Joel Embiid (30.6 ppg) edged out LeBron James (30.3 ppg) for the scoring title in the 2021-22 season  because LeBron missed a quarter of the season due to injuries and failed to meet the minimum games eligibility.

LeBron James 28.2 o/u (OVER)

What will LeBron do this upcoming season? Will he try to win the scoring title in the same season he secures the NBA all-time scoring record? He’s just 1,325 points away from tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (28,387) for most points in NBA history. If LeBron averages 27 ppg next season, it will take him 50 games to pass Abdul-Jabbar. If he averages 30 ppg, he’ll do it in 45 games.

LeBron’s scoring output depends on the health status of Anthony Davis. If Davis is out any significant time once again, expect LeBron to head north of an 29 ppg scoring average. Then there’s the Russell Westbrook drama, which will affect LeBron’s scoring average. If they Lakers cannot dump Westbrook, and it looks like they’re bound for the Western Conference Play-In Tournament, expect LeBron to focus on the scoring title and breaking passing Abdul-Jabbar’s record instead of worrying about winning another championship.

Joel Embiid 30.1 o/u (UNDER)

Embiid has to make a decision: win a championship, or win the MVP. Sure, there’s a scenario where you can try to win both and that also hinges upon his overall health. Embiid was the runner-up in the closest MVP race in two decades. Philly fans think Embiid was robbed by Nikola Jokic, and you can make a fair assessment on either side.

Philadelphia has a narrow window to win the championship, and this might be their last chance with Doc Rivers as head coach and the current lineup. Embiid might not have to score as much as last season to win, but then again, he might have a chip on his shoulder and want to win the MVP. He won a scoring title and missed the MVP, so that achievement is not a lock to garner MVP votes. It looks like Harden will provide a much bigger scoring effort this season, so the scoring average of 30.1 under looks right for Embiid.

James Harden 21.7 o/u (OVER)

Harden is serious about trying to win a championship with the 76ers. He took a pay cut in the $15 million range so the team can afford to sign role players and former teammates with the Houston Rockets. He’s staying out of strip clubs, working out nonstop, shed weight, and he’s ordering In-n-Out Burger without the bun and skipping the fries.

Embiid challenged Harden to find the guy who averaged 36.1 ppg in 2019. He doesn’t have to score 30-plus in Philadelphia, but expect him to improve upon last year’s 21 ppg. Let’s not forget he only appeared in 21 games with the 76ers after the Brooklyn Nets traded him for Ben Simmons, so he was still trying to figure out Embiid and the rest of the offense when the playoffs rolled around. We have faith in Harden that he really wants to win this year. So long as he stays out of clubs and cuts out the carbs, we feel good about a scoring average over 22 ppg.

Nikola Jokic 27.0 o/u (UNDER)

Jokic won the MVP in back-to-back seasons, and maybe he should’ve finished second to Embiid. Then again, he posted even better numbers than the previous season (27.1 point, 13.8 rebounds, 7.9 assists) and carried the entire Nuggets without two max-contract players. Jamal Murray missed the entire season with an ACL injury, and Michael Porter lasted a couple of weeks before he underwent season-ending back surgery. Both Murray and Porter are expected back in the lineup with full recoveries, so Jokic will not have to shoulder the scoring load. We like the under in scoring average for Jokic this season, but somewhere in the mid-20s and definitely below last year’s 27.1 ppg.

Luka Doncic 28.9 o/u (OVER)

Doncic will try to lead his home country of Slovenia to back-to-back EuroBasket titles at the end of the summer. So, at least he’ll be in shape by the time the season begins, unlike last year when he showed up to preseason a little paunchy. Doncic does not have the Unicorn or Jalen Brunson in the starting line up with him this season, so expect head coach Jason Kidd to rely on Doncic to score more than 30 ppg this season in the Mavs’ heliocentric offense.

Trae Young 28.3 o/u (UNDER)

The Atlanta Hawks acquired Dejounte Murray in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs to bolster their defense. Murray and Young mark the first time in NBA history where there’s a starting backcourt with players who averaged at least 20.0 points and 8.0 assists per game. But that’s all on paper with two different teams. How will it work out in Atlanta? Can the Hawks have a backcourt like the Portland Trail Blazers during the peak Damian Lillard/CJ McCollum days? Or a backcourt like the Washington Wizards with Bradley Beal/John Wall?

The Hawks could encounter some sharing issues with only one ball and Young used to being a huge ball hog. It will be a close call on trying to predict a scoring average for Young, but it seems logical it goes under with Murray on the team.

Dejounte Murray 20.1 o/u (UNDER)

If Young is a legit coinflip and close call, then Murray seems a lot easier to predict. He’s the new guy on the Hawks and will defer to Young. Expect Murray to score in the high teens over the season with a couple of monstrous games on nights when opposing teams are triple-teaming Young, or on the rare night Young goes cold from downtown.

Bradley Beal 25.5 o/u (OVER)

Beal missed the last part of the season with wrist surgery. He said he’s not 100% healed, but a lingering injury will be the only thing that prevents him from averaging more than 25.5 ppg.

Two seasons ago, Beal (31.3 ppg) missed out on winning the scoring title when Steph Curry edged him out in the final weekend of the season. The seasons before that, Beal averaged 30.5 ppg for the first time in his career. Last season, Beal attempted to average 30-plus in three-straight seasons, but the wrist injury derailed his pursuit of that rare feat. Heck, only 11 players in NBA history averaged 30 ppg for at least three times in their career. Beal might not do it in three-straight seasons but he’d like to become player #12 on that exclusive list of NBA elite scorers.

