Sports Betting Weekend: NBA, Autos, Oscars

The best teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference clash this weekend when the Toronto Raptors play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. In two previous meetings this season the Raptors and Cavaliers each picked up a win straight up and against the spread. In their last five matchups Cleveland is 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS.

It will be interesting to see if online sportsbook Bovada lists the Raptors as home underdogs. Earlier this season they defeated Cleveland 103-99 as a 3-point home underdog and in three games this season as a home underdog Toronto is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS.

Also on the NBA slate this weekend the Golden State Warriors visit the Oklahoma City Thunder in what could be a future playoff preview. In their lone matchup this season the Warriors defeated the Thunder 116-108 as a 7.5-point favorite.

Turning to college hoops all eyes will be on the No. 1 Villanova Wildcats this weekend as they try to rebound from an upset loss to the Xavier Musketeers. The Wildcats have a road game against the unranked Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday. In January Villanova crushed Marquette 83-68 as an 18-point favorite. They’ve won seven straight against them SU, but the ATS loss last month snapped a six-game ATS winning streak.

In a busy weekend on the ice the Washington Capitals have a game on Friday night against the Minnesota Wild and a Sunday showdown with the Chicago Blackhawks. Washington has a solid history against both teams, with a 6-2 mark in their last eight versus Minnesota and a four-game winning streak versus Chicago.

NASCAR roars into the Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. Denny Hamlin (+900)  won last week’s Daytona 500 and Jimmie Johnson (+650) won in Atlanta last season, but the favorite at Bovada is Kevin Harvick at +450.

For entertainment fans there’s another betting option this weekend as the 88th Academy Awards are on Sunday. At Bovada they have odds on every category, but we’ll just focus on the big prize, Best Picture. The overwhelming favorite is The Revenant at -250. Spotlight at +225 and The Big Short at +350 are also being given some consideration.