What to bet on Friday: NBA Finals, Yankees-Rays (updated)
The NBA Finals and the MLB Division Series are set to come to an end.
Here’s the sports betting menu for Friday (odds from the Westgate, updated at 11:45 a.m.):
College football
Louisville (-5, 65, -200) at Georgia Tech (+175), 4 p.m. (ESPN)
Both teams have stumbled after good starts. Louisville (1-2) beat Western Kentucky 35-21 in the opener before losing to Miami (47-34) and Pittsburgh (23-20). Georgia Tech knocked off Florida State 16-13 in the opener, but that looks less impressive after Florida State was blown out by Miami and trailed at halftime against Jacksonville State. Georgia Tech subsequently lost to Central Florida (49-21) and Syracuse (37-20).
Line movement: Total up from 64.
NBA Finals
(at Lake Buena Vista, Florida)
Los Angeles Lakers (-7½, 215, -340) vs. Miami (+280), Game 5, 6 p.m. (KTNV-13)
The Lakers lead the NBA Finals 3-1, but for bettors, the Heat lead 3-1, with late baskets covering the spread in straight-up losses in Games 2 (+10½) and 4 (+7½). The total has moved down from the opener of 217. Heat guard Goran Dragic is doubtful to play; he has been out since being injured during Game 1. Center Bam Adebayo, who was also hurt in Game 1, returned for Game 4 and is expected to be ready for Game 5. The Lakers are -10,000 to win one of the next three games and claim the championship (Heat +2,000 to pull off an all-time comeback).
Line movement: Lakers up from -7. Total down from 216.
MLB
(Pitchers subject to change)
(Note: xFIP is an advanced stat that is a more accurate measure of a pitcher’s performance than ERA.)
Division Series
American League
New York Yankees (-152, 7½ under -115) vs. Tampa Bay (+142), Game 5, 4:10 p.m. at San Diego (TBS)
Probable pitchers: New York’s Gerrit Cole (RHP, 7-3, 2.84 ERA, 3.38 xFIP) vs. Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow (RHP, 5-1, 4.08 ERA, 2.75 xFIP)
Notes: New York (-130) forced a decisive Game 5 in the AL Division Series with a 5-1 victory. The game stayed under 9. Gleyber Torres hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give New York some breathing room. Cole allowed three runs in six innings in a 9-3 win in Game 1 of the series. Glasnow allowed four runs in five innings in a 7-5 victory in Game 2.
Line movement: New York up slightly from -148.
What happened Thursday
NFL
— Chicago (+3½, +170) pulled out a 20-19 home victory over Tampa Bay. The game stayed under 44½. The Buccaneers led 13-0 in the first quarter, but the Bears led 14-13 at halftime. The Bucs led the Bears 5.3 to 4.1 in yards per play and 339-243 in total yards.
College football
— Houston (-6½) overcame a -5 turnover differential to earn a 49-31 victory over Tulane. The game went over 59. Tulane led 31-28 before the Cougars rallied for the victory.
MLB
Favorites went 3-0 with one pick’em. Totals split 2-2. Notes on the series that ended Thursday:
— Atlanta (-125) defeated Miami 7-0 to finish a three-game sweep of their NL Division Series. The game stayed under 9. Braves starter Kyle Wright threw six scoreless innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Atlanta took a 4-0 lead in the third inning, highlighted by Travis d’Arnaud’s two-run double, and cruised from there. Atlanta is headed to the NL Championship Series for the first time since 2001. The Braves will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS.
— Houston (-110) finished off Oakland with an 11-6 victory to win the AL Division Series 3-1. The game went over 9. The Athletics took a 3-0 lead on Ramon Laureano’s three-run shot in the second inning, but the Astros answered with a two-run homer by Michael Brantley and a three-run shot by Carlos Correa to take a 5-3 lead in the fourth. Houston scored two runs in each of the next three innings to put the game away. All but five runs in the game were scored on homers. Astros starter Zack Greinke pitched despite being scratched earlier in the series with arm soreness. He allowed four runs in 4⅔ innings but left with the lead. Houston will face the winner of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay in the AL Championship Series.
— The Los Angeles Dodgers (-160) earned a 12-3 victory over San Diego to finish a three-game sweep. The game went over 9½. The Dodgers will face the Braves in the NLCS.
Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.