This Week in Sports Betting A-Z 4/4/2018

by Ricky Dimon - 4/4/2018

A. Anthony Davis . The 'brow is not gone. In an April Fools prank that perhaps threw people for a loop because it began on March 31, Davis posted a video in which he appeared to shave his unibrow. On April 1, however, the Pelicans' star center revealed it was all just one big joke. Admit it; you fell for it. Speaking of falling, New Orleans has lost four in a row and is clinging to a Western Conference playoff spot by just a half-game. The Pelicans are -13 home favorites over Memphis on Wednesday, per BetOnline Sportsbook.

B. Brandin Cooks . The Rams are loading up while the Patriots are once again stockpiling draft picks. Los Angeles acquired Cooks on Tuesday in exchange for a first-round selection, which gives New England two first-rounders and two second-rounders in the upcoming NFL Draft. The Patriots are +450 favorites at GT Bets to win the Super Bowl.

C. Cristiano Ronaldo . Ronaldo struck again on Tuesday, scoring a ridiculous goal on a bicycle kick during Real Madrid's 3-0 Champions League quarterfinal victory at Juventus. Even the Juve fans bestowed rapturous applause upon him.

D. Dexter Fowler . After going 0-for-13 in the first three games of the season, the Cardinals' right fielder tweeted "I will get a hit" 13 times prior Monday's contest at Milwaukee. Fowler did just that, connecting for a third-inning single. He ended up slumping to a 1-for-5 effort, but he went 2-for-5 with a home run in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Brewers.

E. English Premier League . With seven matches remaining, Chelsea may have to run the table on its Premier League schedule if it wants to finish in the top four and earn a spot in the 2018-19 Champions League. The Blues fell 3-1 at home to Tottenham last weekend and find themselves in fifth place in the standings, eight points behind the Spurs.

F. Foster, Scott . The Blackhawks put a 36-year-old accountant who plays recreational hockey in goal during last Thursday's game against Winnipeg. And why not? They stink this year. They were also down two goalies due to injuries, and Thursday's starter left in the third period due to cramping. Enter Foster, who played 14 minutes and one second while stopping all seven of the shots he faced to preserve a 6-2 victory. That is without question the highlight of Chicago's season. The Blackhawks are +195 underdogs at St. Louis on Wednesday, according to MyBookie.ag.

G. Gronkowski . Gronkowski is going to the Kentucky Derby. No, not Rob (well, maybe he is because the party scene is always good at Churchill Downs). A horse named Gronkowski clinched a spot in the Run for the Roses by picking up a fourth straight victory last weekend.

H. Hall of Fame . Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Grant Hill, and Jason Kidd headline the NBA Hall of Fame class that was announced last week. Someone find the reactions of Rajon Rondo and Allen's other Boston teammates and make them into GIFs, ASAP.

I. Isner, John . Isner had won just a single match at an ATP tournament this year prior to arriving in Miami. No matter. He rolled all the way to the title (the biggest of his career by far), capping off the run with a semifinal upset of Juan Martin Del Potro and a defeat of world No. 5 Alexander Zverev in the final. That should help Isner finally get over the pain stemming from at least one sport he cares even more about than tennis: Georgia football.

J. Jake Lamb . The Diamondbacks placed their third baseman on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury. Lamb has hit 29 and 30 home runs in the last two seasons and finished with 105 RBIs in 2017.

K. Klay Thompson . Practice?!?! According to Kevin Durant, Thompson slept through practice the day before scoring a career-high 60 points (in just three quarters) in a 2016 win over Indiana. Maybe Allen Iverson had a point….

L. Los Angeles Dodgers . The defending National League champions are off to a 2-4 start to the season. In three of their four losses they have scored one run or less (shut out twice). The Dodgers (Wood) are -130 favorites at Arizona (Corbin) on Wednesday, as indicated by GT Bets.

M. Masters . Masters week is here, and what a week it could be. Tiger? Phil? Rory? Jordan? Dustin? Rickie? The list of contenders goes on and on. Jordan Spieth is a +1000 favorite at BookMaker.

N. National Championship . For the second time in the last three seasons, Villanova is the champion. Dominant throughout the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats won all six of their games by double-digits-including a 79-62 rout of Michigan on Monday. Donte DiVincenzo had 31 points, five rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and one deleted Twitter account against the Wolverines.