In case you were wondering, Michael Jordan leads everyone with eight seasons averaging at least 30 ppg, followed by Wilt Chamberlain (7), and Oscar Robertson (6).

Ja Morant 27.5 o/u (OVER)

We love Ja Morant and he was our pick for MVP last season averaging 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.The Grizzlies won 56 games and finished with the second-best record thanks to Morant. He turns 23 next week and has yet to hit his full ceiling heading into his fourth NBA season. Health will be the main concern. Morant went down in the playoffs with a knee injury. He also missed 25 games last season with various injuries. If you think Morant can stay off the IL, then a scoring average north of 30 ppg is a possibility.

Devin Booker 26.7 o/u (TBD)

Booker averaged around 26 ppg the last four seasons, so his current scoring average total of 26.7 o/u seems spot on. Before we try to predict what Booker will do next season, let’s try to figure out what the hell happened to the Phoenix Suns in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Dallas Mavs.

It was probably the worst performance in a series-clinching playoff game in NBA history. Hey, blow outs happen all the time in the NBA. Last postseason had a significant uptick in blowouts because of so many teams living/dying by 3-point shots. In a do-or-die Game 7, the Suns were down by 46 points. They lost by 33 points but the final score made it seem a lot closer than the reality.

Franchises usually do not bounce back from an embarrassment like that Game 7 loss, so we’ll see if the Suns will return to their winning ways, or if the Game 7 shellacking is a harbinger of doom.

We buried the lede on Booker. He broke up with girlfriend Kendall Jenner and I don’t blame Kendall for splitting up with Booker after how poorly he played in Game 7. Apparently the two lovebirds are back together, but you can never trust the Hollywood gossip rags. So, are we really going to make an NBA prop bet based on a relationship status? If Booker and Jenner resume their relationship, bet the under. If they break up for good a second time, then bet the over because he’s going to be wicked pissed off and will channel his relationship angst into a scoring flurry.

The post NBA Season Scoring Average Totals: Harden, Jokic, Doncic, Young, Beal, Morant appeared first on OnlineGambling.com | OG News.

It’s no coincidence that the trio of quarterbacks — Wilson, Mills, and Lawrence — played for three of the worst teams in the NFL last season. The outlook is grim for all three squads heading into this season, but the public is easily swayed by recency bias.

• Zach Wilson +800
• Trevor Lawrence +1000
• Davis Mills +1000
• Justin Fields +1000
• Jameis Winston +1300
• Matthew Stafford +1400
• Mac Jones +1600
• Tua Tagovailoa +1800
• Baker Mayfield +1800
• Ryan Tannehill +1800
• Jared Goff +2000
• Derek Carr +2000
• Daniel Jones +2000
• Trey Lance +2000
• Sam Darnold +2000
• Lamar Jackson +2000
• Justin Herbert +2000
• Joe Burrow +2000
• Geno Smith +2500
• Carson Wentz +2500
• Drew Lock +2500
• Kyler Murray +2500
• Tom Brady +3000
• Patrick Mahomes +3000
• Josh Allen +5000
• Russell Wilson +8000

Lawrence and Matthew Stafford from the LA Rams were co-leaders with 17 interceptions last season. Stafford is +1400 odds as the sixth-highest player on the prop bet board at DraftKings.

Zach Wilson +800

Let’s get the “Wilson sleeping with his mother’s best friend” drama out of the way first. Wilson’s affinity for older women has nothing to do with his ability to turn the ball over, but as a  die-hard New York Jets fan I cannot pass up a cheap shot at the LOL Jets. There’s been no shortage of cougar memes floating around over the last few weeks, but at least the sporting world and gambling Twitter is talking about something else other than how much the Jets will suck this season.

One of the reasons the Jets drafted Wilson was his decision making in the pocket. In 30 starts at BYU, Wilson threw only 15 interceptions. During his final season at BYU, Wilson tossed just three interceptions in 12 games.

In 13 games with the Jets last season, Wilson threw 11 interceptions. To his credit, he threw four picks against the New England Patriots in Week 2 and tallied nine in his first five games. Wilson threw just two picks the rest of the season including a clean slate in his final five games.

We love to fade the Jets, and the public loves to bash the LOL Jets, but this might be the one time when public perception does not align with the numbers. Wilson is the betting favorite at +800 odds to throw the most interceptions, but we think he’ll stay under one pick per game.

Congrats, Zach Wilson! pic.twitter.com/YMEu2HYcCE

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) July 11, 2022

Trevor Lawrence +1000

Lawrence was doomed to fail during his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars because of Urban Meyer. It does not matter how talented you are, but if you’re not put in a position to succeed with a joke of a head coach and poor leadership without any specific direction, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Lawrence finally has a proper mentor in new head coach Doug Pederson. As a former NFL quarterback, Pederson can take Lawrence under his wing and put him on the right path to success. That’s one of the reasons why the Jaguars hired Pederson, and it’s foolish that they didn’t put more thought into their original hire last season. Meyer was a disaster across the board and even though they fired him after 13 games and a 2-11 record.

Lawrence threw just three interceptions after Meyer got canned, and all three were in a 501-0 blowout by the New England Patriots. He tossed zero interceptions in the other three games without Meyer, so that’s something positive to build upon.

