Tag: Madison Square Garden

WATCH: LeBron James addresses prospect of playing for the Knicks with his son, Bronny

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

Following Wednesday’s win versus the Knicks (12-33), the Lakers (35-9) star praised Madison Square Garden, calling it, “the mecca of basketball” and saying it was his favorite place to come play.

A reporter in the scrum around the star viewed that as his opportunity to ask if LBJwould ever plays for the Knicks if the team drafted his son.

Well, LeBron didn’t say no! He did go full-on dad, though.

“My son is in ninth grade, man. We’re tryin’ to worry about what project he’s gotta turn in tomorrow, that’s what we worried about right now,” James said. “That’s what’s most important: school, home and being the best big brother he can be.”

Bronny turned 15-years-old in October and is a high school freshman. So, at the earliest (under current draft rules and without a reclassification), the teenager would be draft-eligible in 2024.

LeBron’s current contract with the lakers expires after to 2021-2022 season, so it’s technically definitely an option that he’s with a different team by the time his son is playing in the league, too.

While the 35-year-old opted not to answer the yes-or-no question outright, he did have this to say back in a 20 18 interview with uninterrupted: “You want to ask me what is the greatest achievement of my life … If I’m on the same court as my son in the NBA, that would be No. 1 in my lifetime as an NBA player. I’ve thought about it because my son is about to be 14, and he might be able to get in there a little earlier.”

LeBron James addresses prospect of playing for the Knicks with his son, Bronny

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

LeBron James addresses prospect of playing for the Knicks with his son, Bronny (Lebronwire)

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

LeBron James addresses prospect of playing for the Knicks with his son, Bronny (Hoopshype)

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

LeBron James’ basketball-playing son, Bronny, continues to be a part of King James’ postgame conversations this week.

Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks sports betting odds, with NBA matchup analysis and picks.

The Los Angeles Lakers (34-9) head to the World’s Most Famous Arena for their annual regular-season meeting against the New York Knicks (12-32) at Madison Square Garden for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip off Wednesday night. We analyze Lakers-Knicks odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Place a legal sports bet on this NBA action or other games at BetMGM.

Lakers at Knicks: Key injuries

LAKERS

  • PG Rajon Rondo (finger) probable
  • PF Anthony Davis (glute) probable

KNICKS

  • PF Marcus Morris Sr. (ankle) questionable
  • SF RJ Barrett (ankle) out
  • PG Dennis Smith Jr. (oblique) questionable

Lakers at Knicks: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated Wednesday at 1:20 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Lakers 117, Knicks 103

Moneyline (ML)

Maybe miracle isn’t the right word, but the Knicks beating a mostly healthy Lakers team would be one of the more surprising regular season outcomes of the season. Knicks +475 should be closer to +10000, and betting Lakers -667 — or any team this heavily favored in the regular season — is lunacy.

PASS ON THE MONEYLINE.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Remember when Michael Jordan called Madison Square Garden “the Mecca of basketball”? Well that’s what you have to think of every time marquee talent comes in for a game at the Garden. Since 2015, the Knicks have the third-worst against the spread record as a home underdog in the NBA at 53-68-2. The primary reason? Teams get jacked up to put on a show in front of that crowd and, of course, that includes LeBron James. James’ teams are 19-8 straight up in the Garden and they’ve won nine out of their last 10 games there with the loss coming last season, which was the first season a LeBron team missed the playoffs in 13 years. The other Lakers star — Anthony Davis — also shows up big in New York. In six games as a visitor against the Knicks, Davis averages 29.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.

There are too many matchup edges to even write out. Simply put: the Lakers are much better than the Knicks. BET LAKERS -11.5 (-106).

Over/Under (O/U)

There are just too many Under trends forcing my wager here. The Lakers’ and Knicks’ combined over/under record is 40-47. When New York is a home underdog, its O/U record is 4-12, and when the Lakers are an away favorite the O/U is 7-8. Also, their first meeting on Jan. 7 went Under the total of 221.5 (Lakers 117, Knicks 87) and I envision a similarly one-sided — and low-scoring — affair.

