by AAA Sports
Tuesday, Mar 26, 2024There are still a few weeks to go in the NBA regular season and no one knows how things are going to shake down, but the league is starting to confront the possibility that one or two of its legacy franchises could be knocked out before even getting to a 7-game series or – horrors – not even qualify for the Play-In Tournament.
At this writing, the Lakers and Warriors are squeezed into the Western Conference 9 and 10 spots, respectively, and if the playoffs started tonight they would play a one-and-done NCAA Tourney-type game in Los Angeles for the right to play another team and get to the actual first round.
And as if contemplating the playoffs without LeBron James or Steph Curry isn’t stomach-turning enough for the league and its TV partners, a red-hot Houston Rockets team has come out of nowhere with nine wins in its last 10 games, and could replace the Lakers or Warriors before the post-season even gets rolling.
For Warriors fans, who are not used to living on the verge of the lottery, the odds are a bit numbing. Basketball Reference’s Playoff Possibility Report gives GS a 25 percent chance of getting to the playoffs proper (88 percent to get to the Play-In).
As for the Lakers, more than a few eyebrows were raised on Sunday night when LA lived at the free throw line (43 FTs) and put a 150 spot in a must-have win over the Pacers (16 FTs). James & Co. start a 6-game road trip Tuesday night and have only three more games at home, including an April 9 battle against Golden State that looks like it will have playoff implications.
Houston, meanwhile, seems undervalued with just a 6.3 percent chance of getting to the Final 8 in the West.
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Caleb Williams appears locked in as the overall No. 1 pick in next month’s draft, but there might be a curveball at No. 2. For a few months the Mocks have had Washington taking Jaden Daniels or Drake Maye, but there are reports that the Commanders came away impressed with J.J. McCarthy after his pro day. The Patriots, drafting at 3, were believed to be turning aside all trade offers, but new coach Jerrod Mayo was quoted as saying that they would consider moving down. If Washington does taking McCarthy second, that might allow the Pats to move down in the first round and STILL get Daniels or Maye. Or not. For the record, FanDuel still has Daniels at -180 going to Washington.
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What did Shohei Ohtani know and when did he know it? That’s the big question in MLB these days. Was he ripped off by his interpreter or (yikes) was the interpreter laying bets for Ohtani? The player claims it’s the former and that he never bet on sports, and that his interpreter was taking money – which raises the question as to how his former BFF got access to Ohtani’s ample bank account. Seems like there’s more to this than is now public. But none of this seems to have affected Ohtani’s MVP odds, which opened at +1000 and now rest in the +750 range in most books.
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Joe Biden is back on top – barely – in wagering at the Predictit.org website, with the numbers pretty much reflecting a rash of recent polls that show him narrowly ahead of Donald Trump. There has been minimal movement at Predictit, and the only interesting aspect is that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is even with gadfly candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. in a distant tie for third.
At this writing, the Lakers and Warriors are squeezed into the Western Conference 9 and 10 spots, respectively, and if the playoffs started tonight they would play a one-and-done NCAA Tourney-type game in Los Angeles for the right to play another team and get to the actual first round.
And as if contemplating the playoffs without LeBron James or Steph Curry isn’t stomach-turning enough for the league and its TV partners, a red-hot Houston Rockets team has come out of nowhere with nine wins in its last 10 games, and could replace the Lakers or Warriors before the post-season even gets rolling.
For Warriors fans, who are not used to living on the verge of the lottery, the odds are a bit numbing. Basketball Reference’s Playoff Possibility Report gives GS a 25 percent chance of getting to the playoffs proper (88 percent to get to the Play-In).
As for the Lakers, more than a few eyebrows were raised on Sunday night when LA lived at the free throw line (43 FTs) and put a 150 spot in a must-have win over the Pacers (16 FTs). James & Co. start a 6-game road trip Tuesday night and have only three more games at home, including an April 9 battle against Golden State that looks like it will have playoff implications.
Houston, meanwhile, seems undervalued with just a 6.3 percent chance of getting to the Final 8 in the West.
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Caleb Williams appears locked in as the overall No. 1 pick in next month’s draft, but there might be a curveball at No. 2. For a few months the Mocks have had Washington taking Jaden Daniels or Drake Maye, but there are reports that the Commanders came away impressed with J.J. McCarthy after his pro day. The Patriots, drafting at 3, were believed to be turning aside all trade offers, but new coach Jerrod Mayo was quoted as saying that they would consider moving down. If Washington does taking McCarthy second, that might allow the Pats to move down in the first round and STILL get Daniels or Maye. Or not. For the record, FanDuel still has Daniels at -180 going to Washington.
---
What did Shohei Ohtani know and when did he know it? That’s the big question in MLB these days. Was he ripped off by his interpreter or (yikes) was the interpreter laying bets for Ohtani? The player claims it’s the former and that he never bet on sports, and that his interpreter was taking money – which raises the question as to how his former BFF got access to Ohtani’s ample bank account. Seems like there’s more to this than is now public. But none of this seems to have affected Ohtani’s MVP odds, which opened at +1000 and now rest in the +750 range in most books.
---
Joe Biden is back on top – barely – in wagering at the Predictit.org website, with the numbers pretty much reflecting a rash of recent polls that show him narrowly ahead of Donald Trump. There has been minimal movement at Predictit, and the only interesting aspect is that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is even with gadfly candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. in a distant tie for third.
