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This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z

by - 1/27/2017

Jermaine Dixon of the Xavier Muskateers

A. Andy Murray . It was all right there for Murray to win the Australian Open for the first time in his career after nemesis Novak Djokovic lost in the second round. The world No. 1 is a five-time runner-up in Melbourne, having fallen at the final hurdle four times to Djokovic and once to Federer. But Murray could not capitalize on the Serb's exit as he suffered a third-round upset of his own at the hands of Mischa Zverev in four sets. GT Bets has Rafael Nadal as a -120 favorite over Roger Federer in Sunday's final.

B. Boston Bruins . While Boston's football team stormed into the Super Bowl, the Bruins were busy stumbling to four consecutive losses. But once they found themselves just two points away from being out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, they reeled off consecutive 4-3 wins earlier this week over Detroit and Pittsburgh.


C. Cleveland Cavaliers . It is shaping up to be another typical regular season in Cleveland. They Cavaliers are still comfortably atop the lowly Eastern Conference at 30-14, but they are 2-6 in their last eight and in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Perhaps that's what you get for thinking Kyle Korver is some kind of savior. Cleveland is a -15 home favorite over Brooklyn on Friday, per BetOnline Sportsbook.

D. Dallas Mavericks . The Lakers stink, so beating them is nothing to write home about. Still, handing a storied franchise its worst loss in history is not too shabby. Dallas did that with a 122-73 blowout last Sunday.

E. Embiid, Joel . Embiid is driving the bandwagon, and perhaps it's time for others around the NBA to starting trusting the process. The 76ers are still a modest 17-27, but they are 10-3 in their last 13 games. Ten wins; that's a number you would expect them to compile in an entire season! Philadelphia is 6-0 in its last six in which Embiid has played, and the team has not lost at home since Dec. 20. Embiid is averaging 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.

F. Floyd Mayweather . Mayweather clearly doesn't need to step into the ring in order to rake in the cash. Among his successful bets this month are $20,000 on Clemson, $30,000 on the Falcons' first-half spread against Green Bay, $100,000 on Cincinnati against Tulane, $50,000 on the Warriors against the Rockets, and $100,000 on Gonzaga's first-half spread against Santa Clara. Of course, who knows how many bets he's lost. No way he is gonna post the losing slips on Instagram.

G. Georgia Tech . With Duke messing around and North Carolina also looking less than dominant, the race for the ACC regular-season title could go down to the wire. But the race for conference Coach of the Year may be done and dusted. First-year head coach Josh Pastner has the Yellow Jackets at 4-4 in the ACC. In other words, they already have four more wins than some thought they would get the entire season. Tech humiliated Florida State (6-2 in the ACC) 78-62 on Wednesday.


H. Harbaugh, Jim . The Michigan head coach was on the recruiting trail this week and ran into a former mail truck driver-figuratively-who had run into him-literally-when he was six years old. Harbaugh obviously survived. Whether he survived to bring in a bunch of good 2017 recruits remains to be seen. Michigan is +1100 at MyBookie.ag to win the national title.


I. Iginla, Jarome . Messing around on a terrible team at 39 years old? Ain't nobody got time for that! The Avalanche are 13-31-2 at the all-star break, giving them 28 points-by far the worst in the entire NHL. Iginla (six goals, six assists) is on the trade block in advance of a March 1 deadline.

J. Johnny Manziel . Manziel recently tweeted some advice to Donald Trump and then deleted his account. And that wasn't the most unexpected thing he has done this week. The former Heisman Trophy winner announced that he is sober and ready to make an NFL comeback. Exactly what team do you think you can play quarterback for if you can't make it with the Browns?

K. Kurt Suzuki . Apparently the Braves' mantra as they head into a new stadium is that there's no such thing as too many catchers. Already well-stocked at the position, they signed the 33-year-old Suzuki to a one-year, $1.5 million deal last Saturday. Suzuki batted .258 with eight home runs and 49 RBIs in 345 at-bats for Minnesota last season.