O. Off the weed . Nerlens Noel and Thabo Sefolosha clearly haven't listened to Stephen A. Smith's constant pleas for athletes to stay off the weed. Noel and Sefolosha were suspended five games apiece on Tuesday for their third positive marijuana tests.

P. Poulter, Ian . Needing a win to get into the Masters, Poulter beat Beau Hossler-who needed the same-in a playoff at the Shell Houston Open this past Sunday. Poulter drained a 20-foot putt to force extra holes and benefited from Hossler triple-bogey to punch his ticket to Augusta.

Q. Quarterbacks . In his latest mock draft, Mel Kiper has five QBs going in the Top 15-starting with Josh Allen at No. 1 to Cleveland, Sam Darnold at No. 2 to the Giants, and Josh Rosen at No. 3 to the Jets. Darnold is a -300 favorite at BetOnline Sportsbook to go No. 1 overall.

R. Ryan Suter . The Wild are heading to the playoffs, but they will be battling for the Stanley Cup without their best defenseman. Suter fractured his right ankle in last Saturday's 4-1 loss to Dallas and is out for the season. He had 51 points in 78 games this season for Minnesota, which is currently tied for fourth in the Western Conference. The Wild are +1400 at Bovada Sportsbook to win the West.

S. Sloane Stephens . Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, turned in another surprising performance on a big stage this past fortnight. She lifted the Miami trophy last Saturday, getting the best of reigning French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko in the final.

T. Twins . The Sedin twins announced on Monday that this will be their final season in the NHL. They have spent the entirety of their 17-year careers with Vancouver since being drafted second and third overall in the 1999 draft. Henrik has 1,068 points (sixth on the active list) in 1,328 games, including 828 assists. Daniel has 1,039 points (seventh active) in 1,304 games, including 391 goals.

U. UConn . Two years in a row? Seriously? The UConn women were 36-0 in 2017 before losing to Mississippi State in the Final Four on a last-second shot. This time around they were also 36-0 and lost to Notre Dame in the Final Four-also on a last-second shot. The Fighting Irish went on to capture the title, beating Mississippi State on yet another buzzer-beater by the same player (Arike Ogunbowale).

V. Varlamov, Semyon . The Avalanche, who are locked in an intense battle for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference, will be without their starting goalie for the last two regular-season games and for a potential postseason appearance. They announced last Saturday that Varlamov (24-16-6, 2.66 goals-against average, .920 save percentage) is out for the season due to a knee injury.

W. Whiteside, Hassan . When the Heat went small, Whiteside went smaller. Countering the Nets' small lineup late in last Saturday's tussle, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra left Whiteside on the bench for the final 21 minutes of an overtime loss. "A lot of teams don't have a good center," Whiteside ranted afterward. "They are going to use their strengths. It's bullshit; it's really bullshit, man. There are a lot of teams that can use a center." Spoelstra called his big man's decision to make public comments, "poor judgement." 5Dimes Sportsbook has Miami as a -8 favorite at Atlanta on Wednesday.

X. Xavier . Chris Mack left Xavier after nine seasons as head coach last week, taking the same role at Louisville-where he replaces Rick Pitino and interim David Padgett. The Musketeers, meanwhile, responded by hiring assistant Travis Steele.

Y. Yankees . Not one, not two, not three, not four…. No, Giancarlo Stanton struck out a laughable five times on Tuesday. He finished 0-for-5 while the rest of the lineup powered the Yankees to an 11-4 win over Tampa Bay. The strikeout race between Stanton and Aaron Judge (currently 9-7 with Stanton having more) may be more intriguing than the homer race (currently 2-0 in Stanton's favor). New York is a +400 favorite at MyBookie.ag to win the World Series.

Z. Zlatan Ibrahimovic . In his Major League Soccer debut for the L.A. Galaxy, Ibrahimovic scored twice in a 4-3 victory over Los Angeles FC. But he was not about to anoint his MLS debut as something better than Ronaldo's Champions League exploits. "I think it's a big difference, because he scored in the Champions League; I scored in MLS. It's a big difference." Facts only!

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