Lawrence got picked off seven times in his first three games as a rookie, but threw only 10 interceptions in his final 14 games. Aside from an ugly four pick game in a shutout against the Tennessee Titans, Lawrence had nine games without an interception. These are promising numbers if you’re a Jaguars fan or rooting for Lawrence to succeed this season. Let’s assume Pederson installs a better playbook and provides actual leadership this season, so Lawrence might not throw the most interceptions in back-to-back seasons.

Kyle Dugger picks off Trevor Lawrence!

It's Lawrence's 3rd INT of the day pic.twitter.com/p0YBXOkF5k

— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) January 2, 2022

Davis Mills +1000

Mills tossed 10 picks in 13 games last season as a rookie with the Houston Texans, but again, optics is everything. The Texans are projected to lose the most games in the NFL this season, and oddsmakers gave them a paltry win total of 4.5 o/u games. Mills at +100 odds to throw the most interceptions seems like the cool kids picking on the dorky kids sitting at the loser table in the cafeteria. Sure, the Texans will continue their losing ways as the worst franchise in the NFL, but Davis showed a lot of promise last season considering the Texans had a crappy offensive line and he did not have superstar targets to get the ball to.

Matthew Stafford +1400

See kids, you can lead the NFL in interceptions, but still win a Super Bowl. Stafford coughed up the ball 17 times last season and tied Lawrence for most picks, but the Rams had an aggressive offense with plenty of long-range weapons so it was worth the risk.

In four NFL playoff games, Stafford threw three interceptions including two in the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Stafford was one of six quarterbacks to pass at least 600 times last season. All eight gunslingers had at least double-digit interceptions.

In 182 career games, Stafford threw 161 interceptions. If he plays all 17 games in the regular season, he’d toss 15 picks based on his career averages.

You can expect the Rams to keep airing the ball out, especially with Stafford under center, which is why we like Stafford at +1400 odds to throw the most interceptions in the NFL this season.

The post Most Interceptions Prop Bet: Zach Wilson, Davis Mills, or Trevor Lawrence? appeared first on OnlineGambling.com | OG News.

Jazz team president Danny Ainge is willing to trade all of their veterans, including Mitchell and Mike Conley, after they decided to implode the team and start from scratch.

• New York Knicks -325
• Utah Jazz +200
• Miami Heat +350
• Brooklyn Nets +1000
• Charlotte Hornets +1200
• Washington Wizards +1400
• LA Lakers +2500
• Philadelphia 76ers +3500
• Dallas Mavs +3500
• Cleveland Cavs +3500
• LA Clippers +4000
• Indiana Pacers +4000
• Toronto Raptors +4000
• Portland Trail Blazers +4500
• New Orleans Pelicans +4500
• Memphis Grizzlies +5000
• Sacramento Kings +5000
• Phoenix Suns +5000
• Boston Celtics +5000
• Golden State Warriors +6000
• Minnesota Timberwolves +6000
• Denver Nuggets +6000
• Chicago Bulls +6500
• Houston Rockets +7000
• Oklahoma City Thunder +7500
• Detroit Pistons +8000
• Orlando Magic +8000
• Atlanta Hawks +8000
• Milwaukee Bucks +8000
• San Antonio Spurs +8000

There’s a scenario in which the Jazz are unable to trade Mitchell in the offseason and must start the NBA regular season with him on the roster, which is why the Jazz are +200 odds as Mitchell’s next team.

New York Knicks -325

All the signs point toward the Knicks adding Mitchell in a trade, which is why they were listed as the betting favorite at -325 odds. Mitchell grew up in Westchester as a Knicks fan, and he’s hinted at playing at MSG for a couple of years now. The Knicks made several moves this offseason to put themselves at the front of the line to acquire Mitchell, including a draft0night trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder which netted three future first-round picks.

The asking price is the only thing that prevented the Knicks from adding Mitchell in a trade. Ainge and the Jazz want six first-round draft picks plus three up-and-coming players. The Knicks were willing to deal four first-rounders plus RJ Barrett and Quentin Grimes, but the Jazz declined. The Jazz do not want to have to work out a contract extension with Barrett, which is why they’d prefer Obi Toppin or Immanuel Quickley to go along with Grimes and six first-rounders.

Knicks fans and general manager Leon Rose are pissed off that the Minnesota Timberwolves ruined the trade market. Ainge set forth a chain of events that began with trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for four first-round draft picks and five players including a first-round pick from the 2022 NBA Draft. The Timberwolves were totally fleeced in the trade, but it now set precedent. If Gobert is worth four picks, then Mitchell is worth six.

Trade talks between the Knicks and Jazz cooled down, mostly because there’s limited interest from other teams and Ainge’s current asking price for Mitchell is too high.

Miami Heat +350

The Heat are trying to add a star player to their roster through a trade. They were banged-up int he postseason, yet were one 3-pointer short of a trip to the NBA Finals for the second time in the last three seasons. Pat Riley has been keeping tabs on the trade market for Mitchell, Kevin Durant, and even Kyrie Irving. But the shrewd Riley will not leverage the Heat’s future unless he thinks he can get the right player to win them another championship.

The Nets are on no rush to trade Durant or Irving, so they’re not desperate to dump their unhappy stars which means they can dictate the price. The Heat prefers Durant, but the Nets want Bam Adebayo involved in any trade package. But that would entail the Nets to trade Ben Simmons because there’s a trade rule that a team cannot acquire two rookie max-contract players on the same team. The trade market for Simmons is extremely low right now, so the Durant trade chatter died down.