L. Le'Veon Bell . That could not have been what Bell had in mind for last weekend's AFC Championship. Not only did Pittsburgh get blown out by New England 36-17, but Bell also left in the first quarter with a groin injury. He rushed only six times for 20 yards before exiting.

M. Matt Ryan . Atlanta has won six games in a row dating back to Week 13 of the regular season. During the streak, Ryan has thrown 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions. In a 44-21 NFC Championship rout of the Packers, he went 27-of-38 for 392 yards and four scores. But don't forget about the Falcons' defense. The unit shut out Aaron Rodgers and company in the first half. Say what? Julio Jones is a +750 favorite to score the first touchdown in the Super Bowl, according to Bovada Sportsbook.


N. New England Patriots . The Falcons are hot right now. The Patriots have been hot all season long. They are 16-2, with one loss when Tom Brady was suspended and the other to Seattle. Brady and company have won nine games in a row, including each of the last five by at least 13 points.

O. Obama, Barack . Obama's last sports-related activity as President of the United States was receiving a lifetime pass to Wrigley Field when the Cubs visited the White House earlier this month. That's all well and good, aside from the fact that giving Obama a lifetime pass to Wrigley field is like giving Michael Jordan a lifetime pass to Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Cubs are +370 favorites at BookMaker to win the World Series.

P. Paul, Chris . The Clippers' point guard underwent thumb surgery last Wednesday and will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks. Paul is averaging 17.5 points, 9.7 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game this season, so it should come as no real surprise to see that L.A. is 1-3 since he has been sidelined.

Q. Quits .That's what Brent Musburger is calling it from his ESPN play-by-play duties, effective after a game between Kentucky and Georgia next Tuesday. Musburger is heading to Las Vegas to start a sports-handicapping business with his family. Upgrade!

R. Russell Westbrook . Westbrook is averaging a triple-double. That's right; averaging a triple-double. And he is not starting the All-Star Game. That's right; not starting the All-Star Game. Either that's really dumb, or Stephen Curry and James Harden are really amazing. Or both. 5Dimes Sportsbook has Houston as a -8 favorite at Philadelphia on Friday.

S. Super Bowl LI . It will be Atlanta vs. New England at NRG Stadium in Houston, Tex. on Feb. 5. Who ya got? BetOnline Sportsbook has the Patriots as -3 favorites.

T. Tournament committee . Channeling its inner College Football Playoff committee, the NCAA Tournament committee has announced that it will reveal the Top 16 overall seeds-four in each region-as they stand on Feb. 11. CBS will televise it-and people will probably watch, too, since there's pretty much no sporting event worth watching in all of February other than the Super Bowl.

U. Usain Bolt . Nesta Carter, you bonehead! Carter was found to have doped at the Rio Olympics, and Jamaica's 4x100 relay team-which included Bolt-was stripped of its gold medal earlier this week. So much for Bolt's three golds in three straight Olympics.

V. Venus Williams .Turn back the clock, folks. And then turn it back some more. Venus is into her first Australian Open final since 2003. It marks her first Grand Slam final appearance since 2009 at Wimbledon. Standing in Venus' way her first slam title since 2008 (Wimbledon) is none other than younger sister Serena. Get your popcorn ready! Serena is a -500 favorite at Bovada Sportsbook .

W. Wenger, Arsene . Arsenal's manager has been charged by the English Football Association with misconduct. Wenger verbally abused a referee and made contact with him during last weekend's Premiere League match against Burnley. A possible suspension has not yet been announced.

X. Xavier . The Musketeers paid a visit to Cincinnati on Thursday, and the only statistic that matters is zero bench-clearing brawls. Unfortunately for Xavier, the rest of the box score was not as favorable in an 86-78 loss.

Y. Yordano Ventura . The Kansas City right-hander, who was instrumental in the team's run to the 2015 World Series crown, died last Sunday in a car wreck in the Dominican Republic. He was 25 years old. R.I.P.

Z. 'Zona . UCLA was 19-1 heading into last Saturday's date with Arizona. It left the gym 19-2. The Wildcats rolled 96-85 and have now won 13 games in a row following Thursday's defeat of Washington State.

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