Category Archives: NBA

Rockets, Warriors favorites on Thursday NBA odds

It’s a star-studded NBA on TNT doubleheader this Thursday night with potentially four former league MVPs taking the court in the two games – although one might sit out with an ankle injury and in the second of a back-to-back.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The opening game of the twin-bill is Houston at Oklahoma City, featuring the NBA’s past two MVPs in the Rockets’ James Harden and the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook. However, the status of Mr. Triple-Double is definitely in doubt. OKC is just starting to play well and won its fifth straight game Monday but Westbrook left with what is being called a sprained left ankle in the third quarter against the Pelicans.

The injury looked severe on replays, but X-rays were negative. Still, it seems unlikely that Westbrook will go because it will be the second of a back-to-back for Oklahoma City as it visited a terrible Cleveland team on Wednesday night – in which Westbrook sat. Then again, Westbrook is so competitive that he’ll surely want to play against his former teammate and now rival Harden. The Rockets opened at -4.5 but that line could change depending on Westbrook’s status.

SBTech first to offer Yourbet basketball ‘Betbuilder’ following start of NBA season

Fully personalised product gives players millions of combinations to build unique bets across a vast number of markets

1st November, 2018 ­­– Leading sports betting and gaming technology supplier SBTech has launched the highly innovative Yourbet Betbuilder product to coincide with the start of the new NBA basketball season.

SBTech is the first provider to offer a bespoke Yourbet Betbuilder product for basketball in either Europe or the US. The product follows swiftly on from the successful launch of SBTech’s soccer equivalent, which has scored glowing match reports from operators and players.

SBTech’s Yourbet feature enables customers to fully personalise their sporting experience by building their own bets using real-time odds calculations based on their selections.

Celtics small favorites hosting Bucks on Thursday NBA odds

When the NFL and NBA regular seasons overlap, the Thursday night NFL game usually steals the spotlight from basketball that day of the week. Might not be the case this Thursday, though, as it’s a wretched football game between two one-win teams from the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank goodness that area has the Golden State Warriors.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Lousy football could mean improved ratings for TNT and its weekly Thursday night NBA doubleheader. The opener features the Milwaukee Bucks at the Boston Celtics, who are 2-point favorites on the NBA odds. There was no immediate early line on the game because of the status of Bucks superstar and early MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The “Greek Freak” took an elbow to the head in Saturday’s win over Orlando. He was briefly knocked out and taken to the locker room to be checked but cleared concussion tests and did return to the game. However, concussions are tricky injuries and before Monday’s mega-showdown against the also then-unbeaten Toronto Raptors, Antetokounmpo was placed in the concussion protocol. On Wednesday, the Freak was cleared and practiced so he will play Thursday – and a line was posted.

Sportsbook chooses NBA over Golden Nugget

Rush Street Gaming, which owns the PlaySugarHouse website, is no longer using the sports betting license issued to the Golden Nugget owned by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, who also owns the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The reason for the move, according to eGaming Review (EGR), was the conflict of interest posed in having someone with a stake in a sports franchise, being involved with bets for that sport.

A source knowledgeable on the matter was quoted by EGR writer Brad Allen as saying, “It’s a huge disadvantage not to have NBA.”

Rush Street has chosen to operate with Monmouth Park’s license instead, just before the NBA 2018-2019 season began this week. However, it will continue to use Golden Nugget’s casino license for PlaySugarHouse’s online casino operations.

First in US league: NBA teams up with MGM for sports betting

Las Vegas-based casino giant MGM Resorts International stepped up its game against its rivals in the U.S. sports betting market, sealing a historic deal with the National Basketball League (NBA) that would make the casino operator the league’s official gaming partner.

While other gambling operators have been busy forging tie-ups with international sportsbooks, MGM was already ironing out the terms of its partnership with the NBA, including how much the league will get for the data that will be used in determining the outcomes of various bets. Both NBA and MGM remained mum on the terms of the multi-million deal, according to Bloomberg.

In a nutshell, the deal would give MGM access to NBA’s data feed, a valuable guide for punters especially for in-game betting. The casino company also gained the rights to team logos as well as the tag of being the league’s “official partner.”

NBA is expected to get $25 million over a three-year period in exchange for the league’s direct feed. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver described the decision to team up with MGM “as a leap of faith,” albeit one that ensures the league will be well compensated for their data.

NBA Championship odds: with LeBron, Lakers surge on futures

There are still some very good players available on the NBA’s free-agent market, but it doesn’t matter where they choose to sign because we already have a winner of basketball’s offseason: The Los Angeles Lakers.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The NBA is a better and more interesting league when its marquee franchises are championship contenders, and the two most storied teams in the NBA are the Boston Celtics and the Lakers. Alas, the purple and gold haven’t finished with a winning record since 2012-13, which was also the last time Los Angeles made the postseason. It will surely be back there next spring after luring LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency.

