Sports Betting Futures Odds: Southeast the Last NBA Division Up For Grabs

by Ricky Dimon - 2/25/2016

The proverbial second half of the NBA season just recently got underway, and already five of the six divisions are pretty much signed, sealed, and delivered. Only the Southeast-home to Miami, Atlanta, and Charlotte, among others-is particularly competitive. In addition to hoops action, this upcoming weekend will feature the NFL Combine, the Academy Awards, and the second NASCAR race of the season.

Odds provided by BetOnline Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated .

Southeast Division

Miami Heat (+130) -In four of the six NBA divisions, the second-place team is trailing by double-digit games. One exception is the Atlantic, which is just about over (Toronto is six games clear of Boston). The other is the Southeast, currently led by Miami. But the fourth-place team (Washington) is closer to the top than No. 2 in every other division.

Atlanta Hawks (+150) -Heck, even the last-place squad (Orlando) is as close to first place (six games back) as the No. 2 of every other division. As for Atlanta, it is still in the second spot (1.5 games south of Miami) despite starting the post-break stretch with three consecutive home losses. The Hawks fell to Miami and Milwaukee before being forced to face Golden State.

Charlotte Hornets (+450) - Charlotte has won five of its last six games and seven of its last nine to pull within 2.5 games of the Heat, who had won three in a row before succumbing to the Warriors 118-112 on Wednesday. Chris Bosh is once again dealing with physical problems in Miami, while the healthy Hornets are being led by Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum.

Washington Wizards (+1200) - Miami and Atlanta are trying to let their rivals get back into the thick of things in this division, but Washington has not done much to walk through the open door. The Wizards are 7-11 in their last 18 contests. They are healthy, at least, which is not always the case. John Wall and Bradley Beal give this team a chance.

NFL Combine

Fastest 40-yard dash under 4.28 seconds (-115) -UAB wide receiver J.J. Nelson clocked the fastest time last year right at 4.28 seconds. Nobody else was speedier than 4.31. The mark in question (at least for this particular wager) was broken in both 2013 (Marquise Goodwin at 4.27) and 2014 (Dri Archer at 4.26).

New record in 40-yard dash (+350) - The fastest time ever in the combine's 40-yard dash in still held by Chris Johnson at 4.24 seconds, set in 2008. Among the contenders this year are Ohio State's Braxton Miller and TCU's Kolby Listenbee. Neither one, though, has ever been clocked under 4.3 seconds. No new record is -500.

Longest broad jump over 11'4'' (-115) -Is another Byron Jones walkin' through that door? Not only did the Connecticut cornerback break the combine record last year, but he also set a new world record in the broad jump by leaping 12 feet and three inches. Florida State's Jalen Ramsey is the broad-jump favorite in 2016 and is an Olympic candidate in the long jump.

Highest vertical jump over 43 inches (-125) - Not surprisingly, Ramsey is also the man to beat in the vertical jump. He went into college with a vertical of close to 41 inches, so we will see how much the defensive back has improved. Jones (45'') and Georgia's Chris Conley (44.5'') both jumped higher than 43 inches in 2015.

QuikTrip 500 (Bovada Sportsbook)

Kevin Harvick (+450) -Harvick is coming off a stellar season in which he finished second in the Sprint Cup standings. The No. 4 car came in fourth at last week's Daytona 500. It placed second last year at the QuickTrip 500 in Atlanta, so Harvick knows the drill on this track.

Joey Logano (+550) -Logano's 2015 campaign was controversial at times but for the most part successful, as he finished sixth in the overall standings. Logano was fourth in Atlanta last season and got off to a decent start in 2016 by placing sixth in Daytona.

Jimmie Johnson (+650) -Johnson is a three-time champion of this event and can tie for the all-time lead shared by Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Bobby Labonte with one more victory. The No. 48 car won it last year for the first time since 2007.

Kyle Busch (+700) -Busch is the defending Sprint Cup champion, winning it for the first time despite missing the first few months of 2015 with a broken leg. That kept him out of Atlanta, which he won in 2013. Busch is coming off a third-place performance at the Daytona 500.

Best Picture at the 88^th Academy Awards (MyBookie.ag)

The Revenant (-175) - Best Picture odds have been fluctuating wildly. The Revenant was favored early, slipped to the third choice at one point, and is now the favorite yet again. It cleaned up a the Golden Globes by bagging honors for Best Drama, Best Director (Alejandro G. Iñárritu) and Best Actor in a Drama (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Spotlight (+110) - Sportlight briefly overtook The Revenant as the favorite but has since settled back into the second spot with the Oscars rapidly approaching on Sunday. Spotlight went home from the Golden Globes empty-handed, but that might not happen again. Michael Keaton, who helped Birdman win Best Picture last year, is one of the stars.

The Big Short (+400) - The Big Short features a star-studded cast led by Christian Bale, Steve Carell,Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and Marisa Tomei. Perhaps that explains how a film with such a seemingly dull subject matter could enthrall audiences. It was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy and Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes and has only been gaining steam.

The Martian (+8000) - Thanks to separation of categories at the Golden Globes, The Martian avoided head-to-head competition with The Revenant and won Best Musical or Comedy. Matt Damon snagged the honor for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. But it has to go up against DiCaprio and company at the Oscars. Mad Max: Fury Road is also +8000.

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 3:30 PM
Expert:	Scott Spreitzer
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