Weekly Sports Betting and Handicapping News Articles

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 4/19/2017

A. Alzner, Karl. Alzner had been the Cal Ripken of the Washington Nationals. But his streak of consecutive games played ended at 599 when he missed Washington's Game 3 overtime loss at Toronto on Tuesday. The veteran defenseman is questionable for Wednesday with an upper-body injury. 5Dimes Sportsbook has the Capitals as -145 favorites.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 4/18/2017

The opening round of both the NBA and NHL playoffs is well underway, and there have already been some surprising developments that could have a big impact on the entire postseason picture for both of these sports. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will have him weigh in with his take on some of these early results.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: NBA Playoffs in Full Swing
by Ricky Dimon - 4/18/2017

The top three Stanley Cup favorites are all in serious trouble just a few games into the NHL playoffs. It is a much different story on the NBA hardwood, with the Warriors, Cavaliers, Spurs, and Rockets a combined 6-0 so far in their first-round games. Indiana has given its best shot through two outings against LeBron James and company, but can anyone derail another GSW-CLE final?

Case of the Mondays: Celtics Off to Slow Start in First Round Against Bulls
by Ricky Dimon - 4/17/2017

It has been a tough week in the life of Boston Celtics' guard Isaiah Thomas. Early Saturday morning, his 22-year-old sister was killed in a car crash in their home state of Washington. One day later, Thomas played in Game 1 of Boston's first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls and the Celtics suffered an upset loss at home. One other road team-the Utah Jazz-won a playoff opener this past weekend, but it may have come at a price.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 4/13/2017

A. Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks never do anything much in the playoffs and probably won't this time around, but they at least made a ton of noise to end the regular season. Atlanta won both games of a home-and-home set with Cleveland last week-each in shocking fashion. The underdogs prevailed 114-100 on the road without Paul Millsap, Dwight Howard, Dennis Schroder, and Kent Bazemore. Two days later they erased a 26-point deficit in the fourth quarter before stunning LeBron James and company 126-125 in overtime. And with that the Celtics bagged the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and added the Hawks to their Christmas card list.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: The Quest for Lord Stanley's Cup Begins
by Ricky Dimon - 4/12/2017

The NHL playoffs begin on Wednesday and the usual suspects appear to be prime contenders to lift the Stanley Cup-most notably the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Springtime also means horse racing and clay-court tennis, both of which are about to heat up.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 4/11/2017

When it comes to betting on the sport of hockey, there is nothing more exciting than the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs. Opening-round action gets underway later this week. And in our discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will get his top series price pick for both the Eastern and Western Conference matchups.

Case of the Mondays: Cavs Swept in Home-and-Home Series by Hawks
by Ricky Dimon - 4/10/2017

Which Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Atlanta Hawks was harder to believe? That is the question. LeBron James and company first lost at home with most of the Hawks' starters out. Two days later they lost in Atlanta after blowing a 26-point fourth-quarter lead. Fortunately for the Cavs, they are obviously still going to the playoffs. The same cannot be said of the Charlotte Hornets.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: Spieth's Shot at Masters Redemption is Here
by Ricky Dimon - 4/5/2017

March Madness is one of spring's great pastimes, but nothing shouts springtime quite like Augusta National in April. Now that the college basketball festivities have come and gone, it is time for the Masters to take center stage this week. North Carolina earned redemption from its 2016 heartbreak by winning the National Championship on Monday, and now it is Jordan Spieth's turn for something similar to transpire on the golf course.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 4/4/2017

A. Adrian Beltre. The Rangers' 37-year-old slugger has 2,942 career hits, leaving him just 58 shy of the 3,000 mark. It may take a little extra time to get there, however, because Beltre (calf) is starting a season on the disabled list for the first time since 2001. "I'm not saying it's wrong (for me to be on the DL); it's just difficult to accept," he explained. "I think I could play with it; I could manage it. I'm disappointed, but it's better to miss a week than six or seven." Texas (Perez)is a +139 home underdog against Cleveland (Carrasco) on Tuesday, per BetOnline Sportsbook.

