Thunder and Trail Blazers on TNT

Trail Blazers are Playing Well as Blazers Come to Town

Thursday’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder (39-25 SU, 33-31 ATS) and the Portland Trail Blazers (39-25 SU, 37-27 ATS) looks like a close one on paper. However, the Blazers are on a roll right now, while the Thunder have been struggling. This is a good matchup to tell how the teams are stacking up for the NBA Playoffs. The Thunder Look to sweep the season series tonight.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT; FS Oklahoma, NBCS Northwest (Portland) LINE: Blazers -3.5; O/U: 232.5.

All-Star forward Paul George averaged 40 points in the three victories with a high of 47. George (shoulder) returned from a three-game absence in Tuesday's 131-120 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was 8-of-25 shooting while scoring 25 points. Portland returns home for a brief two-game stay after a 5-2 road trip. The trip ended with a disappointing 120-111 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. The Trail Blazers led by as many as 16 points in the opening quarter but ran out of gas in the final stanza when they were outscored 38-25.

This, That, and a Dart Throw

Oklahoma City has dropped five of its last six games. The defense was an issue against the Timberwolves. The Wolves  scored 30 or more points in three of the four quarters. Point guard Russell Westbrook poured in 38 points after failing to score more than 23 points in the previous four games. C Steven Adams has recorded four straight double-doubles and is averaging 13.5 points and 15 rebounds during the stretch.

The Trail Blazers appeared to be en route to achieving the best seven-game road trip in franchise history. The early momentum evaporated while guard Mike Conley was scoring a career-best 40 points for Memphis. Damian Lillard scored 24 points in the contest while shooting guard C.J. McCollum led the way with 27. Lillard is averaging 29.3 points against Oklahoma City this season and has topped 30 twice.

PREDICTION: Trail Blazers 121, Thunder 115

NBA Betting Odds & Trends

Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Oklahoma City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City's last 6 games
Oklahoma City is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Oklahoma City's last 9 games on the road
Oklahoma City is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Portland
Oklahoma City is 3-6 SU in its last 9 games when playing Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing Portland
Oklahoma City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Portland
Oklahoma City is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Portland
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Oklahoma City's last 5 games when playing on the road against Portland

Portland Trail Blazers
Portland is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Portland is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland's last 6 games
Portland is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Portland is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Portland's last 5 games at home
Portland is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Oklahoma City
Portland is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City
Portland is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
Portland is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Portland's last 5 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City

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AAC Basketball: Cincinnati Bearcats vs UCF Knights

UCF Knights are Red-Hot as they Host the Bearcats

The Cincinnati Bearcats and the Central Florida Knights will meet on Thursday when they battle at CFE Arena. This matchup should be a close one and will have major implications on the AAC Conference Tournament and possible NCAA Tournament seedings for both teams.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2 LINE: UCF Knights -2.5; O/U: 126

Central Florida took down the top team in the American Athletic Conference, they also had the best record in the nation, on Saturday as the Knights upended then-No. 8 Houston 69-64. UCF returns home looking to repeat that success on Thursday when it faces No. 19 Cincinnati. The Bearcats benefited from that big Knights win as the Bearcats moved into a tie with Houston atop the conference after defeating Memphis 71-69.

The Knights have been making noise all season and they sit in third place in the American. Their road victory at Houston, which came in with the longest home winning streak in the nation (33 games), could be the one that catapults them into the NCAA Tournament. They would make the tourney for the first time in 15 years. The Knights have won three in a row. Their last loss came against these Bearcats two weeks ago (60-55). Cincinnati retained its hold on this rivalry with 11 wins in the 12 all-time meetings. UCF's lone victory (53-49) came over a ranked Bearcats squad in 2017. The Bearcats are aiming for back-to-back league championships for the first time since 2001 and 2002 in Conference USA and it could come down to the regular-season finale on Sunday at home against Houston.

This, That, and a Dart Throw

The Cincinnati Bearcats are 25-4 overall and 14-2 in the American Athletic Conference. The Bearcats continue to win the tight ones. Their last four games have been decided by five points or less, including the win over UCF, and 11 overall for the year. Guard Jarron Cumberland remains one of the top players in the nation. He comes off a 26-point performance against Memphis, giving him 14 20-point games this season. The Knights held him to 11 points in the first meeting. Cumberland (41.1) is second in the conference in 3-point shooting percentage. He is tbehind teammate Justin Jenifer (43.8), who has hit 27 of his last 60 attempts from deep over his last 11 games.

