Sports Betting Futures Odds: NBA Stretch Run Begins Following All-Star Break

by Ricky Dimon - 2/21/2018

The Three-Point Contest caught fire, the Dunk Contest flopped, and the All-Star Game finally delivered at least some measure of competitiveness during last weekend's festivities in Los Angeles. Now the home stretch to the playoffs begins, with Houston and Golden State duking it out in the Western Conference while a new-look Cleveland squad is chasing Toronto and Boston in the East.

Odds provided by BetOnline Sportsbook unless otherwise indicated .

NBA

Cavaliers vs. Warriors in the NBA Finals (+175) - As the odds suggest, Cleveland vs. Golden State is not a forgone conclusion like it has been at times in the past. With James Harden and Chris Paul leading the way, the Rockets are currently leading the West. The Cavs may have to face Boston in the East semis. Any other matchup is -220.

James Harden to win MVP (-260) - Harden has Houston owning the best record in basketball (44-13) coming out of the all-star break, albeit just a half-game ahead of the Warriors and not far clear of Toronto and Boston. He is averaging 31.3 points, 9.0 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game. LeBron is a +275 second choice.

Ben Simmons to win Rookie of the Year (-275) - With help from Joel Embiid and others, Simmons currently has Philadelphia in playoff position. The No. 1 overall pick in 2016, who missed all of last season due to injury, is averaging 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. Utah's Donovan Mitchell is a +230 second choice.

Los Angeles Clippers to make the playoffs (+110) - The Clippers went into obvious rebuilding mode when they shipped off Blake Griffin to Detroit prior to the trade deadline. Nonetheless, they have won two in a row, five of their last six, and eight of their last 10. L.A.'s 30-26 record has it a half-game out of a playoff spot.

Kirk Cousins' next team

New York Jets (-140) - The Browns are an option, but they may be willing to pick a young quarterback in the upcoming draft given that they own two of the first four selections. New York is more likely to sign Cousins because with the No. 6 pick in the draft, whichever rookie QB it covets could be off the board.

Denver Broncos (+160) - General manager John Elway was a quarterback, and now he needs a quarterback in the worst way for his team. Like the Jets, the Broncos will likely see multiple QBs fly off the draft board before they select (No. 5 overall). Linebacker Von Miller has said publicly that he hopes Denver signs Cousins.

Arizona Cardinals (+1000) - Carson Palmer, who suffered a broken arm in Week 7 of this past season, officially retired in January. That leaves Blaine Gabbert, Drew Stanton, and Matt Barkley as the only quarterbacks on Arizona's current roster. Neither Gabbert nor Stanton impressed in 2017, so Cousins has to be tempting.

Buffalo Bills (+1400) - Nathan Peterman threw interceptions left and right when he was on the field in 2017, while Tyrod Taylor-who is reportedly on the trading block-also does not look like a long-term solution in Buffalo. The Bills somehow made the playoffs, so it's unlikely they find a franchise QB at No. 21 in the draft.

NCAA Player of the Year ( Bovada Sportsbook )

Trae Young, Oklahoma (+110) - Young appeared to have this in the bag, just as Oklahoma seemed to have an NCAA Tournament berth locked up. But a six-game losing streak-during which Young has been a turnover machine-has changed everything.

Jalen Brunson, Villanova (+150) - Brunson has the 2016 National Champions at 24-3 overall and ranked third behind Virginia and Michigan State. The junior guard is averaging 19.5 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game, and he has reached double-figures in all 27 contests.

Deandre Ayton, Arizona (+500) - Ayton is in the discussion for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and why not? Being a 7-footer (7'1'' to be exact) helps, and being an athletic 7-footer is even better. He is averaging 19.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

Marvin Bagley, Duke (+900) - Duke is not exactly setting the world on fire this season, but Bagley has been a force from start to finish. The freshman is averaging 21.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. Xavier's Trevon Bluiett is also a +900 fourth choice.

Honda Classic

Rickie Fowler (+800) - Fowler is the defending champion of this week's Honda Classic. He also finished T6 in 2016, so it's obvious he knows what he is doing at this course located just outside of Miami, Fla. The seventh-ranked American is in decent form at the moment, with a T4 at Kapalua in January and a T11 earlier this month in Phoenix.

Rory McIlroy (+1000) - McIlory is playing on the PGA Tour in back-to-back-to-back weeks, a rarity by his standards. The 28-year-old Northern Irishman missed the third-round cut at Pebble Beach before turning in a T20 performance at Riviera. McIlroy triumphed at the Honda in 2012 and finished in a three-way tie for second in 2014.

Justin Thomas (+1000) - Thomas was on fire in the early stages of 2017. This time around he has simply been solid, with no finish worse than 22^nd in four starts this season. The fourth-ranked American, who is coming off a T9 showing at Riviera last week, placed T3 at the Honda Classic in 2016 before missing the cut last year.

Sergio Garcia (+1600) - Garcia's preparation for his title defense at the Masters begins now, as this marks his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 2018. The 11 ^th-ranked Spaniard finished runner-up at this tournament in 2016 (one shot back) and was T14 last year. Tiger Woods is +4000 to win the Honda Classic for the first time in his career.

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Sports Betting Futures Odds: NBA Stretch Run Begins Following All-Star Break

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