The big question remains: will the Heat be willing to cough up six first-round picks for Mitchell, while parting ways with Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro? The Heat are +350 odds to add Mitchell in a trade and they’re the only other serious contender aside from the Knicks.

Charlotte Hornets +1200

The Charlotte Hornets recently the mix with Mitchell trade rumors buzzing around Buzz City, according to a report from Shams Charania.

Gordon Hayward has not been shy about leaving the Hornets for a better opportunity. He could return to the Jazz, where he began his NBA career and played his first seven seasons. Hayward and Ainge have history together back in Boston. Ainge was the general manager of the Celtics when he offered Hayward a four-year contract worth $128 million. Then again, Ainge also traded the injury-prone Hayward to the Hornets in 2020, so he might not want him back.

The Hornets could offer a trade package for Mitchell that includes four first-round draft picks, Hayward and a handful of young players and former first-round picks like PJ Washington, James Bouknight, Mark Williams, and Kai Jones. Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak could also toss in Mason Plumlee and Terry Rozier in the deal to even out the value of Mitchell’s max contract.

The Hornets are +1200 odds to become the next team for Mitchell, but they definitely cannot compete with six first-round picks if the Knicks finally cave to Ainge’s insane demands.

Trade talks between the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks have stalled, sources tell @ShamsCharania.

The Jazz are engaging other teams, such as the Hornets and Wizards.

🎥 @TheRallypic.twitter.com/gC8Rjurky2

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) July 29, 2022

Check out more NBA trade rumors.

The post Donovan Mitchell Next Team Odds: New York Knicks, Miami Heat, or Utah Jazz? appeared first on OnlineGambling.com | OG News.

Bueckers suffered a left knee injury during summer workouts in a pick-up game.

“It’s so crazy because you work so hard to get back healthy, you feel stronger than ever, and you are playing your best basketball and with one sudden movement it all shifts,” Bueckers posted on Instagram. “It’s hard trying to make much sense of it all now but I can’t help but think that God is using me as a testimony as to how much you can overcome with Him by your side.”

At the start of her sophomore season, Bueckers dropped 34 points on 15-for-19 shooting in a 15-point victory against Arkansas. She tallied a career-high game despite not scoring a single bucket in the first quarter. Everyone thought the 34-point heater was a good omen for UConn, who had not won a March Madness championship since 2016.

However, Bueckers missed 16 games with a fracture kneecap and torn MCL injury. It happened just six games into the season, but she returned to action late in the season a week before the Big East tournament. With Bueckers back in the starting lineup, UConn secured another trip to the Final Four.

Bueckers, UConn on Championship Quest

Bueckers was considered the top high school prospect from the class of 2020. She could’ve played college basketball anywhere and even earned her first scholarship offer when she was still in grammar school. However, Bueckers fulfilled a childhood dream by attending UConn to play for legendary coach Geno Auriemma.

In her first two seasons with Uconn, the Lady Huskies fell short of winning a championship but advanced to the Final Four in back-to-back years.

In her freshman season, Bueckers led the team with 20.0 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game. She also shot a blistering 46% from 3-point range.

In her sophomore season, Bueckers averaged only 14.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.5 steals in 29.1 minutes per game while recovering from her kneecap injury.

Last year’s Women’s Final Four was hosted in Bueckers’s home state of Minnesota, and despite the pro-Bueckers crowd, UConn could not overcome South Carolina in the championship game. Uconn lost by 15 points, and Bueckers tallied 14 point, six rebounds, and two assists in the heartbreaking loss.

UConn lost three starters from last year’s squad to the WNBA when Evina Westbrook, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, and Christyn Williams were drafted into the pro ranks. Toss in the injury to Bueckers, UConn is down four starters from last year’s Final Four team.

Junior Nika Muhl will take over at point guard, but UConn will be relying on their youngest players this year. The offense will now focus on shooting guard Azzi Fudd, who averaged 12.1 ppg and shot 43% from 3-point range in her first season.

The post UCONN Star Paige Bueckers Out for Season with Torn ACL Injury appeared first on OnlineGambling.com | OG News.

Defending champion Slovenia defeated Serbia in the 2017 EuroBasket championship game. They’re a close second on the betting board to win back-to-back titles at +450 odds.

The 2022 EuroBasket tournament features 24 nations with Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, and Georgia sharing co-hosting duties.

• Serbia +300
• Slovenia +450
• France +450
• Greece +500
• Spain +900
• Lithuania +1200
• Italy +1400
• Turkey +1600
• Germany +1700
• Croatia +2000
• Czech Republic +3500
• Israel +4000
• Poland +5000
• Finland +5000
• Montenegro +5000
• Ukraine +5000
• Belgium +6500
• Georgia +6500
• Netherlands +8000
• Great Britain +8000
• Bulgaria +10000
• Bosnia +15000
• Estonia +20000
• Hungary +20000

EuroBasket was originally supposed to take place in 2021, but the four-year event was pushed back until 2022 to accommodate the rescheduled 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which took place last summer.

EuroBasket 2022 starts September 8, and concludes with the championship game in Berlin, Germany on September 18.

FIBA banned Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine, and they were replaced by Montenegro.