The UCF Knights are 22-6 overall and 12-4 in the AAC. Guards B.J. Taylor and Aubrey Dawkins each scored 11 points against Houston. Big men Collin Smith and Tacko Fall took charge, combining for 34 points and 17 rebounds. Smith totaled a season-high 21 points and seven boards while Fall produced his fifth double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) of the season. Cincinnati contained Fall in the first meeting. They limited the 7-6 center to just seven points and four rebounds. Dawkins was the high scorer with 18 points, 15 in the second half. This is the final home game for Fall and Taylor. Taylor has led UCF in scoring the last three seasons and now has a team-high 16.3 points per game to rank ninth in the conference.

PREDICTION: UCF 77, Cincinnati 71

 

NCAA Basketball Betting Odds & Trends

Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
Cincinnati is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Cincinnati's last 7 games
Cincinnati is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road
Cincinnati is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 6 games on the road
Cincinnati is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games when playing Central Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing Central Florida
Cincinnati is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Central Florida
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Central Florida
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing on the road against Central Florida

UCF Knights
Central Florida is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Central Florida is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Central Florida's last 9 games
Central Florida is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Central Florida's last 5 games at home
Central Florida is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games when playing Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Central Florida's last 5 games when playing Cincinnati
Central Florida is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
Central Florida is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Central Florida's last 5 games when playing at home against Cincinnati

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Next up:
Cincinnati home to Houston Sunday, March 10
Central Florida at Temple Saturday, March 9

Heavy Hitting Jets Take on Lightning

NHL's Best Should Have Another Slobber-knocker

Two of the top clubs in the NHL this season will face off on Tuesday when the Winnipeg Jets fly south to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Both clubs are securely in playoff positions with under 20 games left in the season. The powerhouses will look to put their offensive play on display in what should be another classic matchup.

TV: 7:30 p.m., TSN3 (Winnipeg), FS Sun (Tampa Bay); LINE: Lightning -189; O/U: 7 Under -133.

It’s clear that the Tampa Bay Lightning have been the best team in the NHL during the regular season this year. Their closest competition trails by 15 points in the standings. Playoff hockey is a different beast and tonight will be a primer. The Winnipeg Jets play a hard-nosed style that Tampa should come to expect come the postseason.

Winnipeg are winners of two straight games and have a one-point cushion over the Nashville Predators for first in the Central Division. Blake Wheeler has been on fire of late. Wheeler scored a career-high four goals in Sunday's 5-2 victory at Columbus to open a four-game trip. Wheeler's performance Sunday, which helped earn the NHL's Second Star of the Week, gave him five goals to go along with seven assists in his last six contests and the Jets have won two in a row after a 1-4-1 slump to remain one point ahead of second-place Nashville in the Central Division.

Defensemen Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev each scored in the 5-1 victory for Tampa Bay. The Lightning tied the NHL record for the fastest to 50 wins in a season at 66 games. The record was set by the Detroit Red Wings in 1995-96. The Lightning received four tallies and nine points from their blue-line for an 11th win in the last 12 contests Saturday against Ottawa.

This, That, and a Dart Throw

The Winnipeg Jets are 39-22-4 on the regular season. Wheeler reached 80 points for the second straight season. He is 11 shy of his career-high of 91. He is sitting second in the league with 63 assists, behind only Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov, who has 75. Scheifele has also been on a hot streak with a pair of goals, five assists and a plus-7 rating in the last three games. The run has allowed him to push his season total to 75 points. That is seven away from his career high set in 2016-17. Scheifele's overtime goal beat the Lightning 5-4 on Dec.16 as four of the past seven meetings have gone past regulation. Laine is warming up as well with four goals in the past five contests to pull within one of 30 and fellow forward Kyle Connor has six points (three goals) in six games. LW Nikolaj Ehlers has six goals and three assists in seven career games against the Lightning.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are 50-12-4 on the season. Kucherov recorded seven of his league-leading 106 points in the past five games. He is two shy of the franchise's single-season record set by Vincent Lecavalier in 2006-07. Captain Steven Stamkos has not scored in six games. He has bee productive as he has set up five tallies in that span. He remains two goals behind Lecavalier (383) for the club's all-time scoring record. Hedman reached 40 points (41) for the fourth straight season after posting four (two goals) in the past three games. Fellow defenseman Ryan McDonagh (33 points) leads the team with a plus-27 rating. G Andrei Vasilevskiy boasts nine straight wins to reach 30. He is fourth in the league and is 10-0-2 in his last 12 starts.

