Worst bad beats: LSU fades, Damian Lillard strikes at buzzer
Football took a break for the week, but misfortune did not.
Here are the worst bad beats of the sports betting week:
3. Missouri State +3½ and +4
The Bears took two solid cracks at handing Drake its first loss of the season (straight-up and against the spread) but didn’t even come away with a cover.
On Jan. 26, Missouri State roared out to a 41-26 halftime lead at home. Drake battled back to tie the game midway through the second half, then made its free throws down the strech to pull out the win and cover -3½ in a 68-61 victory.
The teams played again the next day, part of the two-game series several conferences are using to reduce travel amid the coronavirus pandemic. This one was the opposite of the first, as Drake took a nine-point halftime lead that slowly melted away. Missouri State led with about five minutes to play and trailed only by two with under two minutes to go, but the Bulldogs again won the endgame to cover in a 78-73 victory.
Drake remains undefeated, though the Bulldogs finally didn’t cover in a 78-76 overtime win over Illinois State (+18½) on Sunday.
2. Bulls -140 ML
The Portland Trail Blazers built an 11-point halftime lead over Chicago on Saturday, but the Bulls chipped away throughout the second half.
Chicago finally seemed to settle the matter with a five-point lead at 122-117 with 11.5 seconds to play. However, star Blazers guard Damian Lillard never says die, and he launched a 37-footer that went in with 8.2 seconds left to cut the deficit to two.
The Bulls just needed to inbound the ball and hit a couple of free throws to finish off the win, but the Blazers forced a jump ball with 6.2 seconds left. Lillard won a scramble for the ball and launched a 27-foot fade-away 3-pointer while going out of bounds at the buzzer.
Nothing but net. Blazers win 123-122.
1. LSU +3½
Not only did the Tigers give up a 12-0 run to finish Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, they gave it all up in the final minute.
LSU led 71-64 after a basket with 1:10 left. Mac McClung made two 3-pointers for the Red Raiders, then Terrence Shannon Jr. took over. He made a layup after a steal to give Texas Tech the lead at 72-71 with 27.7 seconds left, then hit two free throws to extend the lead to three with 16.9 to go.
LSU missed a 3 to tie, but had just enough time to foul Shannon with 1.5 seconds left. He sunk both free throws to cap a 76-71 win and cover.
Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.