LeBron’s move has jumped the Lakers up the odds to win the 2018-19 NBA title to +460, but still behind the two-time reigning champion Golden State Warriors (-185) at online sportsbooks. James reportedly reached out to Warriors star Kevin Durant in an attempt to get KD to join him in Los Angeles but was unsuccessful. Durant signed a one-plus-one deal to stay with the Warriors, who then incredibly also were able to lure four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins on a way-below-market one-year contract. Now Golden State could start five All-Stars once Cousins is healthy off rehab from a serious Achilles injury. Not fair.

Odds for NBA East and West Titles 2019

NBA EASTERN AND WESTERN CONFERENCE ODDS SHIFT SUDDENLY AS LeBRON HEADS TO LA LAKERS
by Terry Lyons @TerryLyons

LOS ANGELES – The odds for NBA teams advancing to the 2019 NBA Finals shifted drastically Sunday when free agent superstar LeBron James agreed to a multi-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers and his personal streak of eight consecutive Finals appearances behind for a chance to reshape the iconic NBA franchise in LA.
Analysts at MyTopSportsbooks.com immediately posted new odds regarding the 2019 NBA Eastern and Western Conference favorites with the LA Lakers moving up significantly, the Celtics rising to the top of the East and Cleveland next to last in the East at 150-to-1:
-Western Conference Odds with LeBron James on the Lakers:
Warriors: 5/4
Lakers: 5/2
Rockets: 11/2
Jazz: 49/1
Thunder: 49/1
Pelicans: 79/1
Timberwolves: 90/1
Blazers: 99/1
Spurs: 99/1
Nuggets: 115/1
Clippers: 125/1
Grizzlies: 160/1
Mavericks: 160/1
Suns: 190/1
Kings: 250/1
– Eastern Conference Odds with LeBron James on the LA Lakers:
Boston Celtics: 6/5
Philadelphia 76ers: 5/2
Toronto Raptors: 15/1
Milwaukee Bucks: 24/1
Indiana Pacers : 26/1
Washington Wizards: 33/1
Miami Heat: 49/1
Detroit Pistons: 85/1
Charlotte Hornets: 95/1
Atlanta Hawks: 125/1
New York Knicks: 125/1
Brooklyn Nets: 150/1
Chicago Bulls: 150/1
Cleveland Cavaliers: 150/1
Orlando Magic: 170/1

About MyTopSportsbooks.com
MyTopSportsbooks.com (MTS) is a free service that keeps online sports bettors informed, as it offers unbiased reviews of online sportsbooks. The expert odds-making and betting review staff at MTS has over 17 years of first-hand betting experience through various providers. The MTS experts have made it their mission to share the most reliable and rewarding online betting sites, expert analysis, and odds information with both new and experienced bettors.

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Cavaliers home underdogs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Toronto Raptors – the East’s top regular-season team – should have won Game 1 of their series at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Raptors collapsed in almost spectacular fashion and lost in overtime. That seemed to take all the wind out of the Toronto players’ sails and the team was shockingly swept by LeBron James and company.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Now, we aren’t saying that the Cavaliers are going to be swept in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors, but Cleveland should have won Game 1 as a huge road underdog yet lost in devastating (and for J.R. Smith, embarrassing) fashion. That seemed to totally deflate the Cavaliers in Game 2 as they never led in a 122-103 loss. Of course, this is the fourth straight NBA Finals meeting between the teams and that was the first game in which the Warriors led wire-to-wire.

Up 2-0, Golden State can all but end the series on Wednesday night in Cleveland as a 4.5-point favorite. No team in NBA history has rallied to win a series down 3-0. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine the Cavs beating the Warriors four of the next five games to win the title barring an injury to Steph Curry or Kevin Durant.

NBA Finals betting preview: Cavaliers vs. Warriors odds

When the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers and Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors tip off in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals on Thursday night from Oakland, history will be made.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

It’s their fourth straight NBA Finals meeting, and it’s the first time not just in the NBA that the same two teams have met in four consecutive Finals/championship games but also in any of the four major American professional sports leagues (MLB, NHL, and NFL).

The Warriors should be going for a fourth title in a row and probably would be if Draymond Green hadn’t been suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 Finals. That suspension was the impetus for Cleveland’s stunning rally from a 3-1 series deficit and the city’s first-ever NBA title.

NBA Finals 2018: Odds are stacked against perennial underdog Cavs

The NBA is now down to its final games with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors renewing their on-court battle for the fourth consecutive time. However, the road to the NBA finals isn’t as paved as it used to be.

Fans of both teams braced themselves as the Cavaliers and Warriors went straight to Game 7 and win on the road in their respective conference finals. Over at the Eastern Conference, Lebron James carried the weight of his team with a monstrous 35 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists to beat the Boston Celtics on the latter’s home court on Sunday. Lebron is definitely hungry to give the Cavaliers another title before he decides whether to stay put in Ohio or bring his talent elsewhere.

