In the NFL, almost everything is subject to further review, so it’s premature to declare the Denver Broncos as draft winners because they traded up to get quarterback Paxton Lynch late in the first round.
Matt Youmans
An injury to Stephen Curry was reason for the Golden State Warriors to be worried. But things can change, sometimes dramatically and suddenly, and now the defending NBA champions are actually catching a lucky break.
As soon as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was sacked Monday by the legal system, with a federal appeals court reinstating his four-game suspension by the NFL, Las Vegas oddsmakers scrambled to adjust numbers.
Bookmakers were dealing the Cubs’ regular-season win total at 93 to 93½ when optimism was rampant during spring training. A 14-5 start for the Cubs has forced Chris Andrews to inflate the number.
A week after the NFL schedule was announced, and a week before the draft, CG Technology opened lines Thursday on all games for Weeks 1 through 16 and set wagering limits at $1,000 to $2,000 per side.
Kevin Durant was as bad as he gets Monday in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, so the expectation for a fallen superstar is to see him rise again. Durant delivered 34 points Thursday to lead Oklahoma City to an NBA playoff win.
Oddsmakers and sharp gamblers were anticipating a bounce-back season for the Nationals, who flopped last year in the face of huge expectations.
During a season of instability, reports circulated about the Cavaliers’ demise. Players posted cryptic messages on Twitter, trade rumors swirled, the media hit the proverbial panic button and LeBron James talked of someday forming a new dream team. And, of course, there was a coaching change in January.
There are 14 games on the schedule as the NBA wraps up the regular season. No game will be hyped more than Kobe’s career finale, although there probably will be no playoff implications when the Lakers host the Utah Jazz.
South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro posted this proposition bet Monday: How many games will the Golden State Warriors lose in the NBA playoffs? The total is 5½, with the under favored at minus-130.
In late October, before Stephen Curry sank his first 3-pointer of the season, oddsmakers were casting a skeptical eye on the Golden State Warriors. There was absolutely no talk of a 72-win season for this jump-shooting gimmick team.
Jordan Spieth’s only annoying quality is that he’s too good. Just when it appeared safe to bet against him, he went out Thursday and fired a 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Masters.
So, how odd is this? Tiger Woods is absent from this week’s Masters, but he’s not really missed because the business of golf betting is booming.
Golf’s future is in the hands of Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and several other young guns, yet Augusta National might as well be Phil Mickelson’s backyard, and he still has enough going for him to make believers out of the bettors.
A combative, defiant Roy Williams has been onstage at the Final Four. The North Carolina basketball coach is known as one of the nicest guys in his profession, but the Mr. Nice Guy act is often interpreted as a sign of weakness.
