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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, MLB, NHL, Copa America and Euro 2020 Previews and Odds - 06/17/2021

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Jun 17, 2021

The Thursday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, the Euro 2020, and the Copa America.One game is on the NBA docket. Brooklyn travels to Milwaukee on ESPN at 8:35 PM ET in the sixth game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Nets took a 3-2 lead in this series with their 114-108 win at home against the Bucks as a 1.5-point underdog on Tuesday. Milwaukee is a 5.5-point favorite, with the total set at 220 (all odds from BetOnline).The NHL playoffs continue with Tampa Bay visiting the New York Islanders on the NBC Sports Network at 8:08 PM ET in Game 3 of their semifinals series. The Lightning evened this series at 1-1 with their 4-2 victory at home on Tuesday. The Islanders had their four-game winning streak end with the loss. Tampa Bay is a -138 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.Ten games are on the MLB slate. Baltimore visits Cleveland at 1:10 PM ET. San Francisco plays at home against Arizona at 3:45 PM ET as a -201 money line favorite with the total of 7.5. The New York Yankees is at Toronto (in Buffalo) at 7:07 PM ET. The New York Mets host the Chicago Cubs at 7:10 PM ET as a -134 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Atlanta is at home against St. Louis at 7:20 PM ET as a -183 money line favorite with a total of 9. Houston hosts the Chicago White Sox at 8:10 PM ET as a -131 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Milwaukee visits Colorado at 8:40 PM ET as a -157 money line road favorite with a total of 10. San Diego is at home against Cincinnati as a -167 money line favorite with an over/under of 7. The Los Angeles Angels play at home against Detroit at 9:38 PM ET as a -205 money line favorite with a total of 9. Tampa Bay is at Seattle at 10:10 PM ET as a -167 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.Five games are on the WNBA schedule. Seattle travels to Indiana at 7 PM ET as a 15.5-point road favorite with a total of 165.5. Atlanta visits Washington as a 4-point road favorite with an over/under of 165.5. Connecticut plays at Chicago at 8 PM ET. Minnesota is at Dallas on the CBS Sports Network. New York plays on the road at Las Vegas in the second game of the CBS Sports Network doubleheader at 10 PM ET.The Euro 2020 continues with three matches on ESPN. North Macedonia plays Ukraine at 9 AM ET at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania. North Macedonia lost by a 3-1 score to Austria in their opening match on Sunday. Ukraine comes off a 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands on Sunday. Ukraine is a -0.75 goal line favorite with a total of 2.25.Belgium plays Denmark at noon PM ET at the Parken in Copenhagen, Denmark. Belgium comes off a 3-0 victory against Russia on Saturday. The Danes take the field after the Christian Eriksen scare and a 1-0 loss to Finland. Belgium is a 0.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25.Austria plays the Netherlands at 3 PM ET at Amsterdam Arena in Amsterdam. The Dutch are a -1 goal line favorite with a total of 2.75.Two matches take place in the Copa America on FS1. Venezuela plays Columbia at 5 PM at the Estadio Olimpico Pedro Ludovico in Goiania, Brazil. Venezuela comes off a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Sunday. Columbia defeated Ecuador by a 1-0 score on Sunday. Colombia is a -1.5 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.5. Brazil plays Peru at 8 PM ET at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Peru makes their debut in this Copa America. Brazil is a -1.75 goal line favorite with a total of 2.75.

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NHL Hockey: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders Game 3 Preview, Odds and Prediction - 06/17/2021

