An exciting mix of basketball betting action, continued playoff jockeying in the NHL, the world’s top golfers going against each other in match play, and the first NASCAR race of the Sprint Cup season all help to heat up the sports-betting landscape this week (all times Eastern):
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1. NHL: Boston at St. Louis (Wednesday, 8:00 pm)
The Bruins have slipped yet another notch down to 7/1 odds to repeat as Stanley Cup champions on the latest NHL futures and have just three wins in nine February games. Meanwhile the surprising Blues have won seven out of ten games so far this month in NHL betting results and are looking like a solid value pick at 12/1 odds to win the Cup. These two teams haven’t met since November 2010 when St. Louis goalie Jaroslav Halak outdueled Boston’s Tuukka Rask in a 2-1 shootout victory by the Blues in Boston.
2. NCAAB: Duke at Florida State (Thursday, 7:00 pm)
The high-scoring Blue Devils (23-4 SU, 12-15 ATS) have won four games in a row in college basketball betting results, while the Seminoles (19-7 SU, 13-11 ATS) have won ten of their past 11 including a 76-73 upset victory at Duke the last time these ACC rivals squared off just a month ago on January 21. Michael Snaer hit a game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer as Florida State handed Duke its first home loss in 45 games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, winning outright as 10.5-point underdogs in a game that played well OVER the total of 144.5.
3. NBA: New York at Miami (Thursday, 7:00 pm)
Jeremy Lin and the resurgent Knicks tip off against LeBron James and the Heat in the last night of NBA betting action before taking a break for the All-Star Game and associated festivities taking place in Orlando this weekend. Lin wasn’t in the lineup when these two teams met in Miami on January 27, as the Knicks lost 99-89 but covered as 12-point underdogs in a game that played UNDER the total of 196.5. Miami remains the chalk to win the championship at 8/5 on the NBA futures, while the Knicks are at 16/1.
4. PGA: WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (Wednesday to Sunday)
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the co-favorites at 11/1 odds to win this five-day golf betting event on the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona. Current world No. 1 Luke Donald won this event last year to jump-start his ascent to the top of the money list on both the PGA and European Tours, and he’s listed just behind Woods and McIlroy at 14/1 odds. With the notable exception of Phil Mickelson and the injured Paul Casey, the field at this match play event includes the Top 64 golfers in the world competing head to head in single-elimination format each day until the two finalists meet to decide the winner on Sunday.
5. NASCAR: Daytona 500 (Sunday, Noon)
Jimmie Johnson is the 5/1 favorite on the NASCAR futures to win the 2012 Sprint Cup as the season gets underway with auto-racing betting action this weekend when the green flag drops for the Daytona 500 at legendary Daytona International Speedway in Florida. Carl Edwards is at 6/1 to win the Sprint Cup title while defending Cup champion Tony Stewart is listed at 7/1 odds along with Kyle Busch, who won the Budweiser Shootout over the weekend at Daytona. Edwards - who lost the Sprint Cup crown to Stewart on a tie-breaker last year - and his Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle (25/1 odds) have qualified to start on the front row for Sunday’s race.
Honorable Mentions
NHL: Vancouver at Detroit (Thursday, 7:30 pm)
NBA: LA Lakers at Oklahoma City (Thursday, 9:30 pm)
NCAAB: Missouri at Kansas (Saturday, 4:00 pm)
NBA: All-Star Game (Sunday, 8:00 pm)
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