Weekly Wagers
By Bodog
This week’s online sports gaming schedule is crammed full of postseason goodness; besides basketball and hockey, the Champions League semifinals have gone absolutely volcanic. All times are Eastern, and Bodog Sports has fresh odds available around the clock on all these games and more.
1. NBA: Oklahoma City at L.A. Lakers, Game 5 (Tuesday, 8:00 p.m.)
Handicappers have been enjoying this ride all year long. The Thunder went 48-34 ATS during the regular season, and they’re 3-1 ATS against the Lakers in the Western Conference quarterfinals after winning twice at the Ford Center to even the series. Once again, the Oklahoma City bench rose to the occasion in Saturday’s Game 4, outscoring L.A.’s reserves 43-35 in a 110-89 victory with the Thunder only favored by a single point at home. Oklahoma City also had a 48-28 advantage in free-throw attempts against a hurt and tired Lakers team. The Thunder are now 6-2 ATS versus Los Angeles this year including the playoffs.
2. NHL: Detroit at Phoenix, Game 7 (Tuesday, TBD)
The Coyotes were 22-1 to win the Stanley Cup going into this series, while the Red Wings were 8-1 despite having the No. 5 seed in the first round. Detroit had a chance to put away the ‘Yotes at home in Game 6; instead, Phoenix staved off elimination with a 5-2 upset at a hefty +195. Shane Doan (the captain and leading point-getter in the regular season with 55) was out again for the Coyotes with his “upper-body” injury, believed to be his right shoulder. The OVER is 3-1-2 in this series with both Detroit’s Jimmy Howard and Phoenix’ Ilya Bryzgalov alternating hot and cold between the pipes.
3. NBA: Utah at Denver, Game 5 (Wednesday, TBD)
It looked like the Jazz were doomed after losing center Mehmet Okur (18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds per 40 minutes) to a ruptured Achilles tendon in Game 1, then losing the game 126-113 to the Nuggets (-5.5). But Carlos Boozer (22.7 points, 13.1 rebounds/40) has been a rock this entire series despite playing hurt with a strained oblique. Carmelo Anthony called out his teammates for their “body language” and lack of focus, but the real problem appears to be Kenyon Martin (13.4 points, 11.0 rebounds/40), who is playing on bad knees and was ineffective in both games at the former Delta Center.
4. MLB: N.Y. Mets at Philadelphia (Sunday, 8:05 p.m.)
Conveniently enough, this Sunday Night Baseball broadcast on ESPN gives us a chance to see Roy Halladay in action. The new Phillies ace has four wins in four starts, allowing a total of just three earned runs and throwing a complete-game shutout over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Those four wins have the Phillies on top of the National League East at 11-7 (0.98 units). The Mets have crawled out of the NL East basement at 10-9 (0.68 units) with four wins in a row including a sweep at home over the Braves. Oliver Perez is scheduled to start for New York; the Mets have lost all three of his appearances despite a half-decent 4.57 xFIP.
5. Soccer: Internazionale at Barcelona (Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.)
Inter (first in Serie A at 21 wins, four losses and 10 draws) jumped on travel-weary Barcelona (first in the Spanish Primera Division at 27-1-6) in the first leg of this Champions League semi, downing the defending champions 3-1 last week at the San Siro and cashing in at +210. Barca will have to pour it on at Camp Nou in order to advance; the total for this game has moved up from 2.5 goals to three, and the home side is available at even money to beat the spread of 1.5 goals. Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who scored in the first leg, is expected to miss the second after pulling a quad in Saturday’s Serie A action.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: Milwaukee at Atlanta, Game 5 (Wednesday, 10:30 p.m.)
NHL: Washington at Montreal, Game 6 (Monday, 10:00 p.m.)
MLB: Chicago White Sox at N.Y. Yankees (Sunday, 1:05 p.m.)
Soccer: Bayern Munich at Lyon (Tuesday, 2:45 p.m.)
NASCAR: Crown Royal presents the Heath Calhoun 400 (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)