The 2017 NBA champions, on the other hand, managed to squeak past the Houston Rockets after having quite a slow start in Game 7. The Warriors were running on diesel, falling behind early in the game and facing a double-digit deficit during the final game against the Rockets.

The Warriors were able to find their footing in the second half with Kevin Durant unleashing 21 points while Draymond Green chalked 13 points and 10 rebounds. Like the Cavs, the Warriors is coming off a win on the road.

Live betting on NBA 2K League now available through UltraPlay

Online betting solutions provider UltraPlay has announced that NBA 2K League is now available both pre-match and live through the company’s eSports data feed. UltraPlay becomes the first to provide in-play odds on the newly formed eSports League and will extend its offering by adding new markets on a regular basis throughout the year. For that reason a hand-picked team of traders has already started covering the new professional formation on the global eSports scene which is promising to gather many punters worldwide.

Peter Ivanov, Head of Trading at UltraPlay said: “We are particularly excited to be the first to offer odds on NBA 2K League. When we first heard of this collaboration over a year ago, we knew that this is the next breakthrough the eSports betting sector deserves to have through us.

It’s another example of how eSports is taking over the gaming scene turning it into an interactive entertainment business. Basketball is part of the everyday lives of so many people and now they have the real chance to participate in a professional league powered by the worldwide known brand NBA. And we will be the ones providing odds on this very exciting tournament.”

NBA 2K League is a competitive gaming league based on a professional sport. This league is the fourth for NBA where a new generation of athletes is welcomed. The whole process of turning passionate gamers into professional players has taken the organization over a year to narrow the number of applicants from 72,000 to 102 who were recently allocated in 17 teams to compete for the grand prizes. All games will be live streamed on Twitch.

Wednesday NBA Playoff games odds and betting trends

The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers opened their East semifinal series in Beantown on Monday, the only NBA game scheduled that day. Boston was an easy winner. The only other night this week with just one game is Wednesday’s Game 2 of the West semifinals between the Utah Jazz and host Houston Rockets, who are heavy 11.5-point betting favorites.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Houston, the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA postseason, tied for the most regular-season home wins along with the East No. 1 Toronto Raptors with 34. The Rockets are 4-0 at the Toyota Center in the playoffs, covering the spread in three of those games. That includes as 11.5-point favorites in Game 1 against the Jazz, prevailing 110-96. The game was over at the half with Houston up 25, tied for the franchise’s third-largest playoff halftime lead ever.

Likely NBA MVP James Harden had 41 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He was 7-for-12 from three-point range, matching the total number of three-pointers that Utah made as a team in 22 attempts. It was the fifth time this season he hit as many or more three-pointers than the opposing team. Harden led the NBA by a mile in three-point attempts during the season with 722, or 10 per game (Harden missed 10 games). He also led with 265 makes.

Thursday NBA Playoff games odds and betting trends

It’s an unusual Thursday night around the NBA playoffs because it’s the first time this postseason where there’s just one game: Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks, Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series. The Bucks are 5-point favorites.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Perhaps it’s not such a letdown with so little action because the first round of the NFL Draft is Thursday as well and that’s going to dwarf Celtics-Bucks in terms of TV ratings.

The Philadelphia 76ers, the East’s No. 3 seed, await the winner of this series. Philly closed out its first-round set in Game 5 against Miami on Tuesday night. Should second-seeded Boston win this one, the Celtics would host the 76ers in Game 1 of the conference semifinals likely either on Saturday or Sunday. Should the Bucks prevail, this series goes back to Boston for Game 7 on Saturday.

Tuesday NBA Playoff games odds and betting trends

There are three Game 5s in the NBA playoffs on Tuesday night, and two teams can book their spots in the conference semifinals.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The first game of the night is one that is guaranteed at least a Game 6 as the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Boston Celtics with the series knotted at 2-2. The home team has won all four thus far; Boston has never lost a best-of-seven series when leading 2-0, going 35-0. That would be in major jeopardy with a loss Tuesday.

The Celtics, however, are 2.5-point favorites. Boston covered as a 4-point favorite in Game 1 with a 113-107 overtime victory and at -1 in Game 2, 120-106.

Friday NBA Playoff games odds and betting trends

It’s an Eastern Conference Friday night in the first round of the NBA playoffs as three of the four East series play their Game 3s while shifting venues.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

The Toronto Raptors were the East’s top seed this season for the first time and set several franchise records, including victories. They have had little trouble beating the No. 8 Washington Wizards in the first two games, but the Raptors are 2-point underdogs for Friday’s game in D.C.

