Five Things You Need to Know for Thurs., Sept. 13
Atssportsline.com
5 Things You Need to Know in Sports
Want to start your day off right? Looking for the most interesting events of the day and a few games to lay action on? There is an NFL and a college football game, along with a short schedule in baseball, which includes day games. Here is a brief look at the top four important matchups of the day along with a glance at future odds.
1)Chicago at Green Bay, 8:20pmET at Lambeau Field
Chicago visits Lambeau Field on Thursday night. The Bears are coming off an impressive 41-21 win over the Colts at home, while Green Bay fell to San Francisco, 30-22 at home. The Packers could use a big game from RB Cedric Benson. Last year, the Packers beat Chicago by double digits in both games. The oddsmakers have installed the Packers as a 5.5-point favorite and the total is 51.5.
2)Rutgers at South Florida, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla
Last year, Rutgers (+2’) defeated South Florida, 20-17 in overtime. The Bulls kick off conference play at home against Rutgers and head coach Skip Holtz. They edged Nevada on the road last week, but lost junior WR Sterling Griffin to a knee injury. Rutgers is 2-0 but has yet to be tested by the likes of Tulane and 1-AA Howard. The Scarlet Knights hope to rely on their defense and running game. Their offense, which scored just 26 points against Howard, is still a work-in-progress. Bulls are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games following a S.U. win. USF is an 8-point favorite with a total of 45.
3)Detroit at Chicago White Sox, Justin Verlander (13-8, 2.91 ERA) vs. Chris Sale (16-6, 2.88 ERA)
This is the final game of a four-game series. Justin Verlander takes the mound for the Tigers against Chris Sale for the White Sox. Neither starter is pitching great right now. Verlander lost to the Angels in his last start, giving up six runs in six innings. The Tigers are hitting just .243 against lefties. Take the White Sox as a nice home dog with their ace pitcher against another ace, whose team is struggling on the road. The White Sox are 13-6 in Sale's last 19 starts. The Tigers opened as a -140 favorite over the White Sox with a total of 7.5. .
4)Oakland at LA Angels, Brett Anderson (4-0, 0.69 ERA) vs. Jered Weaver (16-4, 2.86 ERA)
Angels' ace Jered Weaver returns after a minor shoulder injury. The Angels need this game after losing the first two to the amazing A's, who doing with great starting pitching. Anderson is one of the young starters who is having a great run. Oakland is 13-4 last 17 Thursday games. The Angels opened as a -155 favorite and with a total of 7.
5)Odds to Win the 2012-13 NBA Championship
The NBA season is about six weeks away, which means training is coming up shortly. The Miami Heat is the favorite to repeat with the Los Angels Lakers as a close second after acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in the offseason. Here are the latest NBA Championship Odds from 5dimes.
Miami Heat +180
Los Angeles Lakers +250
Oklahoma City Thunder +525
Chicago Bulls +1300
San Antonio Spurs +1500
Los Angeles Clippers +2500
Boston Celtics +2600
Brooklyn Nets +3700
Indiana Pacers +3900
Dallas Mavericks +4000
New York Knicks +4000
Memphis Grizzlies +4500
Philadelphia 76ers +5500
Denver Nuggets +7500
Houston Rockets +8500
Atlanta Hawks +9500
Minnesota Timberwolves +9500
Portland Trail Blazers +11500
Utah Jazz +12000
Orlando Magic +13500
Milwaukee Bucks +14500
New Orleans Hornets +17500
Golden State Warriors +18000
Phoenix Suns +19000
Cleveland Cavaliers +20000
Detroit Pistons +20000
Washington Wizards +20000
Toronto Raptors +22500
Sacramento Kings +25000
Charlotte Bobcats +50000