This Week's Best Spot Bet Opportunities
By Ben Burns
Covers.com
Letdown spot
The Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to climb out the Western Conference basement, starting the season 4-2 with back-to-back wins over Eastern powers Chicago and Atlanta heading into Tuesday’s game with Charlotte. The T-Wolves, who top the Northwest Division standings, put their newfound success to the ultimate test when they host defending champion Golden State Thursday. But that big game opens this young Minnesota side up to a letdown the following night.
After playing the Warriors, the Timberwolves immediately travel to Indiana to face the Pacers Friday. Not only are they coming off a highly-anticipated matchup with the Warriors but the Indiana game it their third contest in four nights. That could be just too much to ask of this T-Wolves team.
Lookahead spot
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been looking ahead to the final two games of the 2015 season since the schedule was released. The defending national champs knew their dreams of a repeat would come down to meetings with the two Michigan schools - Michigan State and rival Michigan – with a very soft conference slate laid out before them. But before that two-game test, OSU travels to Illinois this weekend.
Books are dealing the Buckeyes as 16.5-point road favorites in a spot that’s been rough on Ohio State backers in past seasons. Last year, OSU finished the regular season with a 0-3 ATS mark before smashing Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game. And in 2013, the Buckeyes did the same thing with three straight blown covers to close the schedule – including a missed payday in Illinois, winning 60-35 but failing to cover as 34-point road chalk.
Schedule spot
The New York Islanders’ schedule isn’t doing the team any favors this week, sending the team across the country to play on the West Coast for three games in four nights – beginning with a stop in San Jose Tuesday night. New York enters than game having won just once in the last six contests, including back-to-back losses before making this trek.
The Isles have a day off following the game with the Sharks, then visit Los Angeles Thursday and Anaheim Friday. New York, which is just 2-2-1 on the road, is in the middle of a scoring slump, netting only nine goals during that six-game span. Slow starts have been the big culprit, with the team registering only seven first-period goals this season. This frantic road schedule may leave N.Y. flat, especially in the final game Friday.