Sports Betting Week: Hawks Hit the Floor

In the NBA on Tuesday night it’s Game 5 in two first-round playoff series, the Indiana Pacers versus the Toronto Raptors and the Boston Celtics versus the Atlanta Hawks.

The Pacers vs. Raptors series is tied at 2-2 heading back to Toronto for Game 5. Indiana embarrassed Toronto 100-83 in Game 4 to tie the series. To make matters worse the Raptors were a 1-point road favorite in that game at online sportsbook Bovada. One interesting trend to note, all four games in this series have played UNDER the total.

The Celtics and Hawks are also knotted up 2-2 with Game 5 in Atlanta. The Hawks had a 2-0 series lead, but Boston won back-to-back, including Game 4 by a score of 104-95 as a 1-point home underdog. The home team has won every game in this series so far,

Looking ahead to Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors can advance with a win over the Houston Rockets. Golden State took a 3-1 series lead with a 121-94 victory in Game 4 as an 8.5-point favorite. The Warriors' biggest worry right now is Stephen Curry, who was forced out of Game 4 with a knee injury and won't play again in the series.

The NHL playoff schedule for this week is still to be determined. In the Eastern Conference the second-round playoff matchups are set, but game schedules have yet to be released.
The second-round matchups are the Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Penguins won the season series with the Capitals 3-2, which included a pair of wins in Washington. The Islanders were 2-1 against Tampa Bay this season and they are 4-1 in their last five matchups.

As well, the baseball schedule this week offers up a few interesting trends.

The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays collide for the second time this season after the Orioles swept a short two-game series earlier this month. Baltimore is also 4-2 in their last six games at Tampa Bay.

Also on the MLB slate, the Kansas City Royals visit the Los Angeles Angels and the Pittsburgh Pirates takes on the Colorado Rockies. The Royals are a near-perfect 10-1 in their last 11 games versus the Angels. Pittsburgh has won four straight and seven of eight against Colorado.

This week’s PGA Tour stop is the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Jason Day is the favorite at Bovada at +500, while defending champion Justin Rose is right behind him at +800.