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


by Doc's Sports - 4/10/2018

DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors

The NHL playoffs get underway tomorrow followed closely by the start of the first round of the NBA playoffs on Saturday. Doc's Sports has you covered with selection package options for both sports with our in-house expert handicappers as well as with expert handicapper Raphael Esparza . As an added bonus, we will get his take on a few of the hottest trending topics concerning the NHL and NBA postseason.

Raphael has made his presence known in Las Vegas during a long and successful career in the sportsbook industry. At the peak of his career, he held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement in 2013. He also made his mark as one of the top sports handicappers in the nation, and he continues to split his time between Las Vegas and 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: Starting in the Eastern Conference for the upcoming NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, which one of the higher seeds in the four opening-round matchups is primed for an early exit with an unexpected loss in their best-of-seven series?

RE: Toronto has a chance to get past Boston, but I still have the Bruins in seven games. Going against Washington in the playoffs is a popular bet, but the Capitals usually get past the opening round. There is some value in Philadelphia's series price against Pittsburgh in a closer matchup than the current betting odds suggest.

Doc's Sports: We have been talking about the NHL's expansion Vegas Golden Knights all season long. They appear to have a very favorable series price in their opening-round matchup against the Los Angeles Kings. Could this be a trap for bettors given the team's lack of experience in the postseason despite its run to the Pacific Division title in the regular season?

RE: Not to take anything away from what Vegas did accomplish in the regular season, but playoff hockey in the NHL is a whole other ball game. You need to beat the same team four times. This will be especially hard to do against a division rival that has the top defense in the league and a battle-tested goalie between the pipes. This is another good spot to bet against the favorite in the opening round.

Doc's Sports: The Philadelphia 76ers are heading into the playoffs with quite a bit of momentum from their current 14-game winning streak. If they have a healthy Joel Embiid back in the lineup for their postseason run, is this team a legitimate threat to actually win the Eastern Conference?

RE: They would need Embiid to be 100 percent to have any kind of chance to make that deep of a run. Even if he is ready to go by the second round, I still do not see the youth of the Sixers holding up in a best-of-seven matchup against the experience of teams such as Cleveland and Toronto.

Doc's Sports : ESPN 2 offers two title defenses as part of this Sunday's boxing card from Japan. Do you have any thoughts on the best way to bet either of these fights?

RE: Ryota Murata is a prohibitive favorite against Emanuele Blandamura in defense of his WBA middleweight title, so I might look at odds for a TKO. The other fight pits Daigo Higa as the WBC flyweight champion against Cristopher Rosales. Higa should win this fight as the favorite, but the best bet in this one could be the "over" in total rounds depending on the actual betting odds.

Doc's Sports: While the start of the playoffs in the NHL and NBA are at the top of the list, is there anything else that has made its way on your betting radar this week?

RE : Along with some good early MLB weekend series, I am turning my attention to the Arkansas Derby and the Lexington Stakes as the final two prep races on this year's Kentucky Derby Trail. Pending the outcome of each event, the early odds for the Derby's projected field will finally take shape.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza's Insider's Page at Doc's Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza's member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza .

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