The Pulse – NBA Draft Madness, Yankees are Magical and Stanley Cup Game 5

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NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Paolo Banchero react after Banchero was drafted with the 1st overall pick by the Orlando Magic during the 2022 NBA Draft. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP.

The NBA Draft was last evening and while most went according to predictions, there was wagering madness! The Yankees and Padres had stunning outcomes Thursday and we discuss that info.

Plus, the Stanley Cup, football this weekend, and college baseball, along with top trends and free betting picks. And, you won’t believe what an NFL owner did.


About Last Night…


NBA Draft

We know that few follow the betting odds for the 2022 NBA Draft. Yet for those like us that do, it was wild.

Duke’s Paolo Banchero went from +300 to a surefire -600 at some top-rated sportsbooks Thursday morning and later was pulled off the board when reports emerged Orlando was taking Jabari Smith Jr. The rumor was shown to be just that, a rumor, and Banchero went No. 1 with close to original odds.

Otherwise, Smith and Chet Holmgren were taken as the first three, and Jaden Ivey was the first guard chosen. Almost universally, Detroit taking Ivey and Jalen Duren made them the top choice for draft night. The New York Knicks have a plan, it’s just everyone is trying to determine what it is, now having two 1st round picks for next year.

MLB

  • Can’t Stop the Yankees

If you have not made a future bet on the Yankees to win the American League and the World Series, it seems now is the time to do it.

Down 6-3 to Houston, who has the best bullpen in baseball, the Bronx Bombers scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 7-6 and cover the -132 money line.

That is the Yanks 9th walk-off win, which is their most in 78 years, which was accomplished in 70 games.

  • Joe Musgrove’s Season So Far

Nobody has pitched better than Joe Musgrove this season. Last night he was home against a slumping Philadelphia squad with a gaudy 8-0 record (Padres 11-1) and 1.86 ERA, having not allowed more than 2 earned runs in a start.

Thursday, Musgrove was tagged for 2 homers and 6 runs in 6 innings in a 6-2 defeat. Twitter talkers blamed the COVID he just came off of.

While that could be true, you would have thought San Diego would have given an extra day’s rest if there was any doubt. No matter for Friars fans, who tossed their -150 betting tickets in the garbage.

WNBA

Chicago Sky veteran (and good TNT analyst) Candace Parker became the first player with three career triple-doubles last night and the first with two in one season. Parker led her club to an 82-59 road win at LA as 4.5-point favorites.


Trendy Talk


MLB

  • NY Yankees are 28-4 line vs. good fielding teams averaging 0.6 or fewer errors a game this season.
  • Cleveland is 20-7 (+16.6 Units) after having won two of their last three games.
  • Oakland is 11-0 Over off three straight losses against division rivals.
  • Philadelphia is 18-5 Over after allowing 2 runs or less.
  • German Marquez and Colorado are 9-1 (+10.4 Units) in June games since last year.

NHL

  • Colorado is 30-5 at home after playing a road game.
  • Tampa Bay is 20-8 Under in the 5th game of a playoff series.

WNBA

  • New York is 17-6 ATS off an upset win over a division rival as an underdog of six points or more.
  • Atlanta is 17-7 Under in home games the last two seasons.

CFL

  • Hamilton is 37-20 ATS in road games after two or more consecutive straight-up losses.
  • Calgary is 18-6 Under off a close road win by three points or less.
  • Toronto is 7-18 ATS in road games off a win by seven points or less over a division rival.

BMR’s Betting Pulse


MLB

We have a great matchup between the LA Dodgers at Atlanta this weekend and we will be all over the entire series with analysis and free picks, including the Sunday nighter on ESPN. Also on Friday, we have Game 1 on interleague action between Toronto at Milwaukee.

NHL

Does Colorado wrap up the Stanley Cup or does Tampa Bay force a Game 6? Learn what you need to know about the Lightning vs. Avalanche here.

UFC

The action in the Octagon heats up so check it out, which includes the Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot battle!

CFL

The Canadian Football season continues and we have previews and CFL Week 3 picks on the three remaining contests!


The Buzz


Stanley Cup: Will It Be an Avalanche of Goals for Colorado?

It was a clutch win by Colorado at Tampa Bay in OT Wednesday, which gave them a 3-1 series lead. The Avalanche now have three shots to wrap up the Stanley Cup, which would be their third and first in 20 years.

Bovada (visit our Bovada Review) has them as -185 ML home faves and we expect them to get the job done in a close contest for 50+ minutes.

USFL Playoffs

Not that this is on everyone’s radar, but the USFL has survived the season to reach the playoffs. The venue changes from Birmingham to Canton, Ohio to play at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

New Jersey is a 4.5-point favorite over Philadelphia in the first game at 03:00 EDT on FOX, with a total of 47 or 47.5.

The other semifinal has the league’s best team, Birmingham, also as a 4.5-point, with a total of 44 or 44.5 over New Orleans on NBC at 08:00 PM. Learn about both matchups with this USFL playoffs picks.


Football Focus


  • Clemson Tigers +1600 (5th overall choice at BetOnline)
  • Tigers Over (-130) / Under (+100) 10.5 Win Total

Football Pulse:

Coming off a 9-3 regular season, all eyes are focused on head coach Dabo Swinney. He lost two long-time assistants on both sides of the ball and stayed in-house replacing them, placing the scrutiny on him.

The offense was 82nd nationally and 103rd in passing and quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is under the gun to perform. The offensive line has been average by college football standards for three/four years. The defense remains stout, especially up front, but the passion was missing last year.

This season we find out if Clemson is in modest decline or if last year was a blip mostly due to injury.


Out the Door


NFL: Your Kidding?

Owner Daniel Snyder is, if you didn’t already know, a despicable person. Snyder is on the U.S. government’s radar and reports have come out that he did this:

(Dan) Snyder had an employee secretly pour milk on the floor in Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner’s FedEx Field suite so that it would smell sour when [Lerner] came to games because Snyder was allegedly upset over a deal between the two.

Seriously?

College Baseball: World Series Finals Set

It is a best two of three between Oklahoma and Ole Miss starting Saturday at 07:00 EDT on ESPN. Game 1 is a Pick, with the total Under 10.5.


Who is Right?


NHL

For Game 5 of the Stanley Cup, the action is all one-sided. More than 80% of the money and bets are on Colorado to wrap the series up and the numbers are similar, though slightly less in both categories on the Over.

MLB

Almost 70% of the betting tickets have Reds/Giants going Over the 7.5. However, the opening total of 8.5 has slid because sharp money of about 85% is on the Under.

Let’s get some winners, have an awesome weekend, and see you back here Monday.