by Big Al Staff

Thursday, Jun 17, 2021

NHL Thursday USA Network Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning at the New York Islanders.Tampa Bay evened their semifinal series with New York with a 4-2 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday.Brayden Point opened the scoring for the Lightning with a goal at the 8:58 minute mark of the first period. Brock Nelson leveled the score with a power-play goal 5 1/2 minutes later in the period. Ondrej Palat gave Tampa Bay the lead again at 13:15 of the second period. Jan Rutta gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead with his goal at 2:16 of the third period. Victor Hedman extended the lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal at 9:17. Matt Barzal scored a final time for the Islanders at 16:44, but they could not draw the game any closer. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay goaltender has a 9-4 record in this postseason with a 2.21 goals-against-average and a .933 save percentage.  The Lightning top-line of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat generated five points in Game 2, with Kucherov assisting on three goals. He leads the team with17 assists and 22 points in the playoffs. Point has scored 10 goals. Steven Stamkos has another five goals and nine assists centering the second-line.The Lighting had five power-play opportunities on Tuesday after getting only two chances with the man-advantage in Game 1. Tampa Bay scores only the one power-play goal from Hedman. With two power-play goals in seven opportunities in this series, the Lightning have scored 17 power plays goals in the playoffs from 43 chances for a 39.5% success rate. They averaged 3.3 power plays per game in their first two playoff series. New York goaltender Semyon Varlamov left Game 1 at 13:05 in the first period after a collision with Point. Ilya Sorokin came into the game trailing 1-0 and stopped all six shots he faced. Varlamov returned to the ice to begin the second period to play the rest of the game. He made 23 saves on the 27 shots he faced. Varlamov has a 5-4 record this postseason with a 2.64 goals-against-average and a .923 save percentage. In his last seven starts since taking over in Game 2 against Boston last round, Varlamov has stopped 222 of the 239 shots he has faced for a .929 save percentage. Sorokin has a 4-1 record in the playoffs with a 2.28 goals-against-average and a .936 save percentage. Jean-Gabriel Pageau leads the Islanders with ten assists and 13 points in the playoffs. Josh Bailey is second on the team with 12 points coming from five goals and seven assists. Kyle Palmieri leads with seven goals.Pageau is day-to-day with an injury that kept him out for the last 13 minutes of Game 2.New York returns home to Nassau Coliseum, where they 21-4-3 during the regular season. The Islanders are 4-2 at home in the playoffs. BetAnySports lists Tampa Bay as a -132 money line road favorite with the total set at 5.Computer prediction:  New York Islanders 4 Tampa Bay Lightning 3

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NHL Hockey: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Montreal Canadiens Game 2 Preview and Odds - 06/16/2021

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021

NHL Wednesday NBC Sports Network Preview: Montreal Canadiens at the Vegas Golden Knights.Vegas looks to take a 2-0 lead in their semifinals series with Montreal after taking Game 1 by a 4-1 score on Monday.Vegas opened the scoring at the 9:15 minute mark of the first period with a goal from Shea Theodore. Alec Martinez made it a 2-0 score at the 2:18 minute mark into the second period. Cole Caufield cut the score in half with a power-play goal at 12:05 of the second period. Mattias Janmark with a goal 53 seconds later to give the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead. Nick Holden added the final score at 10:06 of the third period. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced while making +3.6 saves above expectation in the game. He has a 9-4 record in the postseason with a 1.84 goals-against-average and a .927 save percentage. Second-line center William Karlsson leads the team with 12 points in the playoffs from four goals and eight assists. Second-line right wing Reilly Smith has nine points from two goals and seven assists. Second-line left wing Jonathan Marchessault leads the Knights with six playoff goals. Top-line forwards Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone, third-line forwards Alex Tuch and Mattias Janmark, and defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore have all chipped in eight points. The game on Monday was the first time that the Canadiens played in the United States since March 7th of 2020. With over 18,500 fans in attendance at T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas strip, the contest was also the first time that Montreal had played in front of more than 2500 fans since March 10th of last year. Montreal responded to the environment by generating seven high danger scoring chances in the first period, all thwarted by Fleury. Vegas had only one high danger scoring chance in the first 20 minutes but still went into the locker room with the 1-0 lead from the Theodore goal. Carey Price made 26 saves in the loss. He has an 8-4 record in the playoffs with a 2.15 goals-against-average and a .929 save percentage. Tyler Toffoli leads the team with four goals, seven assists, and 11 points in the postseason. Nick Suzuki has also scored four goals while adding four assists. Eric Staal, Joel Armia, and Corey Perry all have seven points apiece. Injuries are taking a toll on the Canadiens. Top-line left wing Tomas Tatar is out indefinitely. Top-four defenseman Jeff Petry has missed the last two games with an injury. He is questionable to play tonight. Fourth-line center Jake Evans is questionable as he goes through the concussion protocol. Depth defenseman Jon Merrill, a trade deadline acquisition from Detroit, is questionable with a lower-body injury. Vegas is as healthy as they have been all season. They are unbeaten at home at the Fortress since COVID-related capacity guidelines got lifted. The victory on Monday extended their winning streak to five games. Montreal's seven-game winning streak ended with the loss.BookMaker lists Vegas as a -275 money line favorite with the total set at 5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA and Euro 2020 Previews and Odds - 06/16/2021