Serbia +300

Jokic is thrilled to return to Serbia to play for the national team for the first time since the 2019 World Cup. Jokic is on a mission to make sure Serbia locks up a berth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup before they focus on avenging a loss in the championship game at 2017 EuroBasket.

“I feel great, similar to every time I reunite with these guys,” said Jokic. “I just met some of them. We are preparing, we just started and we will see how far we can go. Up first are the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and the goal of helping Serbia qualify to the World Cup.”

Serbia is a mix of NBA players and pros in Europe. Not every player with NBA experience was allowed to participate. Serbia will miss two big men because Aleksej Pokusevski and Nikola Jovic did not obtain permission from their teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder would not grant Pokusevski permission to miss workouts with the team. Jovic, a late first-round pick with the Miami Heat, was also not allowed to play in EuroBasket. The Heat want their incoming rookie to focus on the upcoming season.

Nemanja “Belly” Bjelica just won a NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors and Serbia is hoping his winning luck rubs off on them. The roster also includes Boban Marjanovic, who is one of the nicest guys in the NBA, but rides the bench for the Dallas Mavs. Filip Petrusev averaged 17 ppg with Gonzaga a couple seasons ago, and he’s on the Serbian roster.

Serbia is the team to beat this year because Jokic is playing the best ball of his life, so it’s no surprise that they’re the betting favorite at +300 odds to win EuroBasket 2022. Serbia has a somewhat easy knockout pool round in Group D that also includes the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, Israel, and the Netherlands.

Slovenia +450

All eyes will be on Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavs, and the NBA All-Star leads the defending champion Slovenia into battle. Goran Dragic from the Brooklyn Nets will be Doncic’s wing man heading into EuroBasket. With Doncic and Dragic, Slovenia boasts one of the top backcourts in Europe.

In two World Cup qualifying games, Doncic led Slovenia averaging 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. Dragic averaged 19.5 points and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 61% from the floor.

Keep an eye on center Mike Tobey, who played college basketball in America for Virginia. Tobey currently plays for FC Barcelona Lassa in Spain-Liga Endesa. He averaged 13.3 points and 9.8 rebounds for Slovenia in the World Cup qualifiers.

Slovenia is the best team in Group B, but France, Germany, and Lithuania are no slouches. With Doncic anchoring the team, Slovenia is worthy of a flier to win EuroBasket 2022 at +450 odds.

France +450

Joel Embiid was recently granted French citizenship, but he will not be able to play for France in EuroBasket 2022. Keep an eye out for the next Olympics though, where Embiid is itching to play.

France has a couple of NBA ringers including Frank Ntilikina from the Dallas Mavs, Petr Cormelie of the Denver Nuggets, and Jaylen Hoard and Theo Maledon from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Victor Wembanyama, the teenage sensation and projected #1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, is not playing on the national team.

Maledon, the starting point guard, led France in scoring with 13.5 points and 3.5 assists per game during a couple of World Cup qualifying games.

Center Vincent Poirier plays for Real Madrid in Spain, and he was France’s second-best scorer in the WCQs with 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

France last won EuroBasket in 2013 with a runner-up finish in 2011 and a third-place finish in 2015. In 2017, they finished a disappointing 12th place. France has a tough draw in the knockout pool of Group B that also includes Slovenia, Lithuania, Germany, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Greece +500

As expected, Giannis ‘Greek Freak’ Antetokounmpo returns home to play for Greece. With the Greek Freak on the court, Greece has a fighting chance.

Georgios Papagiannis, the 7-foot-3 starting center, played high school ball in America but ignored scholarship offers to blue chip programs to go back to Greece to play for Panathinaikos. He has a short stint in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings in 2016-2018 sandwiched in between his time with Panathinaikos. Papagiannis averaged 16.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game in three games during the World Cup qualifying round.

Dimitris Agravanis was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in 2015, but his draft rights were traded to the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavs. He never played in the NBA, and spent the last few seasons with Promitheas Patras. Agravanis ed Greece with 17 ppg in five WCQ games while shooting 41% from 3-point range.

Greece should dominate in Group C in the knockout pool round against Italy, Croatia, Ukraine, Great Britain, and Estonia. If you’re looking to take a flier on a team that’s not Serbia or Slovenia, Greece is worthy of a flier at +500 odds. They last won EuroBasket in 2005, but finished in eighth place in 2017.

The post 2022 EuroBasket Odds: Serbia, France, Slovenia, Greece Betting Favorites appeared first on OnlineGambling.com | OG News.

Scully operated with an air of gravitas, warmth, and authority. He had the perfect voice for the radio, and could easily paint a poetic word picture and fill the visual void for radio listeners. He also called games on television broadcasts and unlike modern-day announcers that cannot seem to shut up, Scully knew when to let the moment speak for itself, whether it was Hank Aaron’s record-breaking 715th home run in 1974, or Kirk Gibson’s walk-off home run in the 1988 World Series.

“A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol,” Scully announcer. “It is a great moment for all of us.”

Scully began calling games for the Dodgers in 1950 with Hall of Fame announcer Red Barber, back when the Dodgers played games in Brooklyn and just three years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. He retired from calling games on the radio for the Dodgers in 2016, which he had done by himself.

Scully the GOAT

America and baseball has always had an odd parallel throughout history. Baseball has been around since the late 1800s, and it’s the only major American sport with roots and records dating back to the 19th Century. In the case of Scully, he began his journey as a broadcaster in 1950 with his hometown Brooklyn Dodgers. When the Dodgers departed from Brooklyn and headed west to sunny Los Angeles in 1957, Scully followed the team.

