Case of the Mondays: Sweden Fails to Put Away Germany at World Cup

by Ricky Dimon - 6/25/2018

Sweden had a chance to punch its ticket to the knockout stage of the World Cup when it took the field for a recent showdown against Germany. Instead, the Swedes now need a favorable result against Mexico while the defending champion Germans are still alive. In other sports that have taken a back seat to soccer for the time being, it was a rough week for Dwight Howard, Jameis Winston, Roger Federer, and others.

All odds provided by Bovada Sportsbook .

Sweden . Sweden could have eliminated Germany from the World Cup with Group F win this past Saturday. Although the Swedes were the obvious underdogs, it was all right there for them to take when they seized a 1-0 lead in the 32 ^nd minute and had several chances to reach 2-0 just prior to halftime. Even after their opponents produced an equalizer in the 48 ^th minute, Sweden still found itself in decent shape for at least a draw when the Germans were reduced to 10 men in the 82^nd minute on a Jerome Boateng red card (his second yellow). Nonetheless, Toni Kroos won it for Germany on the final play of the match with an amazing free kick five minutes into stoppage time. The Swedes' 2-1 setback means they must beat Mexico on Wednesday or get some help from South Korea (which goes up against Germany). Germany is +650 to win the World Cup; Brazil and Spain are +450 co-favorites.

Dwight Howard . The Hornets agreed last Wednesday to a trade-which will become official on July 6-that will send Howard to the Nets in exchange for Timofey Mozgov and two future second-round draft picks. Brooklyn plans to buy out Howard's contract, at which point he will become a free agent. The 32-year-old averaged 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds in his only season with Charlotte. "I was just really in total shock because I wasn't expecting it to happen," Howard admitted. "I thought this season was really good. For one, this is the healthiest I've been; and two, my stats this season [were] the best since I've been in the NBA…. I want to be in a situation where I have an opportunity to help a team win. That's my only goal. All I need is a real chance and a clean slate where it's not people talking about my past." The Hornets made another trade on draft night when they selected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 11 overall and then traded him to the Clippers for the rights to Miles Bridges. Bridges is +2800 to win NBA Rookie of the Year; No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton is a +260 favorite.

Clayton Kershaw . Kershaw returned from another stint on the disabled list due to a lower back strain, but he did not last long in this past Saturday's game between the Dodgers and Mets. The left-hander worked three innings and surrendered two runs before leaving with his pitch count at 55. He struck out four batters, issued one walk, and allowed five hits. On the bright side, Kershaw at least felt fine physically and Los Angeles eventually prevailed 8-3. The Dodgers are +130 to win the National League West and +550 to win the National League Pennant.

Chicago Cubs . The Cubs just got swept in a four-game series by Cincinnati for the first time since 1983, and they got outscored 31-13 in the process. Chicago led 5-0 at one point on Sunday before falling 8-6 following another collapse by the bullpen. Fortunately for the Cubs, no one else in the National League Central other than the lowly Reds-who are on a seven-game winning streak but find themselves at 32-45 overall-is playing especially well, and Milwaukee has been unable to take more than two-game lead in the division. The Reds (Mahle) are +132 underdogs at Atlanta (Foltynewicz) on Monday night.

Jameis Winston . ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last Thursday that the NFL is planning to suspend Winston for three games at the start of the 2018 regular season for violating the league's personal conduct policy. And when Adam Schefter reports something, you know it's facts only. A female Uber driver, who has not filed a police report, told BuzzFeed News last fall that the Bucs' quarterback sexually assaulted her during a ride in the early hours of March 13, 2016. A friend of Winston's recently stated that the former Heisman Trophy winner was alone with the woman at one point, contradicting a previous statement made by another friend that Winston was never alone with the woman in the car. Winston is +5000 to win NFL MVP; Aaron Rodgers is a +650 favorite.

Roger Federer . Federer turned in rocky performances left and right last week in Halle as he prepares for Wimbledon. The 36-year-old Swiss still had enough to get through four matches, but he got upset by Borna Coric 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 in Sunday's final. Because he failed to defend his 2017 Halle title, Federer falls back to No. 2 in the world behind Rafael Nadal. The two all-time greats have now alternated at the top spot a whopping six times dating back to last fall. Federer is +150 favorite to win Wimbledon, which begins next Monday; Nadal is a +500 second choice.

Paul Casey . Casey took a four-shot lead with him into Sunday's final round at the Travelers Championship. It wasn't anywhere near enough to hold off Bubba Watson. Casey carded a 2-over 72, a whopping nine strokes worse than Watson. The Englishman birdied the first hole but never again put up a red number, ending his chances by going bogey-bogey on 16 and 17. Casey finished in a four-way tie for second at 14-under, three shots behind Watson. Watson is +5000 to win next month's British Open; Dustin Johnson is a +1100 favorite.

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Case of the Mondays: Sweden Fails to Put Away Germany at World Cup

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