Case of the Mondays: No. 1 Seeds-But Not the UConn Women-Will Reign
by Ricky Dimon - 4/3/2017

A No. 1 seed cut down the nets after the women's NCAA Tournament concluded on Sunday, but it was not Connecticut. The Huskies saw their 111-game winning streak come to a sudden end in the semifinals, with an overtime loss at the hands of Mississippi State. On the men's side, meanwhile, the two top-seeded Final Four participants scraped into Monday night's National Championship. But South Carolina and Oregon were not far away from pulling off respective upsets of Gonzaga and North Carolina.

Thank God It's Friday: Blue Bloods UK and KU Crash Out in Elite Eight
by Ricky Dimon - 3/31/2017

One of college basketball's elite program was guaranteed to exit the NCAA Tournament last week, as North Carolina and Kentucky had to face each other in the South Region final. Kansas made it two, as the Jayhawks preceded UK's heartbreaking loss to the Tar Heels by falling to underdog Oregon in the East Region championship game. With traditional powers and top teams such as Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Villanova, Arizona, and UCLA on the sidelines, the Final Four features North Carolina vs. Oregon and Gonzaga vs. South Carolina.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 3/29/2017

A. Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks won a game on Tuesday; like…an actual game of basketball. They had lost seven in a row before getting the best of Phoenix 95-91. Of course, the Suns were without Devin Booker-who scored 70 points against Boston last Friday. So unless this math is wrong, Atlanta would have lost by 66 points if Booker (ankle) had played. The Hawks are -1 favorites at Philadelphia on Monday, per MyBookie.ag.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 3/28/2017

The college basketball season draws to a close with this Saturday's Final Four Round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament followed by next Monday's National Championship Game, and in this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will find out just how much he is touting a Gonzaga vs. Oregon showdown title game. We will also be checking in on some of his early contenders for next month's Kentucky Derby.

Sports Betting Futures Odds: And Then There Were Four
by Ricky Dimon - 3/28/2017

The field of 64-or really 68 since we're still living in the era of those disastrous play-in games-has dwindled down to four, with the National Championship all coming down to North Carolina, Gonzaga, Oregon, and South Carolina. And what a time of the year it is, with the NBA heating up down the stretch of the regular season, baseball soon to begin, and the biggest and best tournament in all of golf on the horizon.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 3/21/2017

This season's men's basketball NCAA Tournament moves to the Sweet 16 Round this week, and by the time Sunday night rolls around we will know which four teams will move on to the Final Four after winning their respective region. Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza has been on top of the action in college basketball all season long, and in this week's discussion we will tap into his insider's view of some of the top trending topics surrounding the 2017 Big Dance.

Case of the Mondays: ACC Teams Tumble Out of Big Dance
by Ricky Dimon - 3/20/2017

The ACC started the NCAA Tournament represented by North Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Florida State, Virginia, Notre Dame, Miami (FL), Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. Only North Carolina remains-and almost all nine were ousted prior to the Sweet 16, as the Tar Heels trailed Arkansas 65-60 late in their Sunday night showdown before ending the game on a 12-0 run. Also gone from the festivities is defending national champion Villanova.

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 3/16/2017

A. Aldridge, LaMarcus. The Spurs' all-star forward missed two games with a minor heart arrhythmia, but he was cleared to play on Wednesday. Aldridge contributed 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, but San Antonio fell at home to Portland 110-106.

Case of the Mondays: South Region Loaded, Syracuse Left Out of Big Dance
by Ricky Dimon - 3/13/2017

Every year-past, present, and future-without fail, at least a few teams have their NCAA Tournament bubble burst. Syracuse was one such team this season as it got left out of the Big Dance on Selection Sunday. A better problem to have, of course, is a tough draw. Just about every participant in the South Region can claim to have such a draw as top-seeded North Carolina is joined by the likes of Kentucky, UCLA, Cincinnati, and Wichita State.

Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza
by Doc's Sports - 3/7/2017

It's Championship Week in college basketball leading up to the start of the 2017 NCAA Tournament next Tuesday. Raphael Esparza is not only one of Doc's Sports top expert handicappers, but he is also a huge college hoops fan, so in this week's discussion we will get him to weigh in on some of the biggest trending topics surrounding this week's betting action.