Sports betting roundup: Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals ready to get started
Associated Press
The Stanley Cup Final and NBA Finals are ready to get underway, with the Edmonton Oilers favored to win the hockey title and the Oklahoma City Thunder favored to win in basketball.
On Wednesday, the Florida Panthers will take on the Oilers in a Stanley Cup rematch from a year ago, which Florida won.
On Thursday, the NBA Finals has the Indiana Pacers against the Thunder in Game 1. Indiana has never won an NBA championship. The Thunder have never won a title, either, but did win when they were the Seattle Supersonics in 1979. Trends of the Week
The Thunder are massive favorites against the Pacers, listed at -700 to win going into the series.
'The Thunder are big favorites to win the NBA championship and a great result for the sportsbook on the futures market,' BetMGM trading manager Christian Cipollini said. 'We are cheering against the Pacers lifting the Larry O'Brien Trophy.'
Going into the regular season, Oklahoma City was +900, while Indiana was +5000.
In the NHL, Edmonton is a slight favorite at -115 to win the series over Florida.
'BetMGM is pulling for the Panthers in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch,' BetMGM senior sports trader Matthew Rasp said. 'The Oilers have been a losing result for us all season, and we hope anyone besides Connor McDavid or Sergei Bobrovsky wins the Conn Smythe trophy.'
As of Monday morning, Edmonton is taking in 51% of the bets and 72% of the money in series bets.
McDavid is currently the favorite to win the Conn Smythe at +100, and has received the most bets and most money of any player in the league throughout the season.
Scottie Scheffler won for the third time on the PGA Tour this season, taking the Memorial by four shots. Going into the tournament, he was a massive favorite at +300. In pre-tournament bets, he took in 18.7% of them and 44% of the money. Upset of the Week
The New York Yankees were +145 against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball and came away with a 7-3 win. It was just their second win as an underdog this season. Going into the game, they were 1-5. Coming Up
After a few months of the MLB season, the Dodgers are still the favorites to win the World Series at +240.
The Yankees are next at +550, followed by the Detroit Tigers at +900. No other team has odds shorter than +1000.
The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are both +1000.
___
This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passes Sixers legend in NBA Finals debut
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander passes Sixers legend in NBA Finals debut Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been on one helluva run in 2024-25. The MVP winner averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds while leading the Thunder to a 68-14 record in the regular season and he has followed that up with averages of 30.4 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in the playoffs as he has led OKC to the finals. In his finals debut, Gilgeous-Alexander has been phenomenal as he has scored 72 points through the first two games of the series against the Indiana Pacers. He had 34 points in a 123-107 Game 2 win on Sunday to even the series at 1-1 and that is a new record for a player in his finals debut. The previous record was held by Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson in his debut back in 2001. Iverson scored 71 points in the first two games as he led the Sixers to a 1-1 start as well, Philadelphia's win came in Game 1 of that series, but Gilgeous-Alexander has one-upped him for the Thunder. The Thunder will look to take a 2-1 lead in the finals when the series shifts to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for Game 3 on Wednesday.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Oilers Must Make Changes To Win Tonight
EDMONTON – Tonight is a big night. In the grand scheme of things, it's just another Monday. But, for the Edmonton Oilers and their hopes of hoisting a Stanley Cup, it's big. Bigger than the receding hairline on my forehead (I'm bald, btw). Advertisement Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss the latest news, game-day coverage, and more. Leaving Edmonton with a split was a good outcome. Obviously, being up 2-0 would have been ideal. The Florida Panthers are giving the Oilers a run for their money, as they should be. For Connor McDavid and company to take a 2-1 series lead, they are going to have to make some adjustments. Here are three changes the Oilers can make to have a better chance of winning Game 3. Trending Oilers Stories What Do Oilers Fans Chant? Playoffs Edition What Do Oilers Fans Chant? Playoffs Edition EDMONTON – The playoffs are often a game of inches. Advertisement 