The Metro Report: Sports Betting in New York, Washington DC & Philly

Since the advent of Sports Betting the coverage of the New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia markets are essential to prognosticators. So I will expand with my Gaming Guy News minutes into the 3 top cities on the East Coast.

The Sixers are leading the Eastern Conference with a 13-6 record. They defeated the Lakers on Wednesday 107-106. The Sixers got the test they needed to pass to show they are legitimate contenders for the championship. The wins over Boston earlier in the season were good but Jayson Tatum did not play in either game.  Joel Embiid is one of the names mentioned as a top candidate for MVP along with Lebron James. Doc Rivers should receive some consideration for Coach of the Year if the Sixers win more than 50 games. In games that Embiid does not play, the Sixers are 0-4. Embiid is listed as questionable against the Timberwolves. The Sixers are favored by 7 and the total is 224.  The Timberwolves are one of the worst teams in the league so the Sixers should handle them. 

The Brooklyn Nets have a record of 12-8. They have won 3 straight and are 7 -3 over the their last 10 games. Kevin Durant is leading the league in scoring while James Harden is leading in assists.  The Big Three is working at an optimum level offensively.  They lead the league in scoring with 119.8 per game. They are also number one in field goal percentage. They are a work in progress defensively. They are 26th in points allowed. Most of their games trend over. The Nets play the Thunder tonight and they are -9.5 with the total set at 231.5.

The Washington Wizards are continuing to struggle with a 3-11 record. They are last in defense. The Wizards are 4th in points per game. So a change in defensive philosophy is required. They may have to become more creative by trapping the opposing team's top scorer or play a zone to force the opponent to shoot from outside. The Bradley Beal trade rumors continue. I would like to see him and Russell Westbrook stay put. The Wizards have missed several games due to Covid protocols and not having enough players available to dress for the games.  This indicates that guidelines were not adhered to. The Wizards are at home tonight against the Atlanta Hawks. They are getting 4 and the total is 234.

The New York Knicks have a record of  8-11. They are 4th in the league in rebounding. They allow the fewest points to be scored against them. However, they struggle to score over 100 points a game. That equates to 47% of their 19 games. When  they play a team that is ranked in the top 15 defensively this is a trending under play on how many the Knicks will score as a team. The Knicks play the Cavaliers tonight and they are +1.0. The total is 208.0.

My Sports Betting Minute Tip of the day is for NBA action and in game wagering. 

The Eagles have selected Nick Sirianni as their new head coach. Sirianni most recently served as offensive coordinator for the past three seasons in Indianapolis under Frank Reich, who became the Colts' head coach after helping the Eagles win Super Bowl LII. In that role, the up-and-coming NFL coach played a major part in helping Indianapolis reach the postseason in 2018 and 2020. This week Duce Staley decided to to go to the Detroit Lions as their running back coach.  This disappointed some Eagles fans who wanted to see him as the coach to replace Doug Pederson. The Eagles have the 6th pick in the NFL Draft and are projected to pick Jaylen Waddle from Alabama.

The Sports Betting Business in Philadelphia is getting a new member. Live Casino is joining the action with Fan Duel as the sports platform provider. Since most of the wagers from competitors are coming from the online betting via mobile and tablet apps, it will be interesting to see who does the best job regionally marketing their retail location. Competition bring creativity. The existing Casino Operators include Rivers Casino Philadelphia, Parx Casino, Valley Forge Resort and Casino and Harrah Philadelphia.

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The Metro Report: Sports Betting in Philly , New York and Washington DC

The Eagles turn the page from Doug Pedersen and fired him on Monday. It was rumored that he would return along with GM Howie Roseman. Only Roseman remains with the team. Owner Jeff Lurie gave the reason as a difference in philosophy on what was needed to fix things. The approach is Lurie is looking at appears to be more long term. The person mentioned as a candidate to replace Pedersen is Todd Bowles. defensive coordinator  for the Tampa  Bay Buccaneers.

Washington Football lost to the Bucs in the opening round  of the NFL Wild Card Playoffs. The score was 31-23.The quarterback, Taylor Heinicke  played an excellent game. Coach Rivera indicated that settling the QB position would be an off season priority. Alex Smith wanted to wait a couple week before he decides his future about continuing to play. He is under contract for next season.

The Jets have two picks in the 1st round of the NFL Draft 2021. They have the 2nd, 23rd  and 34 picks. This bodes well for the Jets because this draft is deep in talent. If they plan to move on from Sam Darnold then a QB is the way to go with the second pick. If they still want to commit to Darnold, then DeVonta Smith ,Heisman Trophy receiver from Alabama would up grade the offense immediately.