by Big Al Staff

Wednesday, Jun 16, 2021

The Wednesday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, and the Euro 2020.Two games are on the NBA docket. Philadelphia hosts Atlanta at 7:30 PM ET on TNT in the fifth game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Hawks evened things at 2-2 with their 103-100 upset victory at home as a 2.5-point underdog on Monday. Philadelphia is a 6-point favorite with a total set at 223.5 (all odds from BetOnline).Utah plays at home against the Los Angeles Clippers at 10 PM in the second game of the TNT doubleheader in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinals series. The Clippers made it a 2-2 series with their 118-104 win against the Jazz as a 5.5-point favorite on Monday. Utah is a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 222.The semifinals of the NHL playoffs continue with Vegas at home against Montreal on the NBC Sports Network at 9:08 PM ET. The Golden Knights won the opening game of this series with a 4-1 victory on Monday. The Canadiens had their seven-game winning streak end with the loss. Vegas is a -240 money line favorite with a total of 5. Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. Miami visits St. Louis at 1:15 PM ET as a -113 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8. Kansas City is at home against Detroit at 2:10 PM ET as a -142 money line favorite with a total of 9. Milwaukee hosts Cincinnati as a -146 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Chicago White Sox are at home against Tampa Bay as a -131 money line favorite with a total of 8. San Diego travels to Colorado at 3:10 PM ET as a -175 money line road favorite with an over/under of 11.5. Oakland plays at home against the Los Angeles Angels at 3:37 PM ET as a -120 money line favorite with a total of 9. Pittsburgh plays at Washington at 4:05 PM ET.The New York Yankees travels to Toronto (in Buffalo) at 7:07 PM ET as a -159 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Chicago Cubs play at the New York Mets at 7:10 PM ET. Cleveland is at home against Baltimore as a -150 money line favorite with a total of 8. Atlanta hosts Boston on ESPN at 7:20 PM ET. The Braves turn to Ian Anderson as their starting pitcher to face the Red Sox’s Garrett Richards. Atlanta is a -151 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Houston plays at home against Texas at 8:10 PM ET as a -225 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. San Francisco is at home against Arizona at 9:45 PM ET as a -175 money line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against Philadelphia at 10:10 PM ET as a -145 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. Minnesota visits Seattle as a -119 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5.One game takes place in the WNBA. Phoenix travels to Los Angeles at 10:30 PM ET.Three matches take place in Euro 2020. Russia plays Finland on ESPN at 9 AM ET at the Gazprom Arena in St. Peterburg, Russia. Russia lost to Belgium, 3-0, in their opening match on Saturday. The Finns defeated Denmark, 1-0, in their first group stage match on Saturday. Russia is a -0.75 goal line favorite with a total of 2.25. Turkey plays Wales on ESPN at noon ET at the Baku Olympic Stadium in Azerbaijan. The Turks lost to Italy, 3-0, in the first group stage match on Friday. The Welsh earned a 1-1 draw with Switzerland on Saturday. Turkey is a -0.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.Italy faces Switzerland on ESPN at 3 PM ET at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The Italians are a -0.75 goal line favorite with a total of 2.25.

