Latest news with #ThomasGable
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Houston Rockets have second-best NBA title odds at sportsbooks after Kevin Durant trade
Before Game 7 of this year's NBA Finals tipped off, the NBA world was stunned by a Kevin Durant blockbuster deal, sending him to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in next week's 2025 NBA draft and five second-round picks. It also sent a shockwave through the odds board at sportsbooks, as the Rockets moved from the 12-1 range to around +750 to win the 2025-26 NBA championship. Those are the consensus second-best odds behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are well ahead of any other team at +230. Advertisement "Good trade for Phoenix, adding Jalen Green and the 10th pick is the right direction," Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook told Yahoo Sports via text message. "We lowered Houston from 12-1 to +900 just based on perception. They should be in the mix no doubt, I just like the return for Phoenix better than what the Rockets got in a 37-year-old they have to extend." The New York Knicks (+900), Indiana Pacers (+950) and Cleveland Cavaliers (11-1) had the next-best consensus title odds at sportsbooks. "Having someone who can score in the half court was exactly what Houston was lacking all season, and it cost them dearly in the playoffs," Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at The Borgata in Atlantic City (a BetMGM book) told Yahoo Sports via text. "While this will be Durant's 18th season, he can still generate offense in the half court, even if he doesn't get to the basket as much as he used to. He should help a very young Rockets team, even if it's only a short stint." Advertisement Sherman and other oddsmakers did have Houston as the second-best team in the West in their power ratings, but cautioned the ranking was simply as of today's trade, noting, for example, if San Antonio traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo that could vault them to No. 2. "We slightly lowered the Rockets' title odds," Jeff Benson, director of sportsbook operations at Circa Sports said via direct message on X. "They upgraded and didn't give up a ton, especially the good young guys." The +750 odds are the best for the Rockets since the 2019 season, per Sports Odds History, when Houston was +700.
New York Times
16-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Can Shohei Ohtani make history and break Barry Bonds' MVP record?
Shohei Ohtani is doing it again. With more than a third of the season in the rearview, the 30-year-old (soon to be 31) is repeating last season's MVP performance, out-muscling his peers in both home runs and OPS. Thirty percent of his hits have been round-trippers, and he's currently on pace to tie last season's total of 54. Advertisement Think of him as Big Blue Origin, offering trips to low Earth orbit exclusively to the baseball community en route to being the runaway favorite (-650) for his fourth MVP award. The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Sunday they will deploy Ohtani as a pitcher beginning Monday night against the San Diego Padres, which will only widen the gap between the Los Angeles superstar and everyone else in the NL. His odds to win MVP moved from -300 to -650 since it was announced he would start on the mound. 'If he looks decent in even only a few starts, you're going to see his odds become even more expensive to win the award,' Thomas Gable, sportsbook director for the Borgata, told The Athletic. It's a reminder to everyone that we're sharing the planet with perhaps the most singularly talented baseball player ever, or at the very least, the closest thing to Babe Ruth the modern game will get to see. Decades from now, Ohtani will be the reference point for old-timers; the 'I-saw-him-once' legend that launches a thousand sports bar stories. He's a merchant of titanic blasts and electric heaters, so gifted in either half of an inning that he spawned his own Paradox of Stone: Could Ohtani throw a pitch so nasty even he could not hit it? But as anomalous and exceptional as he is to watch in real-time, what will his baseball legacy be? When the next generation of fans hears his name or asks about his game, what will those of us witnessing it now be able to point to apart from a series of YouTube clips? Baseball is a sport defined by records after all, and Ohtani has shockingly long odds to reach the marquee ones. He likely won't hit 763 home runs, for example (or 756 if you're still dying on that hill). Debuting at 23, Ohtani's late start was exacerbated by three incomplete seasons out of the gate. He lost a chunk of 2018 and the bookends of 2019 to injury, and roughly 75 percent of 2020 to COVID. Since then, he's averaged 45 homers per year over four full seasons. If he maintained that for the full length of his contract (which would be now through his age 38 season), he'd end up with about 660 homers. If he's still belting 40-plus home runs per year at that age, maybe we could revisit his chances, but even then he'd have another 100 to go. Advertisement Forget becoming the hit king, he'd need 227 per year for this and the next eight seasons to even reach 3,000 (the record is held by Pete Rose at 4,256). RBIs are out, too. Albert Pujols was the last real challenge to Hank Aaron's 2,297 (coming 79 short), and Ohtani could repeat last year's career high (130) nine more times and still be more than 500 short when his current contract ends. (If you're wondering, Freddie Freeman is the closest among active players, and he still has 1,000 to go.) His mound performance, while dazzling, won't come close to touching the historic counting records, and getting an ERA below 1.12 for a season is like batting .400 on the year: The game is no longer built to allow it. So what part of baseball's fabric can Ohtani re-stitch in his own image? What part of his career will last forever? How about the MVP award? Or rather, winning more of them than any other player in history. It would not only be a marker of talent and longevity, but would encapsulate, at a glance, his presence as the sport's gravitational center during his career. And he's already (nearly) halfway there. The current MVP king is Barry Bonds, who is so far ahead of the pack that he won more MVPs in a row than anyone else has won total. Bonds rattled off four MVPs from 2001-04, which pushed his total to seven — more than double the likes of Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial and Mike Schmidt, who each had three. Ohtani is among a quartet of post-millennium players with three, which includes Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Mike Trout. Unlike the others, Ohtani has a shot at more, and with them, a chance to best