The Sixers broke a 3 game losing streak last night by defeating the Heat 137-134. Joel Embiid played a monster game. He led the team with 45 points and 16 rebounds. The Sixers are still without the services of Tobias Harris, Shake Milton and Seth Curry due to COVID protocol. Sixers play the Heat again on Thursday. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic did not play last night. Butler has been ruled out for Thursday game. 

The Brooklyn Nets will be without Kyrie Irving for the balance of this week. He has cited personal reasons for his absence. The team is not commenting on the situation. There is a video that appears to show Irving not adhering to COVID protocols .Watch the video. If a player is found to miss games due to a violation , each game missed can result in a reduction of salary for each game missed. Nets are 6-6 and 7th in the conference standing. 

The Nets continued to stay in the headlines with the acquisition of James Harden from the Houston Rockets.It involved a 4 team trade to complete the deal. While the loss of Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince will decrease the depth of the team, having the multiple time scoring champion will make up for the point production. The Nets included 4 first round picks so they are all in.

The Wizards continue to be exciting but unable to win or defend. They have a record of 3-8.  Bradley Beal is the leading scorer. Russell Westbrook is continuing to get triple double numbers every night. Thomas Bryant suffer a torn ACL and is out for the season. Westbrook is out for a week due to a left quad injury.

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NBA Conference Finals

NBA Conference Finals are here. The review of the semi finals has us at 75 %. Philly losing to Boston was the only selection that fell short. Warriors won in 5 as predicted and Lebron dominated the Raptors. Again! We did not think sweep however. We did think that about Rockets but they took care of business in 5.

Cavs and Celtics- Take the Cavs over the Celtics in 6. Lebron will not let his team give away games the way the Sixers did. Kevin Love and Kyle Korver are playing well at the right time. The Celtics youth will show up this round with Tatum and Rozier.

They need Kyrie!

Rockets and Warriors- Warriors in seven. A great series with defense of Golden State deciding it. Rockets must shoot exceptional to hang with Warriors. Warriors will defend and challenge 3 point shooters. Durant will dominate his match up with Harden. Paul will play well against Curry.

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NBA Playoffs - Round 2

Here is a recap of the hits and misses of the 1st round predictions.
Hits were Jazz over Thunder. Sixers over Heat and Cavs over Pacers.
The amount of games the Sixers and Cavs took was slightly off but they won.

Misses were the broom alerts for the Spurs and Timberwolves. Each won a game on
their home court. The over in each game of Pelicans and Blazers hit 50%. Prediction
was set at 100%.

In the 2nd Round, Philly will beat the Celtics in 6. Philly will run on Boston. Something
the Bucks were not able to do. They play defense and will not let Boston score inside.

Cavs over Raptors. Lebron will continue to dominate and lead the Cavs over the Raptors in
6. Toronto comes up short again.

Warriors and Rockets will win their series over the Pelicans and Jazz in 4 and 5 respectively.
A broom alert is set for Pelicans. Durant and Harden meet in the conference finals.

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NBA Playoffs 2018

We will give our take on some of the 1st round games.

Sixers and Heat. Sixers in 6. Even without Embiid. Better defensively and superior bench. Miami may resort to fouling Simmons and slowing the game down to use Whiteside more.

Best 4/5 series. Cavs and Pacers. Lebron and Lance meet again. Same result in 5 games. Cavs win.

Broom Alert - Rockets over Timberwolves. Warriors over Spurs. One of these will end in 4.

Best Offensive Series - Portland and Pelicans. Take the over in every game.

Upset likely to happen. The series where a lower seed defeats a higher one. Jazz over Thunder.

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SixersTalk & NBA Free Agency

The NBA took center stage this week with the signings and trade period that officially started on July 1. So many impactful deals all around the league. The Sixers were involved as they signed J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson. They improved their 3 point shooting and added a quality backup to their frontcount. Sixers can vie for a playoff position if Ben Simmons is the player he was when drafted number 1 last year. They also  need a healthy Joel Embiid that plays the majority of the games and at least 30 minutes a night. The eastern conference is very fluid due to roster moves by other teams. The Sixers could take advantage of this  if they gels together quickly.

J.J. Redick

The top NBA Free Agent moves so far involve Paul George,Gordon Haywood and Chris Paul.

Paul George going to OKC improves their chances of returning to the playoffs by 15%. They got their this past season largely due to Russell Westbrook's stellar year. Now that he has help, the win total will increase. OKC must sign George to a contract extension or they will be in this same situation next season.