The Bronx-born Scully moved to Brooklyn at the age of seven in 1934 after his father died. Scully played baseball for Fordham University in the Bronx, where he also picked up the microphone for the first time as a gifted natural. He began calling football and later baseball games for the Fordham’s radio station.

After a stint in the Navy, Scully entered the broadcasting world in Washington, DC with a CBS radio affiliate. He returned home to Brooklyn to call games with Barber and the Dodgers. At age 25, Scully became the youngest broadcaster to call a World Series game. It’s a record that still stands nearly 70 years later.

Scully called three perfect games including Don Larsen for the New York Yankees against the Dodgers in the 1956 World Series, Sandy Koufax for the Dodgers in 1965, and Dennis Martinez for the Montreal Expos in 1991. He also called 20 no-hitters during his career including Clayton Kershaw’s no-no in 2014.

Scully: Voice of the Dodgers

Scully quickly established himself as the voice of the Dodgers and multiple generations in Southern California associated his dulcet tones with America’s past time, and SoCal’s new past time.

During his 67-year tenure with the Dodgers, Scully saw it all starting with post-war America, through the tumultuous 1960s and flower power in California, to the downtrodden 1970s, and yuppie greed in the 1980s. In a 30-year stretch, he went from calling games with Robinson to capturing the rise of Fernando Mania when a young Mexican pitcher — Fernando Valenzuela — took the majors by storm. Valenzuela introduced a new generation of Mexican-Americans to the game of baseball with Scully narrating his atmospheric rise as a rookie with the Dodgers in 1981.

“We have lost an icon,” said Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten. “Vin Scully was one of the greatest voices in all of sports. He was a giant of a man, not only as a broadcaster, but as a humanitarian. He loved people. Loved life. He loved baseball and the Dodgers. And he loved his family. His voice will always be heard and etched in all of our minds forever. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this very difficult time. Vin will be truly missed.”

Scully was behind the mic during one of the greatest sporting moments in the 20th century when a hobbled Gibson took Dennis Eckersley deep to hit a walk-off, pinch-hit home run to lift the Dodgers to a comeback victory with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning over the Oakland A’s in the 1988 World Series.

◾️ Vin Scully on the call
◾️ Came in to pinch hit after having both legs injured earlier in the postseason
◾️ Hit the walk-off 💪

31 years ago today, Kirk Gibson hit his iconic World Series HR. pic.twitter.com/7RHZq5qZpS

— ESPN (@espn) October 15, 2019

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The Broncos had high hopes for Patrick after they acquired Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks.

An MRI revealed an ACL injury, which means Patrick is dunzo for the season.

“Guys like Tim, it breaks your heart,” said Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett. “The worst part of this game is when things like this happen. Tim’s a guy that’s well respected across this team, across this league.”

The Broncos also lost running back Damarea Crockett to an ACL injury. Team usually have two players blow out their knees over the duration of a season, but the Broncos had lightning strike twice in the same day.

The Broncos entered the preseason as a popular pick to win the Super Bowl after Wilson joined the Broncos. You can back the Broncos at +1600 odds to win Super Bowl 57, according to a recent update by DraftKings.

The Broncos play in a stacked AFC West, but they’re third out of four teams on the NFL futures board at +260 odds to win the division.

Patrick Joins WR Injury Hex

For a third season in a row, the Denver Broncos lost a wide receiver to a serious knee injury after Patrick went down. In 2020, Courtland Sutton suffered an ACL knee injury. Last season, KJ Hamler blew out his knee in a Week 3 victory against the New York Jets. However, the Broncos were definitely rattled by losing Patrick, who is one of the most popular players on the team.

“It hurts,” said Sutton. “To see a guy who works his butt off all offseason, his preparation is second to none. We’re praying for the best.”

Patrick went from a practice player to a starting WR who led the team in receptions (53) and touchdowns (5) last season. He signed a three-year deal worth $30 million in the offseason.

In four seasons with the Broncos, Patrick played 55 games and caught 143 passes for 2,009 yards and 12 touchdowns. He tallied 11 touchdowns in his last two seasons.

The Broncos liked their batch of wideouts which also included speedster Jerry Jeudy and Sutton. With Wilson able to air the ball out, the Broncos looked like they had a proper aerial attack to win shootouts against the high-octane offenses in the AFC West including the Kansas City Chiefs and LA Chargers.

Expect wide receivers Montrell Washington and Kendall Hinton to compete for the open spot. Washington is a rookie and fifth-round pick out of Samford. Hinton is a second-year player out of Wake Forest who caught 15 passes and one touchdown last season in limited action.

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The fine is a slap on the wrist for the billionaire Ross, but it comes one day after the controversial Deshaun Watson suspension. NFL conspiracy theorists think the league released their findings of a six-month investigation into the Dolphins and Ross — for tampering and tanking allegations — to push Watson’s sexual assault scandal out of the news cycle.

“The investigators found tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity,” said Commissioner Roger Goodell. “I know of no prior instance of a team violating the prohibition on tampering with both a head coach and star player, to the potential detriment of multiple other clubs, over a period of several years.”

Ross also faces other disciplinary actions for trying to entice Brady to join the Dolphins as early as 2019. He is suspended until October 17, and not allowed to participate in any team activities or attend any games. Dolphins fans are actually thrilled because it means their meddling owner will not be involved in the organization for the first six weeks of the season.