It’s the first time the Raptors have ever led a playoff series 2-0. In Tuesday’s 11-point victory, the Raptors set playoff franchise records for points in a quarter (44), half (76) and game (130). DeMar DeRozan tied a playoff career high with 37 points, and Kyle Lowry set a personal playoff mark of 12 assists. This after the Raptors set a team playoff record with 16 made three-pointers in Game 1

MLB, NBA to sell stakes in daily fantasy ops DraftKings, FanDuel

Two American pro sports leagues are ditching their equity stakes in daily fantasy sports (DFS) operators DraftKings and FanDuel as the possibility of legal sports betting draws closer.

On Thursday, ESPN reported that Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association were in talks to unload their ownership stakes in DraftKings and FanDuel, respectively. It’s unknown how advanced these talks are or what type of payday the leagues are expecting.

The leagues and DFS operators insisted that the sell-offs weren’t acrimonious and that the parties would continue to work together to boost fan engagement and the like.

NBA spokesman Mike Bass said FanDuel has been a “great partner” but “the space is evolving and we saw the need to take a fresh look at the structure of our relationship.” MLB issued a statement obliquely referencing “potential changes to the structure of our relationship” with DraftKings, while insisting it would continue its “valued partnership” with the league’s official DFS operator.

Wednesday NBA Playoff games odds and betting trends

In the NBA‘s eight first-round playoff series openers this past weekend, the home team was favored in each and won six of the eight. The two that were upset were the Portland Trail Blazers by the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers by the Indiana Pacers.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

LeBron James’ Cavaliers losing was the biggest surprise because it ended an amazing streak of 21 straight first-round victories for James dating to his Miami Heat days. It surely wasn’t James’ fault on Sunday as he had a triple-double of 24 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds but got very little support in the 98-80 blowout. The other four starters combined for just 25 points.

Game 2 is Wednesday back in Cleveland and the Cavaliers are 8-point favorites. This is the seventh time since 2011 that James has trailed in a postseason series against an Eastern Conference opponent. His teams have rallied to win each of the previous six, last in the 2015 conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls. Of course, James-led teams have won the Eastern Conference an amazing seven straight times.

NBA playoff odds: betting preview for first-round series

The Toronto Raptors came into existence for the 1995-96 NBA season. The franchise has never reached the NBA Finals and just once the Eastern Conference Finals, losing in 2016 to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. Then again, the Raptors never had been the East’s top seed before, either, but they are for the 2018 playoffs, which tip off this weekend.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

Behind their All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors won a franchise-record 59 games to easily finish atop the East along with having the conference’s best point differential by a mile at plus-7.8. They will have home-court advantage against any team they would face in the postseason other than the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.

The Raptors are +155 second-favorites in the East and -590 to win the first-round series against the No. 8 Washington Wizards (+485 on the series line). The teams split four regular-season meetings and have met just once in the postseason, a Washington first-round sweep in 2015.

NBA’s 1% demand of sports bets could doom the industry before it gets going

While everyone waits, rather impatiently, to see if the Supreme Court will reverse the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), there has been an ever-increasing level of state interest to participate in the multi-billion-dollar industry.

Several states are ready to pull the trigger on platforms that will open the doors to sports gambling operations if PASPA is repealed. The states, however, aren’t the only ones wanting to get in on the game. Both the NBA and the MLB have demanded 1% of all wagers, and that decision could kill the industry before it even gets warmed up.

According to Jeff Ma, VP of analytics for Twitter, the sports league’s view is short-sighted and could ultimately hinder gamblers from switching from illegal gambling houses and offshore markets to the legal ones. This idea is spawned from the idea that gamblers won’t be willing to give up 1% of their money just to appease the leagues. Many feel Ma could be correct, and a recent poll of New Yorkers showed that almost 70% were opposed to the 1% demand.

Ma isn’t just another fly-by-night analyst. In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Ma is the man behind the MIT blackjack team that won millions counting cards before being caught. His story was turned into a book, Bringing Down the House, and then a movie, 21, starring Kevin Spacey. He knows sports leagues like Jeff Bezos knows retail. He has held positions as a consultant for both the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Francisco 49ers.

NBA Eastern Conference odds: LeBron, Cavaliers still lead way

There’s an old adage that there’s no such thing as a lock when it comes to sports betting. And that’s true a vast majority of the time, but there are exceptions to every rule. In the NBA, a lock winning bet since the 2010-11 season has been a LeBron James-led team taking the Eastern Conference title.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

That ’10-11 season was LeBron’s first after the infamous “Decision” when he decided to take his talents to South Beach, specifically the Miami Heat. They won four straight Eastern Conference titles with their Big 3 of LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, leading to a pair of NBA championships.

LeBron returned to his native Ohio and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2014-15 season and the Cavs have won the past three East titles, going 1-2 in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Thus, it should be no surprise that James’ Cavs are currently -130 favorites to win the East again, even though they only have the third-best record in the conference coming out of the break at 34-22.