PREDICTION: Lightning 4, Jets 3

NHL Betting Odds & Trends

Winnipeg Jets
Winnipeg is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Winnipeg's last 8 games on the road
Winnipeg is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 7 games when playing Tampa Bay
Winnipeg is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
Winnipeg is 5-11 SU in its last 16 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 11-1 SU in its last 12 games
Tampa Bay is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Winnipeg
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games when playing Winnipeg
Tampa Bay is 11-5 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Winnipeg
Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

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Bookie Sports News: Bernardo Silva To Get Six-Year Contract with Manchester City

Manchester City is rewarding its midfielder Bernardo Silva with a six-year contract. Silva had a good showing this season with five goals and seven assists in 28 Premier League matches. As a result, he secured a spot in the starting 11 of the squad.

Silva joined the team in 2017 for £43 million and became a starter in December of the same year. Also, he helped the team win the Premier League title that year. According to sources, his new contract will be worth £200,000 per week. He will be part of the squad until the end of the 2024-25 season.

The new contract will almost be twice the current wages of the Manchester City midfielder. Before joining Manchester City, he won league titles for Benfica in Portugal and Monaco in France.

Bernardo Silva in Manchester City

Since 2017, Bernardo Silva made 91 appearances for Manchester City. He has a total of 17 goals for the squad. In addition, he won 33 caps for the Portugal national team. However, he missed the Euro 2016 campaign due to an injury.

When interviewed by sports news reporters, he said that Manchester City should focus on retaining its Premier League title this season. Also, it will be a bonus for their fans to win the team’s first Champions League title.

The Blues won nine of their last ten Premier League matches. Although the City dominated the league last season, they crashed out of the Champions League after losing to Liverpool at the quarterfinals. The best pay per head bookie had them as the underdogs during that match.

Silva told PPH bookie experts that the team faces a lot of challenges to winning its first Champions League title. It is not easy because they are against the best English and European teams. In addition, he said that the team will try to go as far as they can possibly go.

NBA Monday Betting Pick- LA Clippers at LA Lakers

The LA Clippers will sit on the visitor’s bench this Monday night at the Staples Center in a 10:30 p.m. tip against the rival LA Lakers. As part of a NBA TV doubleheader of betting action at BetAnySports, the Lakers are favored by 3.5 with the total set at 234 points, after opening at 237.

The Clippers continue to make a move up the Western Conference standings with five straight-up wins in their last seven games. They are 36-29 overall and holding down seventh place. With Sunday’s 128-107 rout against New York as 10-point favorites at home, they improved to 6-1 against the spread during this. LA is 37-28 ATS overall with a 20-15 record ATS on the road. The total has gone OVER in six of its last nine games.

Landry Shamet (21 points) and Danilo Gallinari (20 points) led the way in Sunday’s win. Still playing off the bench, Lou Williams continues to lead the team in scoring with an average of 19.8 points per game. He scored 18 points against New York with a shaky 4-for-14 shooting performance from the field. The Clippers are averaging 114.1 PPG and shooting 46.8 percent from the field this season.

Lakers Have to Start Winning

The Lakers have put a serious dent in their chances to play past the regular season with just one SU win in their last five games. The low point in this slide was Saturday’s 118-109 road loss to Phoenix as seven-point favorites. They have failed to cover BetAnySports’ closing number in their last five games with the total going OVER in three of those contests. They are 30-33 SU (26-36-1 ATS) overall and 4.5 games in back of San Antonio for that final playoff spot in the West.

LeBron James led the way in Saturday’s loss with 27 points while pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out 16 assists. On the year, he is averaging 27 PPG with 8.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists. He has now reached or exceeded his scoring average in four of his last five starts. The Lakers are ranked 13^th in the NBA in scoring with 112.4 PPG and they fall to 24^th in points allowed (113.9).

The designated road team in this matchup has won the first two meetings this season. That follows suit with the Clippers coming out on top this Monday both SU and ATS.

