Category: NBA Odds

Lakers cover on this game-winning shot from unlikely hero Austin Reaves

If you don’t know who Reaves is yet, maybe now is the time to familiarize yourself with the guard.

Austin Reaves isn’t exactly a household name, but he’s been fitting in with a few future Hall of Famers quite well.

If you don’t know who he is yet, you haven’t been watching the Los Angles Lakers lately — and absolutely no one would blame you for that. The Lakers aren’t fun to watch this season, and they regularly play down to their competition. Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks was no exception.

The Lakers were road favorites by 1.5 points on Tipico Sportsbook, with -130 odds on the moneyline. The Mavs were playing without their best player, Luka Doncic, who was out with an ankle injury. But with just seconds left in overtime, the teams were neck-and-neck.

Luckily for the Lakers, they have Reaves, the an un-drafted rookie guard out of Oklahoma.

“I mean, it’s basically been the story of my life,” Reaves said after the game. “I’ve always been underrated. Didn’t go to a big high school, so didn’t get recruited much, but at the end of the day, you got to produce on the basketball court and for me to hit that shot, for my teammates to have the trust in me to take that shot is very, very special.”

Reaves’ shot was a rare fun moment for the Lake Show — along with this age-defying block by LeBron James — and lifted them to a third straight victory (and covered the spread!), but it was yet another example of their struggles to put teams away.

The game only made it to overtime thanks to a Wayne Ellington 3-pointer at the end of the fourth quarter.

The Mavs trio of Jalen Brunson, Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. combined for 68 points which was actually one point more than James, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.

Thanks to Reaves, the Lakers avoided another ugly loss and improved to 16-13 on the season, still sixth in the Western Conference. Their three-game road swing continues Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Best 76ers prop bets with Ben Simmons out for opener against Pelicans

Ben Simmons’ suspension for Philadelphia’s season opener against the Pelicans leaves the door open for some enticing prop bets.

The Philadelphia 76ers will play their season opener Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans without Ben Simmons after the All-Star forward was booted from practice Tuesday and subsequently suspended a game for conduct detrimental to the team. 

Philadelphia remains a 4.5-point favorite over the Pelicans on Tipico Sportsbook, but Simmons’ absence will require other players to fill several voids in the box score. For all the talk about Simmons’ playoff letdown of a season ago and tanking trade value, he’s still an All-Star who averages about 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for his career. Guessing who comes up big in his place makes for some enticing prop bet opportunities.

First, it’s important to understand Simmons’ role as the Sixers’ primary ball-handler and initiator of offense. He’s led the team in assists each of the last four seasons and there hasn’t been a consistent number two over that time. But in the 14 games he missed last season, it was apparent the offense flowed a little more through everyone, as several players saw an uptick in assists, including go-to scorer Joel Embiid.

As the person who will have the ball in his hands most, I love the over 3.5 assists for Embiid at -114 odds. It’s right around his average of 2.8 last season and just under the 3.9 he averaged in games without Simmons.

Embiid also did a lot more scoring with Simmons out, upping his 28.5 average on the season to 31.6 in those nine games he took the floor with Simmons out. He’s only getting -135 odds to hit the over on Tipico, but it pairs nicely with the assists over in a two-leg parlay.

Another player who increased his scoring average with Simmons out last season is Tyrese Maxey, who went from 8.0 ppg to 14. He played in all 14 games Simmons missed last season and had scoring outputs of 30 and 22 in the final two. Combine that with an anticipated larger role for the second-year guard and I also like his over 14.5 points at -114 odds.

Maxey likely will be the team’s de facto point guard with Simmons out, which may contribute to what feels like a high 5.5 assists line. But he’s a scorer first, so I’d take the under at -103 odds.

Lastly, it’s hard to imagine every Sixers starter goes off on the offensive end. If we’re anticipating Embiid and Maxey to exceed their typical outputs, someone has to take a step back and that player could be Tobias Harris. Harris is a steady player who can be counted on for his 17-20 points. He averaged 19.5 last season and that didn’t change much, dropping to 18.9 points in the nine games he played without Simmons. He’ll be put to work on the defensive end against a Pelicans team featuring Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas, so I like the -108 odds for him to fall under 20.5 points.

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Chicago’s famous Wiener’s Circle is already offering free hot dogs if the Bulls miss the playoffs

Chicagoans now have a plan encase the Bulls don’t meat their expectations

The Chicago Bulls played exactly one preseason game before the city’s basketball fans fell in love with this year’s team, thrashing the Cleveland Cavaliers, 131-95, on Tuesday. The offseason additions of DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso combined for 31 points, 19 assists and 11 rebounds while Zach LaVine poured in 25 points. Much of that action took place above the rim with a mini dunk contest breaking out between the Bulls. That was all it took for The Wiener’s Circle—Chicago’s infamous hot dog stand—to offer free hot dogs all day if the Bulls miss the playoffs.

The establishment’s traditional side of  insults are likely to reach all-time profane levels if the employees are forced to pay out.

The odds do seem to favor The Wiener’s Circle at this point. Tipico Sportsbook lists the Bulls at -170 (bet $170 to win $100) to make the postseason in an increasingly competitive Eastern Conference. Chicago is +130 (bet $100 to win $130) to miss the playoffs. Just who the Bulls will beat out to earn its first postseason berth since 2017 remains to be seen.

The Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks and Miami Heat all look like locks on paper while the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets will contend for one of the remaining seeds. According to Tankathon, the Bulls’ strength of schedule ranks 15th in the league. There’s certainly plenty to like about the club’s chances this season—the brain trust of vice president Arturas Karnisovas, general manager Marc Eversley and head coach Billy Donovan have worked to quickly build an exciting roster—though this is still an unproven team.

A postseason berth may depend just as much on the new additions building chemistry as the development of younger players like Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu.

One way or the other, the Bulls will be a fascinating watch this season. If the club can’t snap the postseason draught, at least Chicagoans will be able to eat their feelings in hot dogs.

That may have been the case regardless but The Wiener’s Circle will make it a bit more convenient.

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