Tag: Spurs

Spurs, Warriors and Raptors look good for treble

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The past week has seen the Golden State Warriors embark on another winning run and their season win percentage now stands at a remarkable .857, with a record of 24-4. That percentage is the third best of all time, and if they keep it up they will start threatening to break the all-time record of .890 they set last season. In that phenomenal campaign, they broke the record set by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in 1996, but they still weren’t good enough to win the NBA Championship as they lost to LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the final.

The Warriors have responded in style this year, but they are not having it all their own way in the Western Conference, as the excellent San Antonio Spurs are on 22-5, with a win percentage of .815 currently leaving them 15th on the all-time list. Last year the Spurs ended on .817, the joint eighth best record of all-time. They lost to the Thunder in the playoff semifinal, but have proven themselves modern greats, and are on course for another fantastic season.

Western Conference

Bookmakers are offering lines on the amount of regular season games various NBA teams will win this season, and have most of them covered. The 10/11 Bet Victor is offering on the Spurs to win more than 57.5 games currently looks like a brilliant bet. Last season they won 67 games and, despite the retirement of long-time captain Tim Duncan, they are in very similar form this year and on course to once again reach 67 wins. It has not been quite so generous with the Warriors, who have to win more than 67.5 games in the over/under betting, again at 10/11. They should cover this, though. They are in superb form and finished with 67 wins two seasons ago, when they went on to win the Championship, and bettered that with the record breaking 73 last season. They are currently on course for 70 or 71 wins and should, therefore, be good to get at least 68. A double on the Spurs and the Warriors would get you odds of 41/25, which looks great.

Eastern Conference

The Cavaliers’ .760 would only leave them third in the Western Conference, but they are comfortably leading the Eastern Conference, with second-placed Toronto Raptors back on .704. They may not be as consistent as the Warriors or the Spurs, but James is a big game player, and they look good to win the conference again this season – they are 4/9 with Paddy Power to do so. Whether they will win more than 67.5 games (the over/under benchmark set by bookmakers) is another matter, however. The freak defeat to the Grizzlies last week should set alarm bells ringing, and that bet might be best avoided as they are currently on course for 62. A better bet could be on Toronto Raptors getting over 50.5 wins, at 4/5 with Bet Victor. Last season they got 56, and this time they are on course for 57. Put Toronto in a treble with the Warriors and Spurs and you get 139/25.

Upcoming Games

On Wednesday, a huge game sees the Spurs play the form team of the league, the Houston Rockets, who are on a 10-game winning streak. Someone has to put an end to it sooner or later, and the Spurs can be the team to do it, so backing them outright might be a good idea. Another good team, the Utah Jazz, play the Warriors on the same day, but with the way the Warriors are playing at present you would expect them to cover a reasonable spread. The Raptors play the struggling Brooklyn Nets and should cover a large spread. The Cavs play the Bucks twice in quick succession, but might be best avoided after they went 1-1 against the Grizzlies last week when they played twice in a row. Then it’s the big game on Christmas Day, where the Warriors travel to Cleveland looking for revenge for their final defeat last season. Given the way the form is going, the pendulum has shifted to the Warriors, who are currently looking good to get a road win at 20/21 with Paddy Power.

Tottenham and Man City Need to Bounce Back

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The 2016/17 Premier League season may just turn out to be the most unpredictable league season on record. No fewer than six teams are in with a shout of winning the title, but which six you may ask?

In the past, perhaps two or three teams had a chance of taking home the big prize. This season is a different story. Would you bet against Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea or Man United winning the title next May?

Spurs Need to Exercise the Ghost

The ghost of last seasons’ poor finish to the season that handed Leicester City the title still haunts the fans at White Hart Lane. Tottenham always flatter to deceive but then crack when the pressure is on. They were held to a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth last weekend. So, getting all three points at home to Leicester on Saturday holds even more importance now.

The problem for Spurs is that the Foxes are coming into form. Leicester have been winning game after game in the Champions League. They also beat Crystal Palace 3-1 last weekend. Tottenham are firm favourites at 4/6 with William Hill, while Leicester City can be backed at 5/1 with Betfred.

The best price on the draw is 14/5 with Boyle Sports, and opposing Tottenham is probably where the value is. Tottenham are strong at home and have recently beaten Pep Guardiola’s Man City, but Leicester City are the champions and that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Man City Badly Need a Win

Man City were absolutely brilliant in all competitions until they recently went to Celtic Park in the Champions League. That 3-3 draw against Celtic was the start of a five game winless run. Pep Guardiola now needs a big result away to West Brom on Saturday. If City fail to win again, this could signal a crisis at the Etihad!

The number of individual errors that City players are making is growing in number. It is too early to suggest that City have a problem, but they certainly need a win against West Brom. Pep’s boys are 2/5 with Betfred, but those odds seem terribly short.

West Brom are strong at home and can be backed at 15/2 once again with Betfred. The best odds for the draw are 7/2 with Stan James. It seems that the short odds for City are based on their early season form.

Current Form is a More Accurate Indicator

If you want to find a good value bet current form reveals more clues than league position. Man City are still top of the league, but their form isn’t that of table toppers. The recent City performances seem to indicate that all is not well with Guardiola’s team of would be champions. City are deservedly favourites against West Brom, but a City victory is far from certain.

Spurs set to return to Wembley

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Tottenham have won the League Cup on four previous occasions, most recently when beating Chelsea 2-1 back in 2008. They were only beaten on penalties by Manchester United the following year and will to return to Wembley if they get at least a draw against Sheffield United on Wednesday.

The competition, now in the guise of The Capital One Cup, is low on the list of priorities for the top Premiership sides but Spurs have every reason to chase silverware. Mauricio Pochettino is in his first season in charge and the club’s aim is to gain a Champions League spot. They are still in contention for a top four finish as well as battling way in the Europa League. Taking them to Wembley would certainly be a feather in Pochettino’s cap as he aims to stem the flow of managers from White Hart Lane in recent years.

Their prep for this match was not ideal, losing 2-1 at home to Leicester in the FA Cup. With the shock exit of Chelsea and Manchester City to opposition from lower leagues, few even noticed the eclipse of Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Just as Mourinho paid the price for making wholesale changes at Stamford Bridge, so did Pochettino. He made nine changes from the side which had performed moderately in the first leg against the Blades.

Tottenham will be back at full strength on Wednesday as they look to protect their slender 1-0 lead. Only a penalty from Andros Townsend spared their blushes last week but that could be enough. Nigel Clough’s team will not go through unless they attack and that will leave them vulnerable on the counter-attack.

Spurs were laboured in the first leg but will be looking to Harry Kane to make the most of any opportunities that come his way. Sheffield United are eighth in League One but Clough took a risk by resting key players for the trip to Preston in the FA Cup at the weekend. His makeshift side escaped with a draw so they are still alive in that competition.

Tottenham look good value at a shade of odds-on to win this match, although I expect it to be difficult in the first half. Harry Kane is bound to get an opportunity at some point while it may be worth taking a chance at a 3-1 score-line at long odds.

Harry Kane scores and Spurs win @9-5 Paddy Power

Tottenham to win @5-6 Bet365

Sheffield United 1 Tottenham 3 @16-1 Coral