The Dolphins are +4000 odds to win Super Bowl 57, and +2000 odds to win the AFC Championship according to DraftKings. In AFC East odds, the Dolphins are the second-favorite at +450 odds to win the division behind the heavily-favorited Buffalo Bills.

Ross: Obsessed with Brady

The Dolphins qualified for the postseason only twice since Ross purchased a stake of the team in 2008. The Dolphins last won a playoff game in 2000, and have not won a Super Bowl in almost a half-century since the Dolphins won back-to-back championships under Don Shula in 1972 and 1973.

Ross was hell-bent on enticing Brady to leave the New England Patriots and turn around the Miami Dolphins. Ross offered Brady a piece of the team ownership along with building a brand-new facility for his Brazilian witch doctor. However Brady was still under contract with the Patriots at the time. The tampering continued and Ross attempted to court Brady again after he joined the Tampa Bay Bucs and won a Super Bowl two seasons ago.

Ross had a championship vision with Brady as the starting quarterback and Sean Payton as the head coach. Brady and Payton share an agent, which is how the two were initially paired in this hair-brained scheme. Teams talk to players and coaches under contract via intermediaries all the time, but the Dolphins were not slick about their pursuit of Brady and Payton.

This initial investigation stems from the firing of head coach Brian Flores. Ross tried to bribe Flores to tank and lose games on purpose so the Dolphins could get a new quarterback via the NFL Draft. Flores refused to tank, so Ross fired him.

Ross also wanted Flores to have a secret meeting with Deshaun Watson in an attempt to persuade Watson to join the Dolphins. Flores also rejected the request due to its illegal nature. Flores’ actions to play by the rules angered Ross, who fired him as soon as he had the chance even though Flores led the Dolphins to back-to-back winning seasons.

Payton Retirement, Brady Unretires

The dismissal of Flores set for a chain reaction of events, which the NFL investigated. Along the way, they found evidence of Ross tampering with Brady and Payton.

Looking back, it makes sense why Payton abruptly retired from the New Orleans Saints at the end of the season, and Brady’s premature retirement also seemed off.

Perhaps Brady and Payton — via their shared agent — found out that the NFL would come down hard on them for the tampering involvement with the Dolphins, considering both parties had previous run-ins with the NFL. Payton was the head coach of the Saints during the Bountygate scandal between 2009-2011. Brady was a part of two scandals with the Patriots including Spygate (spying on New York Jets coaches) in 2007, and Deflategate (the improper inflation of game balls during the AFC Championship vs Indianapolis Colts) in 2014.

Now, we’re starting to sound like NFL conspiracy theorists. For whatever reason, both Brady and Payton never joined the Dolphins. Fox Sports hired Payton as an analyst, and Brady returned to the Buccaneers. After Brady decided to unretire, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians decided he was dunzo and left the sidelines for the front office. The Bucs promoted defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to head coach, and both Brady and Arians downplayed a rift. Perhaps the Dolphins meddling had something to do with their bad blood/

In the meantime, the Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel as their new head coach to replace Flores. McDaniel spent the previous season as the offensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan at the San Francisco 49ers. McDaniel was considered another football-nerd wunderkind similar to Sean McVay, and it was his idea to utilize Deebo Samuel at running back when the 49ers ran into personnel issues due to injuries and COVID.

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“Winning Time” became an instant hit for show runner Adam McKay and HBO, despite the fact that Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar denounced the series based on a book by Jeff Pearlman. The first season of “Winning Time” covered Magic’s rookie season in the NBA after Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers and the LA Forum from Jack Kent Cooke.

The Lakers won the NBA championship in 1980 and had plenty of ups and downs along the way, including losing head coach Jack McKinney to a near-fatal bicycle accident and the rise of Pat Riley from a bumbling TV commentator to an assistant head coach.

HBO greenlit a second season of “Winning Time.”  The new season presumably covers the rise of the Lakers rivalry with the Boston Celtics. Magic Johnson versus Larry Bird drama began in college when Magic’s Michigan State defeated Bird’s Indiana State in the 1979 March Madness championship game, but it spilled over into the NBA during their fierce rivalry throughout the 1980s.

The show is casting. I repeat: The show is casting. #winningtime pic.twitter.com/7jSPJPnZdh

— Jeff Pearlman (@jeffpearlman) August 1, 2022

Casting Legendary Lakers and ‘The Chief’

Unknown actor Quincy Isaiah drew accolades for his portrayal of Magic in season one. The former college football player was not a hoops player, but Isaiah transformed into Magic thanks to Hollywood magic. Solomon Hughes, a former college basketball standout at California Berkley, played Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Wood Harris from “The Wire” fame did a stellar job in a small role as the troubled Spencer Haywood. DeVaugh Nixon played his father Norm Nixon, a former point guard from the Lakers who started out as Magic’s adversary but then became a close confidant.

HBO tapped top-notch actors to play real-life figures such as John C. Reilly (Jerry Buss), Adrien Brody (Pat Riley), Jason Clarke (Jerry West), Jason Seigel (Paul Westhead), Gaby Hoffman (Claire Rothman), and Hadley Robinson (Jeanie Buss). Playwright Tracy Letts took on the role of Jack McKinney, who is the architect of the up tempo brand of basketball synonymous with the Showtime Lakers. The creators took a bit of artistic license and added Sally Field as Jerry Buss’s mother even though she passed away before he purchased the team.

