This Week's Best Spot Bet Opportunities
By Ben Burns
Covers.com
Letdown spot
Even the best teams in the NBA are susceptible to a letdown, especially after playing another of the NBA’s elite. The Cleveland Cavaliers visit Western rivals the San Antonio Spurs Thursday, in a possible Finals preview. LeBron James has plenty of history with San Antonio going back to his original stint with Cleveland and his Miami days and this will be a huge litmus test for the Cavs as they get their lineup back to form.
Following this stop in San Antonio, Cleveland takes the court at the Toyota Center in Houston the very next night. The Rockets play the seventh–fastest pace in the NBA and could take advantage of a tired Cavaliers squad coming off a big game. If this contest opens up and turns into a shootout, Houston could have the edge at home.
Lookahead spot
The San Diego Toreros have a big WCC meeting with Gonzaga this weekend, traveling up the coast to face the Bulldogs in Spokane Saturday. San Diego hits the road for an extended trip after losing four in a row, including the last two inside Jenny Craig Pavilion. A strong effort against Gonzaga could snap the Toreros out of this funk but it could also be setting them for a lookahead spot.
San Diego is in Portland two days earlier, playing the Pilots Thursday. Portland is coming off a loss at Gonzaga and is mired in a losing skid itself, dropping three in a row all coming away from home. The Pilots haven’t played at home since before Christmas and could catch San Diego looking past them and to the WCC gatekeeper.
Schedule spot
The Ottawa Senators could be looking ahead to their upcoming West Coast road trip, if just to get away from the bitter Canadian cold and the equally chilly Ottawa media. The Senators have alternated wins and losses in their last four and have just three victories in their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s opener in Anaheim.
Following the clash with the Ducks, Ottawa takes on Los Angeles and San Jose, then comes back East to play at New Jersey on Jan. 21. Last year, this California swing served as a launch pad for the Sens’ second-half push, sweeping Anaheim, L.A., and San Jose as part of a 15-1-1 winning streak. Can the warm weather once again thaw Ottawa for a big run?