Stephen Curry caught fire in the three-point contest during all-star weekend, making 13 consecutive shots in a dominant final round. Curry has been hot in real action, too, and is the favorite at the break to win NBA MVP. Speaking of being in fine form right now, Jimmy Walker is among the contenders at this week’s PGA Tour stop in Los Angeles.

Odds provided by Sportsbook.ag unless otherwise indicated .

NBA MVP

Stephen Curry (-160) – Curry, whose 13 in a row made for the second-longest streak in contest history (and the most in the final round), is actually shooting a career-worst 40 percent from beyond the arc. However, he is averaging 23.6 points, 7.9 assists, and a personal-best 4.7 rebounds per game. Curry also leads the NBA in steals with 2.2 per outing.

James Harden (+250 ) – An MVP generally has to be part of a good team, as well. While Curry has led the Warriors to an NBA-best 42-9 mark, Harden is a big reason why Houston is tied for third in a powerful Western Conference at 36-17. The six-year pro is close behind Curry at two steals per game (third in the league) to go along with averages of 27.4 points and 6.8 assists.

LeBron James (+4 00) – LeBron is averaging his fewest points (25.9) and rebounds (5.6) since his rookie year, is shooting his worst percentage (48.9) since 2008-09, and is recording the fewest steals (1.5) and most turnovers (4.2) of his career. But he is still in the mix because he finally has a clean bill of health and Cleveland has won 14 of its last 16 games.

Anthony Davis (+1000 ) – Davis’ chances have taken a hit because he has missed six games since mid-January, including the last two due to a shoulder strain. But the former No. 1 overall pick can surge back into contention if he keeps up his own individual pace and also leads to New Orleans to the playoffs. Davis is averaging 24.5 points, 10.3 boards, and 2.7 blocks.

Daytona 500 (odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (+900) – Daytona is synonymous with Earnhardt, and not just because Dale Sr. was killed on the last lap of the 2001 500. It is traditionally Earnhardt Jr.’s best track, both in the Great American Race and in smaller events. He is a two-time champion of the Daytona 500 (2004, 2014) and has finished second or better a whopping four of the last five years.

Jeff Gordon (+1200) – This is Gordon’s final full season in NASCAR and what he says is his last Daytona 500 will begin in the pole position. The Rainbow Warrior turned in the fastest qualifying time over the weekend to put his famed No. 24 car out front. Gordon is third on the all-time list with five Daytona 500 victories, but he has not won it since 2005.

Jimmie Johnson (+1200) – Johnson won five consecutive Sprint Cup championships from 2006 through 2010 and he triumphed again in 2013. His first (2006) and his most recent (2013) both featured Daytona 500 victories. Johnson, who turned in a fifth-place showing last year in the 500, is starting second up front alongside Gordon.

Kevin Harvick (+1200) – Other than having to deal with guys like Earnhardt, Gordon, and Johnson, there is not much to dislike about Harvick’s chances. He captured his first championship last season after winning the final two races and placing second the previous week. Harvick is also a former Daytona 500 winner (2007).

Northern Trust Open

Bubba Watson (+1000) – Watson won this thing last year, and he is no stranger to getting in a groove at courses he likes (see: two Masters victories in the last three years). He is in fine form at the moment, too. In four tournaments this season (fall of 2014 plus 2015), Watson has a win, a runner-up (earlier this month in Phoenix), a T-10, and a T-11.

Dustin Johnson (+1000) – Johnson was out for six months due to personal issues, and he missed the cut in his first tournament back at Torrey Pines. But nowhere is Johnson better than he is at Pebble Beach and last week’s event may have gotten him going (he finished T-4). Johnson was second at the Northern Trust in 2014, two strokes behind Bubba.

Jordan Spieth (+1000) – Spieth posted a T-12 finish last year in Los Angeles and was actually tied with Bubba going into the final round before closing with a 71 to the champion’s 64. The 21-year-old is not quite as hot right now as he was in November and December, but he rebounded from a missed cut at Torrey Pines to come in seventh at Pebble Beach.

Jimmy Walker (+1500) – Walker finished T-20 at the 2014 Northern Trust Open—a relative disappointment by his lofty standards. Of course, that came before his surge into prominence when he won three times in the span of four months. So far in 2015, Walker has a win (Honolulu), a runner-up (Kapalua), and a seventh-place showing (Torrey Pines).

Cricket World Cup

Australia (+160) – An absolute force in cricket, Australia has won the World Cup four times since the tournament’s inception in 1975. No other has nation lifted the trophy more than twice. The Aussies, who opened with a victory over England last week, won the cup on three consecutive occasions before losing in the 2011 quarterfinals to India.

South Africa (+300) – Since making its World Cup debut, South Africa has advanced out of the group stage five times in six appearances. It has reached the semifinals three times but is still looking for its first championship berth. The South Africans kicked off their 2015 campaign by rolling over Zimbabwe.

New Zealand (+333) – New Zealand and Australia are hosting this year’s cup, so both should benefit from that advantage (the final will be held in Melbourne). The Kiwis are already 2-0 with defeats of Scotland and 2011 runner-up Sri Lanka. They made it to the semifinals in both 2007 and 2011, giving them six semi appearances without ever reaching the final.

India (+800) – An end of an era came in 2013, when Sachin Tendulkar retired. That’s part of the reason why India is not among the top favorites. Another is that India does not have home-field advantage like it did when it triumphed in 2011. Still, the Indians cannot be discounted. They are two-time champions (1983, 2011) and once a runner-up (2003).
 

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