It’s working better than I thought. Guys In shape, good games. It’s dull And quiet and I don’t think the champ will Be a true champ without home court and crowd but it’s nice to Have something to watch. So far I think the rockets are big beneficiaries because Harden was dead tired. Bucks missing 2 guys looking good, clips too. Lakers seem to be struggling they are missing Bradley and Rondo who will be back later. At the moment it’s open. I’d still say lakers but right now they are vulnerable Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Raptors looking tough too... Lakers still not sold on them... JR not playing, Bradley missing, rondo out for a little while... they are my favorite just because I think the league would love a feel good story but right now they look vulnerable. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
With Lakers Favored to Win NBA Title, Play-In Game Will Provide Appetizer The NBA playoffs start Monday with the LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers an 11/4 favorite to win the championship, according to the Westgate SuperBook. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks and LeBron James of the Lakers lead two of the prime NBA championship contenders. (Image: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports) But before James can begin his quest for a fourth championship ring, there’s a play-in game on Saturday. The Portland Trail Blazers (35-39) will battle the Memphis Grizzlies (34-39) at 2:30 p.m. Eastern (ABC) for the right to be the eighth seed in the Western Conference. If Memphis wins, the teams will play again on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (ESPN). Portland is a 6.5-point favorite, according to MGM, with an over/under of 233.5 points. FanDuel has Portland at minus-6. According to OddsFire on Friday, 76 percent of the bets and 85 percent of money on the spread were placed on the Grizzlies. As of Saturday morning, that had switched to 56 percent of the bets and 47 percent of the money on Portland. Play-In Game Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has averaged a bubble-high 37.6 points per game during the NBA’s COVID-19 restart in Orlando, Fla. However, their defense has been abysmal. They’ve allowed at least 115 points in six of their eight August games. Nonetheless, they’ve won five of their last six games and became a chic championship pick since the NBA resumed play in late July. Memphis, on the other hand, is 2-5 in August. One of those victories came on Thursday against Milwaukee, which was without star Giannis Antetokounmpo (one-game suspension) and had nothing to play for with the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference locked up. Being that underdog doesn’t matter to us at all,” Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant told reporters after the Milwaukee game. “We love being the underdog. It’s just extra motivation, fuel to the fire. It just makes our success that much better.” The prize for earning the eighth seed? A first-round series against the top-seeded Lakers. Championship Odds SuperBook has the Lakers at 11/4, followed by Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers at 3/1, Boston and Toronto at 10/1, Houston at 14/1, Denver at 20/1, and Portland and Miami at 40/1. Further back are Oklahoma City (50/1), Utah (60/1), Dallas (60/1) and Philadelphia (80/1). The real long shots are Indiana (200/1), Memphis (1,000/1), Brooklyn (1,000/1) and Orlando (2,000/1). The Bucks, who are led by the “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo, finished as the East’s No. 1 seed with an NBA-best 56-17 record. They are 2/3 to win the conference and advance to The Finals. Boston and Toronto are considered the top challengers at 4/1. The Lakers (8/5) and Clippers (7/4) are the overwhelming favorites to represent the West in The Finals. Here are the prices for the first-round series from the SuperBook. All series are best-of-seven. Eastern Conference No. 8 Orlando (+3,000) vs. No. 1 Milwaukee (-15,000). No. 4 Indiana (+260) vs. No. 5 Miami (-310) No. 6 Philadelphia (+330) vs. No. 3 Boston (-400) No. 7 Brooklyn (+1,500) vs. No. 2 Toronto (-5,000) Western Conference No. 8 Portland (+425) vs. No. 1 L.A. Lakers (-550) (Note: No odds for Memphis vs. Lakers) No. 5 Oklahoma City (+155) vs. No. 4 Houston (-175) No. 6 Utah (+175) vs. No. 3 Denver (-200) No. 7 Dallas (+375) vs. No. 2 L.A. Clippers (-400)
Couple of good games today. Unfortunately I won't be able to watch my Magic play tomorrow given the 1:30PM start time...probably a good thing given they are playing the #1 seed...
Dang didn’t see the magic doing that! With no home court, long rest, new chemistry it’s like a new season. Right now the most impressive have been the raptors who came early to the bubble too, clippers have a tough 1st round. Bucks well seem unimpressive... Lakers have been poor... I still think they win it but I hope I’m wrong! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice win for my Magic. Although same thing happened last year when they were #8 and played the Raptors. We all saw how that ended. I now think the Bucks will win it all because of this wake up call they just got.
Lakers - Blazers has been great. Seeing LeBron blocked and immediately followed by a Lillard near-half court 3 pointer is great. I can't stop laughing seeing this happen to LeBron.
dallas looks good for the future esp if they can upgread for tim hardaway. but this will be clipps year. kawai is just too strong to be denied. if he wins title with 3rd team does he get mentioned as all time great? as good as bird? might be getting close. it just seems so easy for him. compare effort he puts in vs doncic. its such an effort for luca and so easy for kawai.