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Is Novak Djokovic The Greatest Men's Tennis Player Of All-time? 

by Ben Burns

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021

I've always been a tennis fan. My first racket was a wooden Dunlop, painted black with John McEnroe's signature on it. I thought it was the coolest. Back then, "Johnny Mac" had some epic battles with the likes of Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl. I was young but still remember pretty well. Björn Borg was a little before my time. Later, came the likes of Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Jim Courier. Andre Agassi was great but he arguably didn't have the career that Pete Sampras did. I remember thinking that "Pistol Pete" was indeed "The Goat." After all, when he retired, he had won 14 major titles, the most of anyone at the time. While he wasn't as dominant on clay, on any other surface, Sampras was an absolute beast. Lendl said this of Sampras' serve: “the ball just crumbled on your racquet.”One might have assumed that Sampras' record would stand for a long time. Yet, less than 20 years since he retired, three different players have broken it. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are tied at 20 titles each. At 19, Novak Djokovic is right on their heels. The recently finished French Open may ultimately play a role in determining the best ever. If Nadal, long the undisputed King Of Clay, could have won, it would have given him 21 Grand Slam titles. That would have been one ahead of Federer and three ahead of Djokovic. That didn't happen though, as Novak knocked off Rafael in the semis. In the final, Djokovic found himself down two sets. The world's #1 knew the historic significance of the match. Calmly, he dug deep, bounced back and won the next three sets. Instead of Nadal having a "commanding" lead, in terms of slam titles, he and Federer are only one ahead of Djokovic. Federer may not get any more. Nadal will have to wait a year for another crack at Roland-Garros. Yet, the way Djokovic looked Sunday, he may well add another by next month; Wimbledon starts in two weeks. So, when it's all said and done, Djokovic has an excellent chance of holding the most titles in the history of men's tennis. He's already held the World's #1 ranking for 325 weeks, more than any other player in history. Federer may always receive more love from the fans and the bigger endorsements. However, it's looking more and more likely that Djokovic will go down as: "The Goat." 

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NHL Hockey: New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Game 2 Preview and Odds - 06/15/2021

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021

NHL Tuesday NBC Sports Network Preview: New York Islanders at the Tampa Bay Lightning.Tampa Bay looks to even this series at 1-1 at home in their Amelie Arena before things move to Nassau Coliseum for Games 3 and 4. New York won the opening game of this semifinals series with a 2-1 victory on the road in Game 1 on Sunday. After a scoreless first period, Matthew Barzal opened the scoring at the 12:32 minute mark of the second period. Barzal has scored four goals in his last five games. Ryan Pulock extended the lead to 2-0 at 5:36 of the third period. Brayden Point got the Lightning on the board with 54 seconds left in the game with a power-play goal and a six-on-four advantage with goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy pulled. Tampa Bay failed to score a second goal to force overtime. Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced in the victory. Since taking over in the net for Ilya Sorokin in the second game of their second-round series with Boston, Varlamov has a .939 save percentage in his last six straight starts. He has a 5-3 record with a 2.43 goals-against-average and a .930 save percentage this postseason. Jean-Gabriel Page leads the Islanders with ten assists and 13 points in the playoffs. Josh Bailey is second on the team with 12 points coming from five goals and seven assists. Kyle Palmieri leads with seven goals. Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced on Sunday. He has an 8-4 record in the playoffs with a 2.23 goals-against-average and a .934 save percentage. Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 14 assists and 19 points in the playoffs. Point’s nine goals are tops for the team in the postseason. Alex Killorn and Steven Stamkos have both added 13 points. The Lighting only had two power-play opportunities in Game 1. They entered the series with 15 power-play goals in 36 opportunities with the man advantage for a 41.7% conversion rate. They averaged 3.3 power plays per game in their first two playoff series. New York was the least penalized team in the regular season, with 153 penalties committed. Their 7:00 minutes of penalty minutes per game and 3:13 shorthanded minutes per game in the playoffs are the lowest averages of the remaining four teams. The Islanders lost to the Lightning in last year’s Eastern Conference finals in a six-game series in the Toronto bubble. Head coach Barry Trotz has 17 players back from that battle. They beat Pittsburgh in six games in the opening round of the playoffs this year before defeating the Bruins in six games last round. New York has won eight of their last ten games.Jon Cooper’s team defeated Florida in six games in the opening round of the playoffs in their endeavor to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Tampa Bay beat Carolina in five games last round. The Lightning had won five of six games before the setback on Sunday.BetAnySports lists Tampa  Bay as a -190 money line favorite with the total set at 5.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA and Euro 2020 Previews and Odds - 06/15/2021

