Underdogs, unders win in NBA’s return to court

The NBA returned to action with underdogs and unders.

The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 103-101 on Thursday in Orlando, Florida, but the Clippers covered as 4-point underdogs in the league’s first night of games since the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The line started as Lakers -4 on Thursday morning, rose to -5, then ticked back down to -4 by tipoff.

Heavy action on the over went unrewarded. The total shot up from 216 to 220 on Thursday, but under bettors only had to worry about the threat of overtime.

Clippers forward Paul George went for the win with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, ensuring Clippers and under bettors would win whether he made the shot or not.

In the opener of the doubleheader, the Utah Jazz rallied for a 106-104 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans as 2½-point underdogs (+125 on the money line).

As in the Lakers-Clippers game, over money drove the total up four points, from 225 to 229, but under bettors ended up with a comfortable win with a 44-point fourth quarter.

Six games are slated for the second day of the NBA bubble Friday, starting with Orlando against Brooklyn at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time.

MLB

Baseball favorites went 5-4 on Thursday, including the New York Yankees (-260) rallying for three runs in the ninth to beat Baltimore 8-6.

Seattle (+165) scored the biggest upset, beating the Los Angeles Angels 8-5. Boston (+140), Washington (+140) and Cleveland (+110) also won as underdogs.

Road teams went 7-2 (technically 8-1, but Washington hosted its game against Toronto despite playing as the road team).

Totals went 5-4 to the under.

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.