Welp, my Magic avoided elimination tonight by the Bucks not wanting to play. I'm reading they are undecided if they want to continue being in the bubble given the BLM movement and issues still coming up like what happened Sunday. Would be a crazy way to end the season, but understandable for them that value their time in other matters off the court. https://www.nba.com/article/2020/08/26/bucks-protest-nba-postpones-games
Sportsbooks in ‘Wait-and-See Mode’ After NBA Boycotts The NBA playoffs came to abrupt halt on Wednesday night as the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their game against the Orlando Magic. The rest of the teams scheduled to play followed suit, Thursday’s games are in jeopardy and there’s a possibility a champion won’t be crowned for the first time in the league’s 74-year existence. LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly voted to not finish the season in the wake of the shooting of a black man by Kenosha, Wis., police. (Image: Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports) By Thursday morning, PointsBet had taken the day’s games off the board. “Really just in a wait-and-see mode. Need some clarity before opening,” PointsBet’s director of communications, Patrick Eichner, told Casino.org via e-mail. What’s Next? Three games are scheduled for Thursday in the NBA’s Orlando, Fla., bubble: Denver Nuggets against Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics against Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers against Dallas Mavericks. As of Thursday morning, BetMGM, DraftKings and other sportsbooks were accepting bets on those games. Nothing is changing at the moment,” Kevin Hennessy, FanDuel’s director of publicity, told Casino.org via e-mail. “We don’t do anything until things are official from the leagues.” With Wednesday’s games postponed, players gathered to discuss what comes next following the shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by police in Kenosha, Wis. – an incident coming three months after a Minneapolis police officer killed another Black man, George Floyd. Both incidents sparked outrage, violence and intense conversations. Teams voted whether or not to continue the season. According to The Athletic, players from the Lakers and Clippers – two of the betting favorites to win the championship – voted to end the season. When asked how the season could go on without those powerhouses, Lakers megastar LeBron James left the meeting and the rest of the Lakers and Clippers followed. Asked what would happen to those who bet on the Lakers or Clippers to win the championship if those teams dropped out of the playoffs but the postseason continued, Eichner said, “Honestly am not sure – a lot for the team to work through – sure they are making contingency plans now.” In the latest odds from the Westgate SuperBook, the three teams central to Wednesday’s news – the Bucks, Lakers and Clippers – are the favorites to win the championship at 3/1. The Lakers entered the playoffs as the outright favorite. Impact on Sportsbooks The Bucks’ decision trickled into other sports. Milwaukee’s other professional team, baseball’s Brewers, didn’t play their game against the Cincinnati Reds; the teams agreed to not play on Wednesday and to make it up with a Thursday doubleheader. Two other Major League Baseball games, as well as the full slates of WNBA and MLS games, were postponed. As reported by Casino.org, Wednesday’s postponements had an immediate impact on sportsbooks that took action on the games. BetRivers, DraftKings, FanDuel, and PointsBet announced online they would void all bets made on the NBA games. However, not all sportsbooks voided the bets because of the postponements. USBookmaking, which operates sportsbooks for the Isleta Resort Casino in New Mexico and Sky Ute Casino Resort in Colorado, will honor the bets regardless of the day the games are played. “We fully support our players and the decision they made,” the Bucks said in a statement signed by owners Marc Lasry, Wes Edens and Jamie Dinan. “Although we did not know beforehand, we would have wholeheartedly agreed with them. The only way to bring about change is to shine a light on the racial injustices that are happening in front of us. Our players have done that and we will continue to stand alongside them and demand accountability and change.”
they should boycott next season too. i really will not miss it. wonder if they expect to be paid too?
They are doing the right thing. Enough is enough, stick it to the owners where it hurts money. As a former D1 player and pro athlete in France I’m Caucasian and I’m tired of what’s happening. I guarantee with no revenues the owners will act real quick and we will see who is all talk and who really cares about the players. This bubble format is bogus anyways. No fan, no home court, let’s cancel the all thing but greed won’t let it happen. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Well that would go into P&R but it’s well established that many owners have strong connections in the political circles. Using their influences till change is made would be one. It’s not fair that because of the color of their skins many individuals are at birth not afforded the same chances or look at life to begin with& that’s what’s happening. At a very minimum I’d love to see owner pressure for a police reform which puts emphasis on training...Can’t have police officers with less training hours than it takes to become a hairdresser imo. Leblame James is one of the most annoying athlete I seen and a diva who loves to congratulate himself but on this one he isn’t wrong. If we had a league just with non-African American athlete (I.e just 15-20%) it would be pretty boring to watch, it already is bad enough with their soft rules and so forth... But hey they are going to be playing so my money is still in the league doing all it can for the lakers to win and this being the last title for James but Toronto was doing well and can’t fully count the clips out Or Milwaukee ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I think you will be hard-pressed to find any pro athletes that are in it for the love of the game. We need more owners like Marge Schott. Image Unavailable, Please Login
MJ had the love of the game clause in his contract, he truly loved the game and walked away leaving some nice money on the table, of course he was filthy rich and a business man but I think a lot of guys nowadays they just love the money and not to play as much as the old folks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
All the shaking and baking by Harden, Westbrick, and Gordan proved too much for the Laker bigs today. McGee and Howard contributed nada.
