Investments with returns: Hottests bets in sports
By DAVE CAREY
The best things in life are free – but sometimes it just takes a little extra effort to find them.
The following trends are some of the hottest in the NHL and NBA, and are among the best plays on anyone’s board on any given night. Some of these trends pop right out and make total sense, others take a little more time to connect the dots. But either way, they likely can help stuff your account in the coming weeks as both seasons come down the home stretch.
The Flyers and the over at home
The Philadelphia Flyers don’t just win at home – they win AND score a lot of goals at home.
The Flyers over/under mark on Broad Street is a phenomenal 23-11-1 this season. But don’t stop there. The over/under would be a fantastic parlay with the Flyers straight up, as the team is 21-10 in front of its own fans at the Wachovia Center.
Philadelphia has both won and covered three times in its past four home games, including a 4-2 win over New Jersey on Monday night. But scoring goals is nothing new for the Flyers, whose balanced attack powers the fifth-best offense in the league, averaging 3.19 goals per game.
The Flyers have five home games left – don’t miss out.
Vancouver when leading after the first or second period
Sometimes, the smartest play is the safest play, and they don’t come much safer than Vancouver.
The Canucks with a lead is about as secure as it gets, as they have a .733 winning percentage when leading after one and an .893 winning percentage when leading after two. The key to the team’s success is its stingy defense that yields just 2.68 goals per game, seventh-best in the league. When Vancouver can snatch an early lead, it rarely falters with a .683 winning percentage when scoring first as proof.
And now is a great time to hop on board with white-hot Vancouver. The Canucks are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games and a fantastic 22-11 at home. And don’t expect them to cool off; they have won the previous meeting with three of their final four home opponents.
For any bettor looking to really put Vancouver’s hot streak to the test, look no further than it’s final seven road games: the Canucks are just 16-13 SU on foreign ice this season, but have won each of the most recent meetings with their remaining away opponents.
Orlando on the road
The Magic are the definition of road warriors.
In a league chalked full of back-to-back games and brutal coast-to-coast swings, Orlando has managed to rise above. The Magic have three more road wins against the spread than any other team in the NBA.
Not the Lakers, not the Cavaliers, not even the defending champion Celtics have been as kind to bettors on the road this season as Orlando. The Magic are a staggering 24-11-1 ATS in opponents gyms so far and actually are trending up. In their past 10 away games entering Monday night, they have covered seven times.
The key for the Magic is that they shoot better on the road than at home. Orlando shoots .459 from the field at home, but .462 from the floor on the road. The difference is even greater from three-point range, where the team makes .375 percent of its attempts in its own gym, but a stunning .395 percent of its tries on away gyms.
The Magic have five away games left, starting Monday night in Miami – get ready to heat up.
Portland at home against winning teams
The Magic might come to play on the road, but nobody gets up for big games like the Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden.
The Blazers, who we pointed out before is one of the best second-half teams in the NBA this season, is 20-13 ATS at home, but a ridiculous 13-4 ATS when an opponent with a winning percentage of .500 or better visits the Pacific Northwest.
The team can attribute it’s home success to an inflated offense in front of its fans – the Trail Blazers average 102.6 points per game at home, more than seven better than they average on the road. The team also shoots .468 percent from the field at home compared to .451 percent on the road.
Portland has five remaining home games, including Phoenix, Utah and Denver. Don’t get left out in the cold.
Pretty good article.