'We Are In The Final For A Reason': Corey Perry Keeps Oilers' Cup Final Loss In Perspective Shawn Horcoff's Son Would Love To Play With Oilers' Star How To Make The McDavid-To-Maple Leafs Rumors Stop EXCLUSIVE: Mark Messier On Oilers, Budweiser, His Future & More Oilers 2025 Stanley Cup Final Schedule & 3 Bold Predictions Oilers Secretive Of New Victory Song, Oilers Secretive Of New Victory Song, "Pink Pony Club" EDMONTON – 'I'm gonna keep on dancing.' Better Breakouts No one watching a Cup Final game wants to see a defender parked behind his net, waiting for better passing options. That's exactly what happened in Game 2. Advertisement It felt like various Oilers defenders did that at least 10 total times. I couldn't tell you the last time I've seen them sitting and waiting for better options to break the puck out of their zone. To combat this, at least two of the three forwards must circle around the defensive zone to make themselves an option. With more forward support, cleaner breakouts with possession are more likely to result. Dump And Chase After Game 2, Corey Perry told the media that the Oilers are a team that likes to make plays. He also recognized that they need to make the best play available when the pressure is on. Corey Perry (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images) Sometimes, the best play is to dump and chase. If the Panthers want to play a grinding, physically intense, 1-0 type of contest, the Oilers are more than capable of playing that way – and winning. Have A Zach Hyman Mentality Zach Hyman won't play again until next season. However, during the series against the Dallas Stars, he made a commitment to hit the opposition as much as possible. Advertisement The Oilers could use a little more of that. Vasily Podkolzin and Evander Kane have been noticeably more physical in this series comparative to the Conference Finals. However, it's going to take the entire team to make life as difficult as possible for the Panthers. When the Oilers are in the offensive zone, they must finish every single check against the Panthers defenders as possible. Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad, and Gustav Forsling are averaging 32+ minutes a game so far in the Cup Final. Niko Mikkola is is entering the same conversation with 55:29 total minutes played in two games against the Oilers. By having better breakout support, a grinding mentality, and 'hit-first-ask-questions-latter' physical game, the Oilers will be poised to gain an advantage in this final series of the year. Add us to your Google News favourites, and never miss a story.
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
Aaron Wiggins shines in Thunder's Game 2 win over Pacers to even 2025 NBA Finals
Aaron Wiggins shines in Thunder's Game 2 win over Pacers to even 2025 NBA Finals Sporting an Aaron Wiggins shirt in his pregame warmups, Jalen Williams looked like Nostradamus four hours later. Sometimes you need your role players to get hot to secure a playoff win. The Oklahoma City Thunder received that in bunches in Game 2. Wiggins was another top contributor. He finished with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and one assist. He shot 5-of-8 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had a steal. The Thunder evened the 2025 NBA Finals at 1-1 with a 123-107 Game 2 win over the Indiana Pacers. It was another must-win scenario that the title favorite aced. That's been a common theme these playoffs. It was obvious from the start that Wiggins would feel himself. After he first checked in, he spun around Siakam and banked the ball for a layup. That made cashing in on his outside attempts look easy. The Thunder's outside barrage put the Pacers behind on the scoreboard. "He was huge tonight. I give him a lot of credit because he was a huge part of our success this season and in the playoffs, his role has been variant night to night. But he hangs in there," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said about Wiggins. "He was huge in the Game 4 win at Denver, in that series. He was massive tonight. Went in there with great confidence. Didn't go until the second quarter and dove right into the game." Despite an inconsistent role, Wiggins continues to be a positive. The Thunder needed his shot-creation. He was another bench player who stepped up and fed off the home crowd in a must-win situation. "Obviously, you're not going to like the downside to low minutes or not playing consistently a lot every night. But it's the NBA. There's a lot of highs and lows," Wiggins said on his inconsistent role. "There's a lot of other guys going through similar things and guys who have just kind of earned their rights. Understanding that I'm still blessed to be in the NBA and do what I love. At this level, you can't take it for granted."