Haywood and George switch conferences

Gordon Haywood is the perfect fix for Boston. He is what they coveted and gives them the player that makes them the 2nd best team in the East. They match up better with the Cavs The Celtics should vie for best record in the conference and should be the odd on favorite because they had that distinction last season without Haywood.

James Harden & Chris Paul

Chris Paul being traded to Houston signals that the Rockets were not going to stand pat and play second fiddle to the Warriors. If they make one more move and acquire a marquee frontcourt player,they become the projected 2nd seed in the West. Harden and Paul merit consideration for the best guard tandem in the league. The Rockets  leap over the Spurs and distance themselves from Memphis and Dallas.

Team to watch: Minnesota, with the addition of Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson, will improve their roster by 20% and become more sound defensively. They have a great chance to make the playoffs and have the athletes to guard multiple positions.

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NBA Playoffs: 2nd Round Matchups

Boston vs. Wizards: Celtics will have a difficult time with Wall and Beal. Wizards can get points quickly. Boston will have to shoot well from outside to stay in this series. Wizards win this one in 6.

Cavs vs. Raptors: Lebron is too much for Toronto. Lowry has a way of not showing up for playoffs on the road. Cavs win in 5.

Warriors vs. Clippers/Jazz winner:  Warriors win in 4. It does that not matter who they play. When you combine rest and the best team, you get the broom. Durant and Curry will dominate this series.

Spurs and Rockets: This is the most intriguing match up. A case can be made for both teams. Leonard can handle Harden. Spurs in 7.

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NBA Playoffs Preview: Western Conference

Let's look at the Western Conference where most of the elite NBA teams are.

The Warriors are the top seed and the favorite to win the title. They should beat the Blazers in 5 games. Too many weapons for Portland.

Spurs should sweep the Grizzlies. Memphis just not offensive enough to hang in a series with a team
that has multiple threats. Leonard dominates this series.

Clippers over the Jazz in 6. Clippers have a way of making things difficult. Jazz will dictate tempo and win two games at home. Chris Paul puts his team on his back and wins the last two games of this series.

The best matchup is the Rockets against the Thunder. Harden vs. Westbrook. The top MVP candidates and the leaders in triple doubles. Harden has more to work with than Westbrook and has the 3 ball analytic on his side. Three of the games during the regular season were decided by 3 points or less. If Westbrook gets help from Gibson and Mcdermott, this series goes seven. Going with Westbrook in six.

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NBA Fav Five:Week Six

This post will appear every Monday. We will change the lineup this week with the addition of Rudy Gay from the Kings. He will come to the five in place of  Otto Porter.  The other starters will remain intact. Russell Westbrook, Lebron James, James Harden and Karl Anthony -Towns are the still part of our fav five. This is a group that consistently gives production every night. Who is your fav five?

Rudy Gay

Westbrook is averaging a triple double as of this post. This was reported in a article from ESPN.

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NBA Fav Five:Week Five

This feature will post every Monday during the season. We have found the perfect team. All of the players from last week performed at the levels anticipated. Lebron James, Russell Westbrook and James Harden were the key performers. Karl Anthony-Towns and Otto Porter did as expected. We will start the same team this week. This week,we will look for additional ways to evaluate players and share our findings next Monday. So compare your five to our and we will see you next week.


Here is a look at how three members of our team looked when they were drafted into the NBA.

King James

Russell Westbrook

Karl Anthony Towns

Four members of our fav five have appeared in GQ. Can you name the one that has not been in that publication?

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NBA Fav Five:Week Four

This feature will post every Monday during the season. Lebron James was a great addition to the team . He had a triple double and just missed in two other games. Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul

posted great numbers as well. But while this was happening, James Harden is doing MVP type work with the Houston Rockets. Since we are always looking to upgrade the team and both of these payers are in the elite price range, Paul is out and Harden is in.

James Harden

Note: Don't develop an emotional attachment to a player. We like Chris Paul's game more than Harden's. The decision should always be based on productivity.

TJ Warren fell short of the 30 to 35 scoring level and is off the team. So is Nikola Vucevic. He exceeded the number once , fell short slightly and failed miserable in three contrasting performances. The additions at forward and center respectively are Otto Porter and Karl Anthony-Towns. Porter comes out a good price. KAT will give 20 points in scoring with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. We expect 32 points from him. We are right at the edge of the salary cap of 45,000 with this team. If they perform as expected they are worth the investment.

Otto Porter

Karl-Anthony Towns

Starting next week, we will extend the cap to 50,000 to allow more flexibility in selecting a team. We will always stay under the designated number.

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