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Jun 15, 2021

The Tuesday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, and the Euro 2020.One game is on the NBA docket. Milwaukee travels to Brooklyn on TNT at 8:35 PM ET in the fifth game of their Eastern Conference semifinals series. The Bucks evened this series at 2-2 with their 107-96 upset victory as a 2-point underdog on Sunday. The Nets had won four in a row before that loss. Milwaukee is a 4-point road favorite, with the total set at 217.5 (all odds from BetOnline). Tampa Bay hosts the New York Islanders on the NBC Sports Network at 8:08 PM ET in Game 2 of their NHL playoff semifinals. The Islanders took Game 1 with a 2-1 victory on Sunday. The Lightning are a -195 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. Washington is at home against Pittsburgh at 7:05 PM ET as a -157 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Toronto hosts the New York Yankees at 7:07 PM ET as a -116 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The New York Mets play at home against the Chicago Cubs on ESPN at 7:10 PM ET as a -142 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Cleveland is at home against Baltimore as a -163 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Boston visits Atlanta at 7:20 PM ET as a -109 money line road favorite with a total of 9.Cincinnati travels to Milwaukee at 8:10 PM ET as a -106 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Chicago White Sox host Tampa Bay as a -109 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Houston is at home against Texas as a -180 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Kansas City plays at home against Detroit as a -139 money line favorite with a total of 9. St. Louis is at home against Miami at 8:15 PM ET as a -112 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. San Diego visits Colorado at 8:40 PM ET as a -220 money line road favorite with a total of 11. Oakland hosts the Los Angeles Angels at 9:40 PM ET as a -125 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Arizona plays at San Francisco at 9:45 PM ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against Philadelphia at 10:10 PM ET as a -175 money line favorite with a total of 9. Minnesota travels to Seattle as a -110 money line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5.Two matches take place in the Euro 2020 on ESPN to conclude the first round of games. Portugal plays Hungary at noon ET as a -1.25 goal line favorite with a total of 2.5. Germany plays France at 3 PM ET in a pick ‘em match with an over/under of 2.25.Three games are on the WNBA schedule. Seattle visits Indiana at 7 PM ET. Chicago plays at Minnesota on ESPN2 at 9 PM ET. New York travels to Las Vegas at 10 PM ET.

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, MLB, Euro 2020 and Copa America Previews and Odds - 06/14/2021

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Jun 14, 2021

The Monday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, Euro 2020, and the Copa America.Two games are on the NBA playoff docket. Philadelphia visits Atlanta on TNT at 7:35 PM ET. The 76ers took a 2-1 lead in this series with their 127-111 victory at Atlanta as a 1.5-point road favorite on Friday. The Hawks have lost the last two games of this series after taking Game 1, 127-111. Philadelphia is a 3-point road favorite with the total of 225.5. The Los Angeles Clippers host Utah on TNT at 10:05 PM ET. The Clippers come off a 132-106 victory at home against the Jazz as a 4.5-point home favorite on Saturday. Utah had won six straight games before that loss. Los Angeles is a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under of 223.5. Vegas hosts Montreal in the opening game of their semifinals series on the NBC Sports Network at 9:08 PM ET. The Golden Knights won four games in a row to defeat Colorado in six games in the West Division final. The Canadiens have won seven in a row after their four-game sweep of Winnipeg in the North Division finals. Vegas is a -267 money line favorite with a total of 5.5.Thirteen games are on the MLB slate. Washington visits Pittsburgh at 7:05 PM ET as a -118 money line favorite with an over/under of 9. Boston plays at home against Toronto at 7:10 PM ET as a -119 money line favorite with a total of 10. Baltimore visits Cleveland. The New York Mets play at home against the Chicago Cubs as a -107 money line favorite with a total of 9. The Chicago White Sox play at home against Tampa Bay at 8:10 PM ET as a -105 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Milwaukee hosts Cincinnati as a -143 money line favorite with a total of 9. Kansas City is a -131 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. St. Louis is at home against Miami at 8:15 PM ET as a -155 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. San Diego plays at Colorado at 8:40 PM ET as a -151 money line road favorite with an over/under of 11.5. Oakland hosts the Los Angeles Angels at 9:40 PM ET as a -154 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. Arizona travels to San Francisco at 9:45 PM ET. Minnesota plays at Seattle at 10:10 PM ET as a -123 money line road favorite of 8. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the Phillies as a -171 money line favorite with an over/under of 9.Three games take place in the Euro 2020 on ESPN. The Czech Republic plays Scotland in a pick ‘em matchup at 9 AM ET. Poland is a -0.5 goal lime favorite against Slovakia with the total at 2. Spain plays Sweden as a -1.25 goal line favorite as a 1.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25. The Copa America begins the second day of their tournament with two matches. Argentina plays in Rio De Janeiro against Chile as a -0.75 goal line favorite with a total of 2.25. Paraguay plays against Bolivia as a -1.25 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL, NBA, WNBA, Euro 2020 and MLB Previews and Odds - 06/13/2021