Several other noteworthy NBA players were portrayed as opponents or “villains” such as Larry Bird by former USC player Sean Patrick Small, James Lesure as Dr. J, Michael Chiklis as Red Auerbach, and Rory Cochrane as UNLV head coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Season two  of “Winning Time” will shoot in Los Angeles beginning in August and ending in early 2023. HBO is still casting for “Winning Time,” specifically other members of the 1980s Showtime Lakers such as the Rec Specs-wearing Worthy, Rambis, Scott, and Kupchak. The casting call needs someone to play Robert Parish from the Boston Celtics. Sounds like they already hired actors for the roles of hated members of the Celtics such as Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson.

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The Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship inside the NBA bubble in Orlando, which has been dubbed the “Pandemic Championship” by trolls and haters. The Lakers were knocked out in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs after Anthony Davis went down with a groin injury, and LeBron James was hobbled by an ankle injury.

The Lakers missed the playoffs completely in 2022, and were so bad they did not even qualify for the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. The Lakers fired head coach Frank Vogel even though he won them a title a couple years earlier. However, Vogel became a scapegoat for the numerous problems that plagued the Lakers last season including the front office and personnel.

So long as Russell Westbrook is on the roster, the Lakers will not win another title and could even miss the NBA playoffs once again.

(Don’t) Bet the Lakers

The Lakers are a popular team with a legion of fans that will back their team even if they really do not have a chance to win a title. It’s one thing to be loyal to your squad, but it’s dangerous to be so disconnected from reality that you’re making foolish futures bets on a team that is not as good as you think.

Oddsmakers installed the Lakers with a win total of only 45.5 o/u, which means they’re closer to being a Play-In Tournament team than a title contender.

The Lakers are +800 odds to win the Pacific Division, or fourth overall out of five teams. The Phoenix Suns are the betting favorite at +180 odds to win the division once again, with the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors tied at +210 odds. The bookies are projecting a fierce three-team fight for the division crown, but the Lakers are the odd team out.

The Lakers are +750 odds to win the Western Conference, but there’s no way they’re the fourth-best team in the west. Even if they trade Westbrook for Kyrie Irving, they’re barely a top five team. With Westbrook, we’re looking at a potential #7 seed, or #6 seed in a best-case scenario.

The Lakers are +1600 odds to win the 2023 NBA championship and eighth overall on the NBA futures board at DraftKings. They saw a huge uptick in odds after fans bet the Lakers to win the title based on Irving trade rumors. Oddsmakers moved the Lakers to +1100 a couple weeks ago, but the numbers adjusted when trade rumors simmered down. At this point, it looks like the Lakers will start the season with an untradeable Westbrook on the roster.

Ham: LeBron Puppet?

The Lakers hired long-time assistant coach Darvin Ham as their new head coach to replace Vogel. The Lakers hope that the rookie head coach can restore the Lakers back to their championship glory. LeBron tends to bully rookie head coaches (e.g. Ty Lue with the Cleveland Cavs), so there’s a lot of chatter that the Lakers installed Ham as a puppet coach with LeBron the behind-the-scenes head coach. LeBron had the “LeGM” nickname for over a decade.  Numerous insiders think that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is an empty suit and LeBron called all the shots since his arrival.

Regardless of who pushed forth the Westbrook trade with the Washington Wizards last summer, it was a terrible move that blew up in their face. It was doomed from day one when Westbrook clashed with Vogel in practice and refused to take his direction on how to bring the ball up the court after a rebound. Westbrook did not mesh well with the Lakers, and the team imploded. Vogel got axed and even Westbrook broke up with his long-time agent. Things are so bad that no one wants to help out the Lakers with a Westbrook trade. That’s why teams are asking for one or two first-round picks to sweeten and trade deals. The Lakers refused to give up any draft picks, which is why they’re planning to start the season with Westbrook.

Ham said he wants to figure out a way for Westbrook to fit in with the team, but will Westbrook actually listen? If he truly changes up his game, then the Lakers will make the playoffs. If Westbrook continues to be a pain in the ass, it’s going to be another long season on the bubble.

Health Issues: Old Man LeBron, Paper Mache Davis

LeBron missed a quarter of the season due to injuries. Davis missed half of the season. LeBron is old and has an excuse, but Davis’ durability has become a liability. When he’s healthy, Davis is one of the premier big men in the NBA who can be a menace on defense and score against anyone. A banged-up Davis is just an above average big man. When he’s sitting on the bench in street clothes, the Lakers have no shot to compete because they lack depth.

The Lakers traded their top role players –who helped them win a championship in 2020 — to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Westbrook. With three max-contract players on the roster, the Lakers had no wiggle room to pay for decent veterans. Heck, even Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard played for a “friend” discount last season and the Lakers still finished 33-49.

If the Lakers want to acquire Irving in a trade, they’d have to give up the last decent guys on their roster — Kendrick Nunn and Talen Horton-Tucker — plus draft picks. The Lakers would ditch Westbrook, but they’d inherit Irving and his numerous “issues” so it’s probably best they keep Westbrook and play out the season and hope that LeBron and Davis stay somewhat healthy.

So many big “ifs” hang over the Lakers like a dark cloud of doom this upcoming season, which is why betting against the Lakers to make the playoffs seems enticing. If the Lakers do not trade Westbrook, then bet “no” for the Lakers to make the playoffs. If the Lakers trade Westbrook, then bet “yes” for the playoffs.

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