The NBA Playoffs are over but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to bet on regarding professional basketball. The NBA Draft is Thursday and I have my sights set on the fifth pick, which is held by the Detroit Pistons.
You didn’t forget about the USFL did you? I didn’t. The playoffs begin on Saturday and there is an upset brewing in the first round by a team that has been beaten by their opponent twice this season.
The men had a major championship last weekend, now it’s the women’s turn. The Women’s PGA Championship is this week and a sister of one of the top golfers on the LPGA Tour could be making some noise herself.
Wimbledon started earlier this week and I didn’t go out on a limb with whom I think will win the women’s singles.
NASCAR is in Nashville for the Ally 400 and I like one of the most surprising drivers of the year so far to get into the Top 3.
5 Bets
- Bennedict Mathurin +1000 Fifth Pick in NBA Draft
- New Orleans Breakers +160 to defeat Birmingham Stallions
- Jessica Korda +250 Top 10 at Women’s PGA Championship
- Iga Swiatek +150 to win Wimbledon
- Ross Chastain +230 Top-3 Finish at Ally 400
Pistons Take Chance on Mathurin
By the time the Detroit Pistons get to pick at No. 5 in Thursday’s NBA Draft, the run on power forwards should be over. That doesn’t mean all the quality players will be gone.
There are several guards that will be available and actually, the Pistons have a choice at that position. The one that seems to be at the top of the list is Jaden Ivey from the Purdue Boilermakers.
I think the Pistons, however, are going to with Arizona Wildcats’ guard Bennedict Mathurin. He fits Detroit’s needs the best and is an offensive and defensive player that should complement Cade Cunningham in the backcourt.
Oddsmakers disagree and have him at +1000 to be picked fifth. All the more reason I like him at this spot.
Breakers Upset Stallions in USFL Playoffs
The New Orleans Breakers and Birmingham Stallions meet in the first round of the USFL Playoffs on Saturday. The Stallions are favored by five points, but I think are susceptible to being upset by the Breakers.
The teams met twice during the regular season. Birmingham won in Week 2, 22-13, and also in Week 8, 10-9. I am focused on the second meeting. New Orleans led until the fourth quarter when a Stallions field goal clinched the victory.
But all USFL games were in Birmingham, AL. That gave the Stallions home-field advantage. The playoffs, however, will be in Canton, Ohio, and on neutral ground so I think New Orleans has the advantage.
I’ll take the Breakers on the moneyline at +160. It is always hard to beat a team three times in a season. I don’t think it happens on Saturday.
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Other Korda Has Good Week at Women’s PGA
While all the attention has been on defending Women’s PGA Championship champion Nelly Korda, her sister might actually challenge her this week.
Jessica Korda is +250 to finish in the Top 10 of the LPGA major championship. Korda definitely has the game to accomplish that. She has 47 career Top-10 finishes.
In her most recent event, the Meijer LPGA Classic, she finished tied for fifth, and two tournaments before that she was second at The Chevron Championship.
Korda is 14th in driving distance and 22nd in greens in regulation. She is also 13th in putts per GIR and 52nd in putting average. Where she has to improve this week is fairway accuracy, where she’s 131st. If she can keep the ball in the short grass, she should be near the top of the leaderboard.
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Swiatek Wins Wimbledon Women’s Singles
Wimbledon began this week and the women’s draw has Iga Swiatek heavily favored at +150. There is a good reason for that. The Polish superstar has already won the French Open.
Swiatek was knocked out in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, but she is a much more polished player. She is currently on a 35-match winning streak that stretches back to Feb. 16.
During that time, she won at Indian Wells, Miami Open, Italian Open, and the French Open.
There is a lot of chatter about grass not being her best surface, but she is a former Wimbledon junior champion. I don’t expect her to struggle here.
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Chastain Makes Sweet Music in Nashville
Ross Chastain has been the surprise of NASCAR this season. The 29-year-old has won twice already this season.
He had stumbled a bit in late May, finishing 22nd and 15th. His last two results are far more promising. He was eighth at the Enjoy Illinois 300 and seventh two weeks ago at the Toyota/Save Mart 350.
The Ally 400 returns to Nashville Superspeedway this Sunday and Chastain has already won once on that type of track. I’m hedging a bit and taking him to finish in the Top 3 at +230. While I have faith that he could win, I feel much better he’ll be one of the top three cars on Sunday.
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