NBA Betting Odds & Trends

Los Angeles Clippers
LA Clippers is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
LA Clippers is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of LA Clippers's last 9 games
LA Clippers is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of LA Clippers's last 17 games on the road
LA Clippers is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing LA Lakers
LA Clippers is 18-3 SU in its last 21 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Clippers's last 5 games when playing LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of LA Clippers's last 17 games when playing LA Lakers
LA Clippers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
LA Clippers is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Clippers's last 8 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers
LA Lakers is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
LA Lakers is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
LA Lakers is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of LA Lakers's last 23 games at home
LA Lakers is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing LA Clippers
LA Lakers is 3-18 SU in its last 21 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Lakers's last 5 games when playing LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of LA Lakers's last 17 games when playing LA Clippers
LA Lakers is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
LA Lakers is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games when playing at home against LA Clippers
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of LA Lakers's last 8 games when playing at home against LA Clippers

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Jazz and Nuggets on TNT

Nuggets & Jazz Look to Make Playoff Noise

Two of the NBA’s best small-market teams will finally get to show their stuff on the national stage this Thursday when the Denver Nuggets (42-18 SU, 33-27 ATS) host the Utah Jazz (34-26 SU, 31-27-2 ATS). The Nuggets are near the top of the Western Conference, while the Jazz are in sixth place at press time.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT LINE: Nuggets -7; O/U: 225.

The Nuggets have made great strides over the past four years under head coach Mike Malone. They’re not as fast as other teams, but they play with effort on defense. They have one of the league’s leading MVP candidates in center Nikola Jokic, also in his fourth year in the NBA. Jokic is putting up 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per 36 minutes this season.

On Thursday, Jokic will run into Rudy Gobert, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert (17.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 blocks/36) is the anchor of this Jazz ensemble. He absolutely should have been invited to the All-Star Game. Unfortunately, his team lacks overall scoring punch outside of Donovan Mitchell (24.4 points/36), leaving them in danger of missing the playoffs entirely.

This, That, and a Dart Throw

The Jazz's Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points against the Clippers. He has poured in 20 or more in 20 of his last 21 contests. Mitchell was 10-for-22 from the field and 9-for-12 from the free-throw line. The 12 attempts matched his second-highest total of the season. Ricky Rubio (hamstring) departed the victory over the Clippers and his availability for Thursday contest is uncertain.

The Nuggets All-Star center Nikola Jokic recorded 36 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds to narrowly miss his 13th triple-double of the season in the win over the Thunder. Jokic the leading reason why Denver has turned into one of the top teams in the West. Will Barton scored 23 points against Oklahoma City after recording just three versus the Clippers two nights earlier.

PREDICTION: Nuggets 114, Jazz 105

NBA Betting Odds & Trends

Utah Jazz
Utah is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
Utah is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Utah's last 10 games
Utah is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Utah is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Utah's last 5 games on the road
Utah is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games when playing Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Utah's last 15 games when playing Denver
Utah is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver
Utah is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Utah's last 5 games when playing on the road against Denver

Denver Nuggets
Denver is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver's last 6 games
Denver is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Denver's last 11 games at home
Denver is 7-13-1 ATS in its last 21 games when playing Utah
Denver is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Denver's last 15 games when playing Utah
Denver is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Utah
Denver is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Utah
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Denver's last 5 games when playing at home against Utah

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NHL -- Showdown Between Eastern Conference’s Top Teams

Lightning and Bruins Have Talent to Win Stanley Cup

Tonight, hockey fans will get a preview of what is likely to be a late-round Eastern Conference matchup in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins have been two of the most consistent teams all year. That consistency has put them atop the Eastern Conference. These two clubs are truly the cream of the crop in the East.

TV: 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, TVA; LINE: Bruins -120; O/U: 6.5 Over -115.

The Boston Bruins have been on a roll of late. They’ve collected at least one point in each of their last 14 games and have won eight of their last nine matchups. Tukka Rask has been all-world over that stretch and they’ve surrendered just five goals in their last three games. He’s now up to an impressive .920 save percentage and 2.40 goals against average. It won’t be easy going up against a potent Lightning lineup. Tampa Bay enters Thursday’s matchup in first place in the NHL. It’s hard to believe how good Jon Cooper’s group has been this season as they’ve already eclipsed the 100-point mark. Nikita Kucherov is sure to be at the center of the action on Thursday.

The Bruins sit 19 points behind Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division, but are just one ahead of Toronto for second place and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Tampa Bay set a franchise record on Wednesday with its 10th straight victory as it coughed up a two-goal lead. Then defenseman Victor Hedman scored in overtime for a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers as it matched Boston's 14-game point streak (12-0-2), all this month. Nikita Kucherov set up Hedman's game-winner for his third assist of the contest and league-leading 104th point of the season for the Lightning, who can reach 50 wins on Thursday.

