The Clippers make history by upsetting the Warriors for the second time this series. The Spurs hope to stay alive as they try to slow down Nikola Jokic tonight. Phillies get a win against the Mets and start a four-game series against the Marlins. Here’s a sports betting recap from Wednesday and a lookahead to Thursday.
Clippers Shock Warriors, Again
The Los Angeles Clippers (+15) upset the Golden State Warriors on the road for the second time this series, beating the Warriors 129-121.
The win came despite Kevin Durant putting a career post-season high 45-points. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry contributed 22 and 24 points respectively but no other Warrior managed to score more than 7 points.
The Clippers, on the other hand, had five players score 15+ points, including a 33-point performance off the bench from Lou Williams.
The 15-point upset was the second-largest playoff upset in the last 20 years. That’s actually the second time we’ve said that this series, as the Clippers’ two wins — the first as a 13.5-point underdog — make two of the three biggest playoff upsets over the last 20 seasons.
The Clippers are the only team to win two games as double-digit underdogs in a postseason series.
The Warriors travel to Los Angeles on Friday with the line opening Golden State -9.
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Can San Antonio Stay Alive?
The No. 2 seed Denver Nuggets make the trip to San Antonio in Thursday’s lone basketball game. Citing inexperience and inferior coaching, many pundits counted the Nuggets out after dropping two of their first three games of the series.
No one is doubting them now.
Since then, Denver has won by 14 and 18 points, with one win on the road. Centered around All-Star Nikola Jokic, Denver’s offense has simply been too much for even Gregg Popovich to figure out.
Early money likes San Antonio to turn it around tonight with close to 65% of bettors backing the Spurs -3 (Over/Under 208.5) Thursday morning.
The Nuggets defense has slowed down the star of Game 3, Derrick White. After scoring a career high 36 points, White is averaging only 10 points in games 4 and 5.
A win would get the Nuggets their first playoff series victory since 2009. I think they’ll do just that. Breakfast Pick: Denver Nuggets +3
Prop Shop: Over/Under Nikola Jokic 20.5 Points
The San Antonio Spurs defense specifically hasn’t had an answer for Nikola Jokic. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that Jokic is MVP of the first round of the playoffs.
After a poor performance in Game 1, Jokic scored 21+ points in three of the next four games, including a 29-point performance in Game 4. The Spurs are led by one of the greatest coaches of all time, but I still don’t think they’ll come up with a game plan sufficient to slow down the 24-year-old Serbian. Breakfast Pick: Over Jokic 20.5 Points
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Stat of the Day: NHL Division Winners Eliminated
One overtime wasn’t enough in Game 7 of the first round series between Capitals and Hurricanes. The Hurricanes came out on top after trailing by two goals twice in the game. At one point, the Caps were -650 favorites and the Hurricanes were +2.5 on the puck line in the first period. Not one regular season division winner advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs — the first time such a thing has happened in the divisional era, which began with the 1967 NHL season.
Temperature Meter: Harper Stays Cold, but Phillies Bounce Back
The Philadelphia Phillies lost five of their last six heading into Wednesday’s game against the New York Mets. During that span, the Phillies were outscored 33-15. Frustration had grown in the locker room after Brycer Harper stirred controversy being thrown out during a loss earlier this week.
Harper had an RBI-double Wednesday, but continued to struggle beyond his one hit. The 300 million dollar man has seven strikeouts and only one hit in his last 10 at-bats.
It was a duel effort from both the pitching staff and the lineup as Philadelphia shut out the Mets for a 6-0 win Wednesday. The Phillies’ offense was led by first baseman Rhys Hoskins. who had had triple and a two-run homer.
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The Phillies begin a four-game series with the Florida Marlins Thursday night, as Harper has a chance to improve his 8-for-39 hitting at home this season.
Harper and Co. face Marlins’ left-hander Caleb Smith who has had a stellar start to 2019. Smith got the best of the Phillies less than two weeks ago, pitching six scoreless innings and allowing only one hit in a 10-3 win.
Philadelphia will throw right-hander Aaron Nola. Nola is 2-0 with a 6.84 ERA after allowing 16 runs in his first three starts.
In a small sample size, the Phillies have struggled against lefties so far this season, batting .231. In addition, Marlins hitters Brian Anders and Martin Prado have had success when Nola takes the mound. The duo is a combined 12-for-32 against the right-hander.
It’s never easy taking big underdogs in baseball, but often, that’s where the value is. Expect more money to come in on Philadelphia as the day progresses, so feel free to wait this one out in hopes of getting a better number later this afternoon. Breakfast Pick: Marlins Moneyline +180 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Quick links
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