BET UNDER 222.5 (-106). 

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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New York Islanders at New York Rangers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s New York Islanders at New York Rangers sports betting odds, with NHL matchup analysis and picks.

The New York Islanders (28-15-5) visit the New York Rangers (23-20-4) at Madison Square Garden for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop Tuesday. We analyze the Islanders-Rangers odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Islanders at Rangers: Projected starting goalies

Thomas Greiss vs. Alexandar Georgiev

The Islanders are sending out backup Greiss to fill-in for a struggling Semyon Varlamov. Greiss has a 13-7-1 overall record but has a better save percentage and goals against average than Varlamov at .923 and 2.45, respectively.

Georgiev was brilliant in the last Islanders-Rangers game, stopping 38 of 40 shots in a 3-2 Rangers’ victory Jan. 16. The win moved Georgiev to 12-9-1 on the season with a .913 SV% and 3.06 GAA.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Islanders at Rangers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 1:40 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Rangers 5, Islanders 2

Moneyline (ML)

Let’s bet the more rested RANGERS (-110) on the MONEYLINE. The Islanders are playing their third game in four nights, one of which included a 3-2 loss to these very Rangers Jan. 16. The Rangers are 2-0 thus far in the season series and have won four of their last five games against the Islanders. Georgiev has won two straight over the Isles, stopping 60 of 64 shots on goal.

New to sports betting? Bet $110 to earn a profit of $100 if the Rangers win outright.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Rangers are an elite team against the spread with a 31-16 ATS record, and the Islanders are a poor ATS team with a 22-26 record. Also, the Rangers play better as a favorite—they have a plus-0.78 goal differential as a favorite versus a minus-0.11 goal differential as a dog. Keeping that in mind, the Rangers are 19-5 overall when following a loss, and they have won by two or more goals in each of their last five home victories over the Islanders. Since we’re on the Rangers to win outright a puck line bet on the Rangers could maximize our return on investment.

SPRINKLE a smaller wager on RANGERS -1.5 (+240) on the puck line.

Over/Under (O/U)

PASS on the projected goal total of 5.5.

I lean Over (-133) because the Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in the Garden and the Rangers are third in the NHL in total goals per game. The Over is just too much vig, and the Islanders rank 28th in total goals per game. Their combined Over/Under record is 43-49.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s New Jersey Devils at New York Rangers sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The New Jersey Devils (15-20-7) visit the New York Rangers (20-18-4) for a Metropolitan Division rivalry game in Madison Square Garden for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Devils-Rangers odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Devils at Rangers: Projected starting goalies

Mackenzie Blackwood vs. Igor Shesterkin

Blackwood lost his last two starts, including a 4-3 OT loss to the New York Islanders, dropping his record to 14-11-6 with a 2.86 goals against average and .907 save percentage. Oddly enough, Blackwood has performed better on the road this season with a 9-4 record with a 2.73 GAA and .919 SV%.

Rookie goaltender Shesterkin notched a win in his first start, despite giving up a goal on his first shot faced, by stopping 29 shots in a 5-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche Jan. 7. The 2014 fourth-round pick has been waiting in the wings to succeed G Henrik Lundqvist — Shesterkin was 15-4-3 with a 1.93 GAA in his second AHL season before being called up.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Devils at Rangers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 2:55 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Rangers 5, Devils 3

Moneyline (ML)

The Rangers’ -167 is the right side of this bet but the moneyline is a stay away for me. On one hand, the Rangers have a way better moneyline balance on the season than the Devils; Rangers are +$802 compared to the Devils’ -$1,305 moneyline performance. On the other hand, the Rangers’ moneyline is terrible value.