This, Than, and a Dart Throw

The Lightning are 49-11-4 on the season. Kucherov is four points shy of matching the franchise single-season record set in 2006-07 by Vincent Lecavalier. Brayden Point reached 80 for the first time in his career on Wednesday with an assist. Captain Steven Stamkos added a pair of assists in the win, giving him 16 of his 77 points in his last 10 games. J.T. Miller has scored in three of his last four contests. Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded his 29th win on Wednesday. He is 9-0-2 with a .950 save percentage in February. Backup Louis Domingue has won a franchise-best 11 straight starts. The Lightning were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill during Wednesday's win. They are 25-for-25 over their last seven contests.

The Bruins are 37-17-9 on the season. Brad Marchand has picked up his production level in David Pastrnak's absence. He has collected 17 of his team-high 74 points in the last 11 contests. He scored one goal and set up two others on Tuesday. Krejci also has been a major factor during Boston's 14-game run. He has registered five goals and 10 assists over the last 12 contests to push his season total to 55 points. Marcus Johansson notched an assist in his team debut on Tuesday.

PREDICTION: Bruins 3, Lightning 2

NHL Betting Odds & Trends

Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 9 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Tampa Bay is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Tampa Bay is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Boston
Tampa Bay is 5-15 SU in its last 20 games when playing on the road against Boston

Boston Bruins
Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games
Boston is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games
Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston's last 6 games at home
Boston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Boston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Boston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay
Boston is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

Get your NHL odds at Bovada today.

Three NBA Finals Underdogs Worth Considering

These Three Teams Have Talent and Value

The Golden State Warriors are by far the favorites to win the NBA Finals for
a fourth time in five seasons, as they sit atop the Western Conference yet
again. But behind the Warriors are some interesting teams that find themselves
playing some excellent basketball as the second half of the season heats up.
These three teams are dangerous and could be worth a serious look for NBA
futures bettors heading into the stretch run.

Oklahoma City
Thunder +2500

Oklahoma City has been a real roller coaster ride over the last few years,
with the team losing all hope after losing Kevin Durant to the Golden State
Warriors. They thought the additions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony would
be an instant cure, but the Thunder only regained their footing after getting
rid of Anthony. Now, George is playing like a legitimate MVP candidate, with
Russell Westbrook still causing plenty of havoc on his own.

NBA betting odds to win the Finals have the Thunder at a juicy +2500 to win it all, even though the Thunder could be a tough matchup for the Warriors later in the playoffs. George is one of the few players in the league who can match up with Kevin Durant on both ends of the floor, while Steven Adams gives them one of the few big men in the league who can make a tangible difference against Golden State.

Houston Rockets
+1300

Buried in all the confetti of yet another Warriors championship last season was the fact that they were against the ropes against the Houston Rockets in last year's Western Conference Finals. The Warriors were down 3-2 in that series before a Chris Paul injury and some historically bad three-point shooting derailed the Rockets once and for all.

This year, the Rockets haven't been playing to their full potential, but
should be getting some of their most important players back from injury ahead
of the playoffs. Chris Paul has had his minutes restricted somewhat but appears
to be ready to aim for revenge against the Warriors, while James Harden has
shown that he can score any amount necessary to keep the Rockets in games. At
those odds, the revenge-minded Rockets are another strong contender to dethrone
the Warriors.

Milwaukee Bucks
+1000

If an Eastern Conference team is going to shock the world and win the NBA Finals this season, the Bucks might just be the team with the best chance to do it. The reason for that opportunity is Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has taken the league by storm with his combination of size and otherworldly athleticism. As long as his recent knee soreness isn't a long-term issue, the Bucks may just be the class of the Eastern Conference.

More importantly, they might be the perfect team to stop the Warriors.
Giannis is a more athletic version of Durant, while role players like Khris
Middleton are just the right guys to cancel out Klay Thompson. Based on roster
strength alone, the Bucks might be the most underrated team in the league right
now.

Bookie Industry News: Future of Integrity in Sports

Many fans are concern about the integrity of the sport that they love, especially after the Supreme Court opened the door for each state to legalize sports betting. Major sports leagues joined into the sports wagering bandwagon even after years of trying to avoid it. However, the future of integrity in sports is still unclear.

At present, the MLB, NHL, and the NBA signed deals with MGM Resorts. In addition, the NFL signed up with Caesars Entertainment. More leagues are more likely to sign deals with gambling firms soon.

