Bettors are breathing a huge sigh of relief as it now finally feels almost normal. With the NBA, NHL, and MLB all back in action and the NFL heading to training camp; this week’s betting scene is full of potential.
After four months of searching for betting value in table tennis and eSports, it’s almost as if bettors need a hand to hold as they head back into the mix. Don’t worry. We’ve got you.
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Here’s a look at this week’s betting scene.
NBA
The Lakers looked like the best team in the Western Conference with their win over the Clippers in Game 1 of the NBA restart. Was there ever any question? Maybe, with the whole coronavirus pandemic throwing the sports world a giant curveball.
There are two things to watch in NBA action this week. The first has to do with the one day of rest teams will have in between games. Your best bets straight up are Milwaukee, Toronto, both the Lakers and Clippers, Houston, and Oklahoma City. The Bucks are 35-8 on one day of rest and the Raptors are 30-8.
Betting the spread presents a little different story. The Raptors have won 65.8 percent (25-13) of their games ATS. Oklahoma City (28-13) and Indiana (26-17-3) are the only other teams with ATS winning percentages over 60 percent on one day of rest.
The other thing to watch are the Totals. On one day of rest between Lakers’ games, the Under has hit 56.4 percent of the time. The Under has also hit in Memphis games – 56.1 percent of the time – when the Grizzlies have had just one day of rest.
On the other end, Miami, Dallas, San Antonio, and Toronto have seen the Over hit more than 60 percent of the time in games where the teams had one day of rest.
NHL
Keeping the same theme – one day of rest – will have an impact on NHL betting this week. Rest will be a big factor for some teams in the NHL’s postseason. The best teams in the league working on one day of rest this season were Colorado (27-14), Tampa Bay (25-16), Philadelphia (24-8), and Pittsburgh (21-9).
The Lightning are one of the big favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Colorado is a serious contender with Nathan MacKinnon (93 pts) and a host of players returning from injury.
The hottest team in the NHL pre-COVID-19 break was Philadelphia and the line of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang has already won three Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh.
Other NHL bets to consider with one day of rest are Tampa Bay and the Over, which is 25-13-3 O/U. The New York Islanders were the best Under bet on a day of rest at 13-28 O/U.
MLB
The big news in MLB is the number of positive coronavirus tests around the league. The Florida Marlins had a number of players test positive and now the St. Louis Cardinals are experiencing the same thing.
Last week, there were a dozen postponed games or schedule moves that affected eight different teams. There is talk of a possible shutdown. MLB bettors and fans alike will hope that does not happen.
For now, smarter bettors should look for value in home underdogs on the moneyline. Last Friday for example, Detroit was a +166 home dog to Cincinnati and beat the Reds 7-2.
The same thing happened in Minnesota where the Twins were a +105 home underdog to Cleveland. The Twins won 4-1.
