Sports Betting Weekend: NBA, NHL, & UFC
The Toronto Raptors could advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history with a win over the Miami Heat on Friday night.
The Raptors hold a 3-2 series lead after winning Game 5 by a score of 99-91 as a 4.5-point favorite. The oddsmakers at online sportsbook Bovada are favoring the Raptors to take the series at -350. The Heat are a +275 underdog. If Miami can pull it out on Friday it would set up a winner-take-all Game 7 in Toronto on Sunday.
Whether or not there is another NBA second-round game on Sunday depends on what happens on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City Thunder hold a 3-2 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio is a 2-point road favorite for Game 6.
In the NHL this weekend the Eastern Conference Final is slated to begin on Friday night with Game 1 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins are a -200 series favorite at Bovada despite losing all three matchups with the Lightning this season. One big difference is that the Lightning had Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman healthy and playing during the regular season.
This weekend’s baseball schedule boasts a few interesting matchups. In the American League the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers square off in another rematch of last year’s ALDS. In April the Blue Jays took three of four from Texas in Toronto and they’re 6-1 in their last seven against them. Toronto is also a strong 10-2 in their last 12 games in Texas.
Over in the National League NL Central rivals clash when the Chicago Cubs host the Pittsburgh Pirates. The MLB-best Cubs swept a three-game series with Pittsburgh earlier this season, and they’ve won five in a row overall. In their last 10 home games against Pittsburgh the Cubs are 8-2.
This weekend’s NASCAR stop is Dover International Speedway for the AAA 400 Drive for Autism. Jimmie Johnson owns Dover, having won this race the last two years and 10 races in total on the track. Not surprisingly he’s a +400 favorite at Bovada, while Kyle Busch is at +500 and Kevin Harvick is at +550.
For MMA betting fans UFC 198 is Saturday in Brazil. The main event is a Heavyweight title bout between Fabricio Werdum and Stipe Miocic. Werdum, the defending champion, is a -160 favorite.