However, Nevada never paid a single penny to sports leagues since it started taking sports wagers in 1949. At present, lawmakers from various states didn’t include an integrity fee in their proposed bills.

Future of Integrity

Senior vice president of MLB Bryan Seeley told sports news outlets that casinos don’t want to pay integrity fee to sports leagues. In addition, the casinos don’t want to notify leagues of suspicious or abnormal betting on sports.

Seeley wants sports organization to have access to betting data. They want to use the data to monitor problems that casinos might miss. In addition, Seeley said wants data to sport integrity problems.

Some bookie pay per head providers don’t want to share their data with sports leagues. However, the increase in mobile betting use also increases the chances of integrity incident. A bet where a few people can influence the result can lead to an integrity risk. While it is hard to fix a nine-inning game, Seeley said that some people can fix the outcome of one at-bat.

Sports leagues want gambling firms to change with the times. The latter should follow DraftKings’ lead by using bookie software that supports royalty fee. On the other hand, some lawmakers are in favor of the gambling companies and don’t want to include integrity fees in their bills.

New Orleans Pelicans vs. Los Angeles Lakers NBA Preview

Pelicans vs. Lakers NBA Preview & Pick

Wednesday, February 27 at 10:30
PM ET

STAPLES Center

Coverage: ESPN

LINE: Lakers -5.5; O/U: 239

The Los Angeles Lakers clash with
the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night, desperate to get a win. The Lakers
are just 4-9 since Lonzo Ball went out with an injury, losing by an average of
16.8 points per game and they're now three games behind the Spurs for eighth
place in the Western Conference standings.

Recent Takeaways

The Pelicans are coming off a
tough 111-110 home loss against the 76ers last Monday, when their late comeback
came up just short. The Pelicans outscored the Sixers 27-18 in the fourth
quarter but poor 3-point shooting on the night cost them. The Pels did force 19
turnovers but they won't beat the Lakers going 5-for-28 (17.9 percent) from
beyond the arc again.

After losing 110-105 against the
Grizzlies last Monday, the Lakers are now 1-4 in their last five games,
including a 128-115 road loss against the Pelicans last Saturday.

Brandon Ingram led the way in
Memphis with 32 points and six rebounds, LeBron James had a triple-double with
24 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and Kyle Kuzma added 22 points but the
rest of the team combined for 27 points (14 from Reggie Bullock) and the
Grizzlies outrebounded the Lakers 62-48.

X-Factor

After losing to the Grizzlies
LeBron James said: "If you're still allowing distractions to affect the
way you play, this is the wrong franchise to be a part of and you should just
come in and be like, 'Listen, I can't do this.'" 

James certainly wasn't referring
to Brandon Ingram, who's one of the few Lakers playing like he's trying to get
to the playoffs. 

Ingram in February (eight games):
21.1 points on 49.6% FG's, 41.2% 3's, 76.4% FT's, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists.

Last three games: 29.3 points on
56.6% FG's, 60% 3's and 75.9% FT's, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists.

NBA Trends:

The New Orleans Pelicans are:

6-1 ATS in their last seven games
following a straight up loss

6-2 ATS in their last eight games
when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game

8-3 ATS in their last 11 games
after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game

The Los Angeles Lakers are:

6-13-2 ATS in their last 21 home
games against a team with a losing road record

1-5-1 ATS in their last seven
games against a team with a losing straight up record

1-5 ATS in their last six games
when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game

1-5 ATS in their last six games
after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game

These two teams met on Saturday
and the Pelicans beat the Lakers 128-115 in New Orleans, without Anthony Davis.
Jrue Holiday hit five 3-pointers and scored 27 points and former Laker Julius
Randle had 24 points. Randle also played well against the 76ers, scoring 19
points and he needs to have a big game in Los Angeles if the Pelicans want to
beat the Lakers again.

Brandon Ingram carried the Lakers
with 29 points but the Pelicans forced 23 turnovers and led most of the game
and by as many as 20 points.

It will be interesting to see the
reaction that Anthony Davis gets from the Los Angeles crowd if he plays, the
Lakers clearly want him and their fans will make sure he knows. 

Davis can still be a
difference-maker in this game, he had 18 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes
against the 76ers last Monday and although the Pelicans will reportedly keep
cutting his playing time, he's productive with the minutes he gets and it
wouldn't surprise if New Orleans wins this game outright.

NBA Pick: Pelicans +5.5 (-110) at Jazz Sports

Check odds here: Jazz Sports