San Antonio in the long run, not necessarily the short run.
Memphis has too much on the line, and will have too much emotion in this, its first Western Conference Finals home game as a franchise, to stumble. The Grizzlies are going to jump out of their shoes with energy, and that tidal wave of effort will wash over the Spurs, drowning San Antonio in what figures to be a decisive Game 3 victory for Memphis.
There should be some tough games ahead in this series, but Game 3 doesn’t figure to be one of them. A close game would have been much more likely if this series had shifted to Tennessee knotted at one game apiece.
Who Will Win?
The sense here is that Memphis, as was the case in its first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, will flourish.
Similarly, San Antonio – as was the case in 2012 in the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City – will go on the road and get blown out in a Game 3 situation when leading 2-0.
NBA Betting Pick: Memphis -5
May 24th, 2013
The Jeremy Lin pandemonium is alive and well, both in basketball arenas around the country and on the NBA betting line.
This Sunday, Lin and his New York Knicks will look to carry their momentum into a run-in with the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks.
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Is it too much to ask for the win streak to continue?
Since Jeremy Lin took over as the starting point guard earlier this month the Knicks have climbed both the Eastern Conference standings and the NBA futures. For example, pre-Lin the Knicks sat at 40/1 odds of winning the NBA championship. Now? The line is at just 18/1.
As Lin continues to thrive, setting new benchmarks for a recently-appointed starter, fans across the country will be lining up to share in the fun.
The most optimistic play might be Bovada’s MVP betting line, which has the young Jeremy Lin listed as high as 40/1.
Bet on the NBA with Bovada.
February 17th, 2012
The Miami Heat stamped their ticket to the NBA Finals with a Game 5 win over the Chicago Bulls last Thursday and now have their eyes set on a rematch of the 2006 championship series.
The last time the two teams met, Dwyane Wade led the Heat over the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Now, however, a more experienced and even more determined Dirk Nowitzki seeks vengeance.
How will it all play out? Bet on the NBA Finals with Bovada Sportsbook
Though Miami may have had a dominant Shaquille O’Neal in their line up the last time they fought for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, this time around they have former two-time MVP LeBron James.
Ever since it was announced last summer that James – along with All-Star forward Chris Bosh – would join Wade in South Beach, the team has been pegged as a title favorite. Though their regular season campaign had its ups and downs, there’s no denying the potential the star-studded roster has shown over the course of this postseason.
After a brief adjustment following a Game 1 loss to the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat showed an unparalleled dominance over the remainder of the series. Do the Mavericks even stand a chance?
The Miami Heat are listed as -4.5 favorites in Game 1 and have long had the advantage in long term futures play. Provided the club can keep getting production from the Big Three and a reasonable presence from the rest of their shallow roster, a championship is well within reach.
Get all your NBA odds at Bovada Sportsbook.
May 30th, 2011
The Chicago Bulls broke the Eastern Conference semi-finals series split against the Atlanta Hawks with a 95-83 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday night, sending the series back to Atlanta with a 3-2 lead.
The NBA’s 2010-11 MVP Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 33 points in the game, knowing how important it was to take that pivotal game and swing momentum back Chicago’s way. Rose is averaging 32 points-per-game in the series, proving why he’s the NBA’s youngest MVP, and he’s hoping to carry that onto a NBA Finals MVP Award.
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This wasn’t Chicago’s easiest win. They trailed early in the fourth quarter when Rose and Taj Gibson caught fire and combined for 22 of the team’s 26 points to snatch the victory.
The Bulls are still looking for their first NBA championship in the post-Michael Jordan era, while the Hawks are looking for their first championship period since relocating from St. Louis.
Bodog has the Bulls with 7/2 odds of winning the NBA championship, while the Hawks have 100/1 odds overall, but the outcome of Thursday’s Game 6 will impact those numbers greatly.
Can Joe Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al Horford and the Hawks rise above the overwhelming odds, or will Derrick Rose and Co. move to their first Eastern Conference Final since they won it all in 1998?
Get all your NBA odds at Bovada Sportsbook.
May 11th, 2011
The Boston Celtics took down the Miami Heat in their season opener last October, much to the surprise of the many who had them pegged as almost certain NBA finalists.
The situation hasn’t exactly improved ever since.
Although the Heat have put together a solid 2010-11 campaign – one that has seen them rise to the top of the NBA pile and then back down again (they currently trail the Chicago Bulls in the East) – they’ll have to prove that they can defeat Boston if they hope to compete for a championship this summer.
In three meetings so far, the Celtics have swept the board, winning by eight, five and three points in October, November and February respectively. Can Miami avoid the season sweep with a win this Sunday?
BOSTON CELTICS at MIAMI HEAT
Starts 3:30pm Sunday 11th April – Live on ABC.
Bet on Heat/Celtics with Bodog. Get all your NBA odds at Bovada.
April 7th, 2011
At the beginning of the 2010-11 NBA season, there were two teams in the league who stood out as potential NBA champions – the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the star-stacked Miami Heat.
Although the actual field of contenders was far deeper than a simple pair, the minds of the public were made up that the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat were at the top of the pile.
In mid-March, however, that same public is not so sure.
This Thursday the Miami Heat will host the Los Angeles Lakers less than three months after handing them a Christmas Day beating, but a second victory might not be as attainable as the first.
The Heat have struggled of late, dropping recent contests to a number of worthwhile opponents. Miami have lost four straight games heading into the week, and will be charged with the task of slowing down a Lakers squad that’s won seven consecutive of their own.
Will the Heat be able to bounce back in time for the big reunion? And at what point will the Heat (with 3/1 odds of winning the NBA championship, tied with LA for the league’s best) fall out of the top spot altogether?
Get all your NBA odds at Bovada. You can Bet on the Heat/Lakers with Bovada.
March 9th, 2011
The difference in quality between the NBA’s Eastern and Western Conferences is no secret.
This week we will see a handful of games that test the gap while simultaneously serving as perfect NBA betting opportunities for players looking to capitalize on some interconference action.
For a point of reference, the seventh best team in the East – currently the Indiana Pacers – would sit 12th in the Western Conference.
Although the East has its fair share of contenders, the sheer depth of the Western Conference is what makes it the more renowned of the two conferences.
Though emerging as conference champions in either will prove to be a monumental task, the simple daily grind of life in the West is a chore in itself.
Dallas Mavericks @ Chicago Bulls
This Thursday, the Chicago Bulls, one of the Eastern Conference contenders, will host the Dallas Mavericks. Although the Mavs have slid down the standings recently in the absence of star Dirk Nowitzki, the All-Star returned to the Dallas lineup this past weekend and hopes to be at full health in time for their next big challenge.
Will Derrick Rose and the Bulls pull off a big win, tightening their grip on the Central Division and continuing to gain ground on the Miami Heat? Bet on the NBA with Bovada.
New Orleans Hornets @ Atlanta Hawks
On Friday the Atlanta Hawks will host the New Orleans Hornets as each struggles to position themselves for home court in the first round of their respective playoffs. The Hawks have posted a better regular season record thus far, but it’s hard to consider them favorites against a Hornets club that has spent time at the top of the NBA standings this year.
Boston Celtics @ Utah Jazz
Not long after that, the Utah Jazz will host the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics. Though the Celtics have come out strong this season, proving that Miami to the NBA Finals is no guarantee, the Jazz are one of a select few teams to have taken down both the Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers so far this season.
We think that the Mavs, Hornets and Jazz can beat their Eastern Conference opponents this week.
Get all your NBA odds at Bovada’s online sportsbook.
January 19th, 2011