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Jun 13, 2021

The Sunday sports card features games in the NBA, NHL, MLB, WNBA, and Euro 2020.Two games are on the NBA playoff docket. Brooklyn plays at Milwaukee on ABC at 3:05 PM ET in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Bucks won their first game in this series with their 86-83 victory against the Nets as a 3.5-point favorite on Thursday. The Nets had their four-game winning streak end with the loss. Brooklyn is a 2-point road favorite, with the total set at 228 (all odds from BetOnline). Phoenix visits Denver on TNT at 8:05 PM ET in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinals series. The Suns took a 3-0 series lead with their 116-102 upset victory on the road as a 2-point underdog on Friday. The Nuggets have lost four of their last six games. Phoenix is a 3.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 222.The semifinals of the NHL playoffs begin with Tampa Bay hosting the New York Islanders on NBC at 3:08 PM ET. The Lightning advanced to the final four by defeating Carolina in five games with their 2-0 victory on the road last Tuesday. The Islanders have won three in a row after defeating Boston in six games with their 6-2 victory at home last Wednesday. Tampa Bay is a -188 money line favorite with a total of 5.5.Fifteen games are on the MLB slate. Philadelphia plays at home against the New York Yankees at 1:05 PM ET as a -124 money line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. San Francisco visits Washington. San Diego is at New York against the Mets at 1:10 PM ET as a -122 money line road favorite with a total of 8. Cleveland plays at home against Seattle as a -229 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Toronto travels to Boston as a -120 money line road favorite with a total of 10. Miami is at home against Atlanta as a -128 money line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. Cincinnati hosts Colorado as a -150 money line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Chicago White Sox visits Detroit. Baltimore plays at Tampa Bay. Milwaukee is at home against Pittsburgh at 2:10 PM ET as a -200 money line favorite with a total of 9. Houston visits Minnesota as a -140 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. Oakland hosts Kansas City at 4:07 PM ET as a -181 money line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Los Angeles Angels play at Arizona at 4:10 PM ET as a -126 money line road favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against Texas as a -250 money line favorite with a total of 7.5. The Chicago Cubs play at home agent St. Louis on ESPN at 7:08 PM ET. The Cubs are a -135 money line favorite. Three games are on the Euro 2020 schedule. Croatia plays England at Wembley Stadium in London on ESPN at 9 AM ET. England is a -0.75 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25. North Macedonia faces Austria at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania, on ESPN at noon ET. Austria is a -0.75 goal line favorite with a total of 2.25. Ukraine plays the Netherlands at Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on ESPN at 3 PM ET. The Dutch are a -1 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25.Four games take place in the WNBA. Seattle visits Connecticut at 2 PM ET. Washington plays at Atlanta at 3:30 PM ET. Dallas travels to Las Vegas at 6 PM ET. New York is at Phoenix at 6 PM ET.