Bonds' insane record. Bonds was able to reach that total because of steroids, and, for some, the chemical enhancement precludes him from being a historical comparison point. But in this case, the number feels fitting for the player Ohtani has been and is capable of being. After all, if his lead holds this year, he will have won more MVPs than every baseball player in history save one. That's a fitting reflection of his career thus far. Winning more than Bonds wouldn't instantly make him the greatest player ever, but it would mean you'd never have to justify the argument. He increased his odds with a crosstown move, casting off the shackles of the moribund Los Angeles Angels in favor of the juggernaut Dodgers. The switch also meant he won't compete with Aaron Judge every season during the Yankees' jaw-dropping prime. After opening at +900 to win the MVP last year, Ohtani cruised to his third win. He opened at +150 this season, and is coasting toward No. 4 even before he throws a pitch. If he's going to reach eight, he'll have to make hay in the remainder of the decade. Only 11 players have won an MVP at age 35 or older. Two of those were before the divisional era, and four others were when the sport had 26 teams. Bonds is responsible for four (ages 37-40), and Paul Goldschmidt won the other in 2022. Advertisement So, in the modern era (meaning 30 teams), there's been one MVP winner over 35 who didn't have pharmaceutical assistance. As a pure slugger, Ohtani could probably pull a post-35 win, but would need a clean bill of health for the next four seasons. His advantage is that starting Monday, his body of work isn't limited to the batter's box. Going forward, he won't have to be the league's best hitter to win, as long as his pitching arm suffers no further catastrophes. Ohtani has shown he can pitch at an elite level (finishing fourth in the 2022 Cy Young race), but his MVP chances take a massive leap by virtue of him pitching at all. 'If he comes into [next] season healthy, he would certainly be the favorite again in the preseason. Hypothetically, he would open around +250 or so, but that actually may be high depending on whether they plan on pitching him all season,' Gable said. 'If he were in the regular rotation from the beginning of the season, it would probably be around even money to start the season.' Being a critical member of a major league rotation or lineup is insanely difficult; being both is the ultimate trump card when it comes to debating player value. Ohtani wouldn't need to be the league's best hitter or hurler, but simply a prominent member of both groups. That is much more achievable through and beyond age 35, so long as his body holds up. Voters will gravitate toward the novelty of the difficulty as well, and likely jump at the chance to see Bonds' name replaced atop the leaderboard even if they were the same ones who voted it there in the first place. After all, Bonds was baseball's apex predator. So singular and so much better than everyone else that the sport bent around him to its breaking point. His power over the game was so absolute that he transformed it forever. For better or worse, baseball was different after Bonds was done with it. Winning more MVPs than that guy? That's a legacy. That would tell anyone from any generation all they need to know. Eight MVPs is doable, though even as Ohtani sits on the cusp of four, it seems nigh impossible. But that's how it should feel when someone in a sport, even the potential GOAT, is trying to touch forever. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA playoffs odds, lines, betting: Oklahoma City Thunder one win away from NBA Finals
The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the conference finals are underway. The Oklahoma City Thunder (-375) are now the prohibitive title favorites at BetMGM, followed by the Indiana Pacers (+550), New York Knicks (10-1) and Minnesota Timberwolves (40-1). The Thunder responded to a Game 3 blowout by making several big shots down the stretch in a 128-126 Game 4 win over the Wolves to take a 3-1 series lead. In the East, the Knicks entered as -155 series favorites, which is only the second time in the past 50 years that the franchise has been favored in a conference finals series. The Pacers, however, won both games at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 series lead, before the Knicks held on to win Game 3. Whereas public betting may waver at times during the NBA season because of all the injuries and load management, the playoffs are a big betting event, Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at the Borgata in Atlantic City — a BetMGM book — told Yahoo Sports. "From a betting perspective, the handle is very good," Gable said. "The NBA suffers from the way that they handle the day-to-day season with players resting, and I think a lot of the recreational players have phased out of the NBA because of that. But the playoffs are a totally different story." Here are the updated series prices for the 2025 NBA playoffs from BetMGM: No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-210) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (+170) Indiana up 2-1 No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (+1800) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-5000) Oklahoma City up 3-1 Eastern Conference No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-325) vs. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (+260) Indiana wins 4-1 No. 3 New York Knicks (-275) vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics (+225) New York up 3-2 Western Conference No. 4 Denver Nuggets (+240) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-325) Oklahoma City wins 4-3 No. 7 Golden State Warriors (+1600) vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (-5000) Minnesota wins 4-1 Eastern Conference No. 8 Miami Heat (12-1) vs. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (-2500) Cleveland wins 4-0 No. 7 Orlando Magic (16-1) vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics (-5000) Boston wins 4-1 No. 6 Detroit Pistons (+325) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (-425) New York wins 4-2 No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (+165) vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-200) Indiana wins 4-1 Western Conference No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (10-1) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-2000) Oklahoma City wins 4-0 No. 7 Golden State Warriors (-165) vs. No. 2 Houston Rockets (+140) Golden State wins 4-3 No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (+165) vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers (-200) Minnesota wins 4-1 No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (-115) vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets (-105) Denver wins 4-3
