It was a positive start to our NJ Betting Bets Of The Week series as we produced a 2-0 record last week, and we still have Novak Djokovic bet pending on him to win his quarter at Wimbledon.
This week we’ll start off with a long-term bet as PointsBet NJ has posted a slew of NBA futures now that the dust has settled from the free agency moves.
NBA Futures
New York Knicks Regular Season Win Total
Odds: 28.5 Wins at PointsBet
Date: 2019-20
After a wild free agency period, PointsBet sportsbook has already posted NBA regular season win totals for every team for next season. The New York Knicks – one of the most heavily criticized teams during the free agency period – is faced with a win total of 28.5 games but that number seems very low.
At this point, it’s widely known that the Knicks missed on all of the major free agents and embarrassed themselves by not offering Kevin Durant a max contract or taking a meeting with Kawhi Leonard.
At the same time, the Knicks did add enough veterans to the roster and whether you agree with the moves or not, this team should be much improved. Nobody is saying this team will win the NBA Championship but pushing for a playoff spot is not out of the question.
The Knicks will have Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton at the point, R.J. Barrett and Allonzo Trier at shooting guard, Kevin Knox and Reggie Bullock at small forward, Julius Randle and Taj Gibson at power forward and Mitchell Robinson and Bobby Portis at center.
Guys like Smith Jr., Knox, Robinson, and Barrett will get a chance to shine and flash their potential, but if they’re not ready, there are capable veterans who can make this team tick. Payton averaged 10.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.2 rebounds last season, Randle can score, Portis has talent and Trier could take the next step.
Yes, the defense is a concern but remember that the Eastern Conference is weak at the bottom. This team is better than Cleveland and is probably in the mix with Charlotte, Washington, Chicago and Atlanta (depending on how big of a jump they take).
I expect them to be around the 30-win mark with potential to go much higher if Barrett is the real deal. Bet the over.
Pick: Over 28.5
Wimbledon
Quarter 2 Winner
Odds: Raonic -125 at PointsBet Sportsbook
Date: All Week
Canadian Milos Raonic is a former Wimbledon finalist, and he’s looking like he could make another deep run. Although he’s struggled for much of the year (10-6 in his last 16 matches entering Wimbledon), he’s looked great in London so far. He’s won all three of his matches in straight sets, losing an average of just 12 games per match.
Raonic will have trouble with the Big Three but to win his quarter, he’s not going to have to worry about any of them. First up will be No. 26 Guido Pella, who has been shaky in this tournament. He did just knock out No. 4 Kevin Anderson but Anderson isn’t healthy right now. Prior to that, Pella needed four sets in his opening round win and five in his second-round match.
If Raonic beats him, he’ll either face Roberto Bautista-Agut, who he is 5-0 against, or Benoit Paire, who is a clay-court specialist that’s never been past the fourth round at Wimbledon. Raonic is a good bet here.
Pick: Raonic
MLB
Houston Astros @ Texas Rangers
Odds: Check back later.
Date: Friday, 8:05 PM ET
Friday will be our first full day of regular season baseball after the break, and I’ll be looking at the over in the Astros-Rangers game.
The Astros will put Gerrit Cole on the bump and while he’s a stellar pitcher, Texas has given him problems this season. Cole is 1-2 against them with a 6.61 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Pitching at the Ballpark in Arlington has been a struggle for him as he’s allowed at least three earned runs and lasted no longer than the sixth inning in his last three visits.
He’s allowed 21 hits and eight walks in his last 15.1 innings pitched at Texas.
He’ll go up against Jessie Chavez, who has been far more effective on the road than at home this season. On the road, Chavez is 3-3 with a 2.65 ERA and .227 opponent average. At home, he’s 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA and opponents are batting .271 against him.
I’m expecting to see some fireworks here, so bet the over.
Pick: Over
Other things to watch this week
MLB All-Star Break – Baseball has hit the All-Star break, which means we’ll see the Home Run Derby on Monday night followed by the All-Star Game on Tuesday. This year’s festivities will take place at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
Wimbledon – The prestigious tennis tournament enters the second week of action, which means the men’s and women’s finals will be this weekend. On the men’s side, the Big Three (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer) remain while on the women’s side, 15-year-old American Coco Gauff has been one to watch as her poise has been incredible.
UFC Fight Night: De Randamie vs Ladd – After an epic card on Saturday where Jon Jones looked sluggish, Amanda Nunes smoked Holly Holm, and Jorge Masvidal set a UFC record for the fastest knockout ever, the MMA brand heads to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento for a UFC Fight Night card.
See you same time next week when we start off the week with our Monday Morning Bets!