PASS on Rangers’ -167 to win outright.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

All the trends point to the Rangers -1.5 (+155) in this game. The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings and the favorite is also 4-1 in those games. The Devils are 1-6 in the last seven meetings in New York. Seven of the last 10 Devils-Rangers games have been decided by two or more goals, so the puck line isn’t unreasonable.

Over/under (O/U)

Part of the reason why we’re off the Rangers -167 moneyline is why we are betting OVER 6.5 (+125). Getting a plus-betting line has me taking the Over because the Over is 7-1-1 in their last nine meetings. Neither team excels defensively with the Devils allowing the fourth-most goals and the Rangers rank 13th in goals allowed in the NHL. Also, both teams should have plenty of opportunities to light the lamp; the Rangers have allowed the second-most scoring chances against them and the Devils are ranked 12th in SCA.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Shakur Stevenson likely to face Miguel Marriaga: report

Shakur Stevenson is headed to his first featherweight title defense against Miguel Marriaga, according to the Athletic.

Fresh off his title-winning effort last October, featherweight Shakur Stevenson wasted no time calling out Josh Warrington for a unification bout.

Turns out that matchup will likely have to wait.

The 22-year-old southpaw from Newark, New Jersey is projected to face Miguel Marriaga at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theatre in New York, perhaps on March 14, according to The Athletic.

The news arrives after Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said he would present Stevenson’s handlers – James Prince and Andre Ward – with two offers for the spring: either a Warrington fight, in Leeds, England, Warrington’s hometown, or main event at MSG.

Encouraging signs that a deal would get done seems to have given way to acrimony, as Stevenson and Warrington engaged in a small spat on social media recently. Stevenson, in particular, hinted that money issues were at play. 

https://twitter.com/ShakurStevenson/status/1211017306484150273

https://twitter.com/ShakurStevenson/status/1212576847004938240

Stevenson (13-0, 7 KOs) outpointed Joet G26.onzalez to win a vacant 126-pound title on Oct.

Marriaga (29-3, 25 KOs), a hard-hitting and durable Columbian journeyman, has reeled off four consecutive wins since notching back-to-back losses to Oscar Valdez and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Teofimo Lopez on Vasiliy Lomachenko: ‘I don’t leave it to the judges’

Teofimo Lopez made a brief appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter to talk about his projected fight with Vasiliy Lomachenko later this year.

Consider it the first leg in the promotion of an intriguing lightweight bout.

Newly crowned 135-pound titleholder Teofimo Lopez appeared on ESPN’s SportCenter to talk about his projected unification bout with Vasiliy Lomachenko this year. Lopez noted that the fight is not yet a done deal.

“We’re still negotiating right now,” Lopez said. “We’re still negotiating on where the location is going to be. Hopefully we’ll get that sorted out so that we can make that type of fight happen, especially this year. New decade, new year, I think we start it off with a bang.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOwlSrNByQ

Lopez (15-0, 12 KOs) is coming off a career-best win over Richard Commey, whom he knocked out inside two rounds on the Terence Crawford-Egidijus Kavaliauskas card Dec. 14 at Madison Square Garden. Lopez, who was born to Honduran parents in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, would like to see the Lomachenko fight land in New York. Promoter Bob Arum recently stated that in addition to MSG, he has had competing offers from Barclays Center and Saudi Arabia to stage the fight.

“New York, the Garden, is always my home,” Lopez said. “But to me anywhere. I think fight fans will enjoy it anywhere no matter where it is.” 

Indeed, more than simply a fight to settle the best at 135, Lomachenko-Lopez figures to be equally satisfying from an entertainment standpoint, pairing the come-forward dexterity of Boxing Junkie’s No. 1 fighter pound-for-pound and Lopez’s explosiveness. Lopez believes his style will be responsible for providing most of the fun. 

“My thing is I don’t leave it to the judges,” Lopez said. “I don’t try to look pretty while doing it [like Lomachenko]. I go in there and look to take out my opponent.”