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA playoffs odds, lines, betting: Oklahoma City Thunder one win away from NBA Finals
The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the conference finals are underway. The Oklahoma City Thunder (-375) are now the prohibitive title favorites at BetMGM, followed by the Indiana Pacers (+550), New York Knicks (10-1) and Minnesota Timberwolves (40-1). The Thunder responded to a Game 3 blowout by making several big shots down the stretch in a 128-126 Game 4 win over the Wolves to take a 3-1 series lead. In the East, the Knicks entered as -155 series favorites, which is only the second time in the past 50 years that the franchise has been favored in a conference finals series. The Pacers, however, won both games at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 series lead, before the Knicks held on to win Game 3. Whereas public betting may waver at times during the NBA season because of all the injuries and load management, the playoffs are a big betting event, Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at the Borgata in Atlantic City — a BetMGM book — told Yahoo Sports. "From a betting perspective, the handle is very good," Gable said. "The NBA suffers from the way that they handle the day-to-day season with players resting, and I think a lot of the recreational players have phased out of the NBA because of that. But the playoffs are a totally different story." Here are the updated series prices for the 2025 NBA playoffs from BetMGM: No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-210) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (+170) Indiana up 2-1 No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (+1800) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-5000) Oklahoma City up 3-1 Eastern Conference No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-325) vs. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (+260) Indiana wins 4-1 No. 3 New York Knicks (-275) vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics (+225) New York up 3-2 Western Conference No. 4 Denver Nuggets (+240) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-325) Oklahoma City wins 4-3 No. 7 Golden State Warriors (+1600) vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (-5000) Minnesota wins 4-1 Eastern Conference No. 8 Miami Heat (12-1) vs. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (-2500) Cleveland wins 4-0 No. 7 Orlando Magic (16-1) vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics (-5000) Boston wins 4-1 No. 6 Detroit Pistons (+325) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (-425) New York wins 4-2 No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (+165) vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-200) Indiana wins 4-1 Western Conference No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (10-1) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-2000) Oklahoma City wins 4-0 No. 7 Golden State Warriors (-165) vs. No. 2 Houston Rockets (+140) Golden State wins 4-3 No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (+165) vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers (-200) Minnesota wins 4-1 No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (-115) vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets (-105) Denver wins 4-3
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NBA playoffs odds, lines, betting: Oklahoma City Thunder one win away from NBA Finals
The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the conference finals are underway. The Oklahoma City Thunder (-375) are now the prohibitive title favorites at BetMGM, followed by the Indiana Pacers (+550), New York Knicks (10-1) and Minnesota Timberwolves (40-1). The Thunder responded to a Game 3 blowout by making several big shots down the stretch in a 128-126 Game 4 win over the Wolves to take a 3-1 series lead. Advertisement In the East, the Knicks entered as -155 series favorites, which is only the second time in the past 50 years that the franchise has been favored in a conference finals series. The Pacers, however, won both games at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 series lead, before the Knicks held on to win Game 3. Whereas public betting may waver at times during the NBA season because of all the injuries and load management, the playoffs are a big betting event, Thomas Gable, sportsbook director at the Borgata in Atlantic City — a BetMGM book — told Yahoo Sports. "From a betting perspective, the handle is very good," Gable said. "The NBA suffers from the way that they handle the day-to-day season with players resting, and I think a lot of the recreational players have phased out of the NBA because of that. But the playoffs are a totally different story." Here are the updated series prices for the 2025 NBA playoffs from BetMGM: Advertisement Conference finals series prices No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-210) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (+170) Indiana up 2-1 No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (+1800) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-5000) Oklahoma City up 3-1 Round 2 series prices Eastern Conference No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-325) vs. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (+260) Indiana wins 4-1 No. 3 New York Knicks (-275) vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics (+225) New York up 3-2 Western Conference No. 4 Denver Nuggets (+240) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-325) Oklahoma City wins 4-3 No. 7 Golden State Warriors (+1600) vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (-5000) Minnesota wins 4-1 Round 1 series opening prices Eastern Conference No. 8 Miami Heat (12-1) vs. No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers (-2500) Advertisement Cleveland wins 4-0 No. 7 Orlando Magic (16-1) vs. No. 2 Boston Celtics (-5000) Boston wins 4-1 No. 6 Detroit Pistons (+325) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (-425) New York wins 4-2 No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks (+165) vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers (-200) Indiana wins 4-1 Western Conference No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies (10-1) vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder (-2000) Oklahoma City wins 4-0 No. 7 Golden State Warriors (-165) vs. No. 2 Houston Rockets (+140) Golden State wins 4-3 No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (+165) vs. No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers (-200) Minnesota wins 4-1 No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers (-115) vs. No. 4 Denver Nuggets (-105) Denver wins 4-3
