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Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza


by Doc's Sports - 2/20/2018

James Harden Houston Rockets

As the month of February continues to wind down, basketball betting action in both in the NBA and the college ranks continues to heat up for bettors at Doc's Sports. The final weekend of competition in the 2018 Winter Olympics highlights this weekend's betting slate, and the trail to the 2018 Kentucky Derby is on the radar coming off a key prep race last Saturday. To try and bring everything into sharper focus, we will check in with expert handicapper Raphael Esparza to get his take on some of the biggest trending sports betting topics this week.

Once heralded as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, Raphael worked his way through the ranks to hold the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria. During this run, he also worked his way to the top of the list as one of the best sports handicappers in the nation. He no longer works in the sportsbook industry, but he still works out of his home base in Las Vegas as well as from the Big Easy in New Orleans running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: Coming off the NBA All-Star break, Golden State is still a prohibitive favorite to win a fourth-straight Western Conference title even though the Warriors are neck-and-neck with Houston in the current standings. What kind of betting value do you place on the Rockets given their odds to end this streak by winning the West this season?

RE: I do like the value in Houston as the second-favorite to win the West. On a general note, I think that the gap between the elite teams in each conference and the bottom half of the field competing for a playoff spot has shrunk quite a bit this season. Nobody in the West is going to want to face a team like Utah in the opening round. Milwaukee is a very exciting team that could make life very difficult for a top team in the East in a postseason matchup.

Doc's Sports: Virginia is the top men's basketball team in the nation in the AP's Top 25, while Michigan State tops the list in the USA Today Coach's Poll. This week we are giving you the deciding vote as to which college hoops team is truly the best in the nation, so who are you going with?

RE: I would have to go with Virginia given its defensive style of play. The ability to shut teams down as opposed to trying to outscore them will keep any game the Cavaliers play close enough to win. A certain level of parity among the top teams in the Big Ten will probably work against Michigan State holding that top spot through the conference tournament.

Doc's Sports: The 2018 Winter Olympics come to a close this weekend. Considering all the action left on the board over the next several days, where are you focusing most of your handicapping efforts to come up with a few final winning bets?

RE: I will still be dialed into all the major sports as we work our way through the medal rounds, but with an added eye towards the underdogs. These Olympics have already had its fair share of upsets, and that trend may continue right until the closing ceremony. My top team to watch is the US men's hockey team heading into the quarterfinals.

Doc's Sports : We know from past Kentucky Derby prep seasons that you start getting excited for the main event in May right after the running of the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course in Louisiana. Bravazo stunned the field last Saturday in the 2018 Risen Star as a 21/1 longshot over the favorites Instilled Regard (7/5) and Noble Indy (5/2). Would you add Bravazo to your short list of top three-year old's heading into some of the bigger events on the prep schedule?

RE: Anytime there is a big upset in a graded stakes race like this, I will automatically add the winner to my watch list. This colt may not win again, but he has already shown me that he can compete against stiff competition and finish in the money. That adds quite a bit of value to his stock heading into his next race as one of my money picks.

Doc's Sports: There is quite a bit of action on the board in several different sports right now which makes us think we missed something on your expansive betting radar. What else is on the list this week?

RE : There is a pretty good card of fights in three women's weight classes in this Saturday's UFC Fight Night. Also high on my list is the PGA's Honda Classic as the first tournament on the East Coast this season. This is when things start to get a bit more serious leading up to April's Masters.

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