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Euro 2020 Group D Preview: England, Croatia, Czech Republic, Scotland

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jun 12, 2021

Euro 2020 Group D Preview: England, Croatia, Czech Republic, Scotland.Group D of the Euro 2020 features two teams that battled in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and two other teams quite familiar with group host England. England is the favorite to win the group with a roster that is an embarrassment of riches. The Three Lions reached the knockout stage in the 2016 Euro before advancing to the semifinals of the World Cup two years later where they lost to Croatia. Tottenham forward Harry Kane will lead the attack with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Manchester City’s Phil Foden, Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish, and Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho all viable options for manager Gareth Southgate to join him up top. Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Chelsea’s Mason Mount are locked in the midfield. Man United’s Harry Maguire and Man City’s John Stones form the foundation of the backline at center back. FIFA ranks England as 4th in the world. The ELO ratings place them 7th. DraftKings lists the Three Lions to win the tournament at +650.Croatia lost to France in the 2018 World Cup finals after defeating England in the semifinals. That accomplishment peaked a golden generation as midfielder Ivan Rakitic, forward Mario Mandzukic, and keeper Daniel Subasic have since retired from international play. The Chequered Ones were wobbly in their Euro qualifying matches before eventually getting the job done. They did not perform well in their UEFA Nations League matches, but they were in a stacked group that included France, Portugal, and Sweden.An aging roster still has elite talent at the top of their games. 35-year-old Luka Modric continues to star in the Real Madrid midfield. 32-year-old midfielder Ivan Perisic played a vital role in Inter Milan’s winning Serie A this year. He was teammates with Marcelo Brozovic, who will play in a stacked midfield. Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic adds additional flair to the middle of the field for the Croatians. FIFA ranks Croatia 14th in the world. The ELO ratings place them 18th. DraftKings lists the Chequered Ones at +4000 to win this event. The Czech Republic has a rich history at Euros with a second-place finish in 1998, a semifinals result in 2004, and a quarterfinals appearance in 2012. The National Side did not advance out of the group stage in the 2016 Euro before failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The Czechs qualified for this tournament by finishing in second place to England in their group. They defeated the Three Lions, 2-1, on their home soil. A 1-1 draw with Belgium in a World Cup qualifying match on March 27th inspired confidence in this team.West Ham United teammates Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal are leaders in the starting XI in the midfield and backline. Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrick Schick will anchor the attack up top.The Czech Republic ranks 40th in the world by FIFA. They place 31st in the ELO rating system. DraftKings list them at +12500 to win the tournament. Scotland will be playing in their first major international tournament since the 1998 World Cup. While the Tartan Army finished in third place in their Euro qualifying group, they advanced to this tournament with playoff victories against Israel and Serbia that both went to penalty kicks to resolve the match. The Scots can draw on a 2-2 draw at the Netherlands in a tune-up friendly on June 2nd for optimism. Despite inexperience in recent international competitions, Scotland has a deep roster filled with players from the English Premier League. Manager Steve Clarke will move Arsenal’s left back Kiernan Tierney to a center back spot to accommodate Liverpool’s Andy Robertson, one of the best attacking left backs in the world. Newcastle United’s Ryan Fraser and Aston Villa’s John McGinn form the foundation in the midfield. Southampton’s Che Adams leads the attack upfront. FIFA ranks the Tartan Army as 44th in the world. The ELO ratings place them 42nd. DraftKings prices them at +20000 to win the tournament.

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Euro 2020 Group C Preview: Austria, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Ukraine

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jun 12, 2021

Euro 2020 Group C Preview: Austria, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Ukraine.Group C of the Euro 2020 is considered by many observers to be the weakest of the six groups in this tournament. None of the four teams competed in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Yet it may be premature to write off any of these sides, with all four being able to point to recent positive developments. The Netherlands was one of Europe’s heavyweights last decade with an appearance in the 2010 World Cup final followed by a semifinals finish in the 2014 World Cup. After failing to qualify for the Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, manager Ronald Koeman got tasked to overhaul the roster from its golden generation with younger talent. The Flying Dutchmen reached the finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League, where they lost to Portugal two years ago. The Oranje finished second in their Euro qualifying group to Germany, against whom they split their two matches. Koeman’s good work elevated him to take over as the manager at Barcelona last year. Frank de Boer got hired as his replacement. He will be missing some key players this summer. Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk, perhaps the best defender in the world, remains out with the torn ACL injury that kept him on the sidelines for most of the English Premier League campaign. Manchester United midfielder Danny Van de Been was kept off the final roster due to his groin injury. First-string keeper Jasper Cillessen is out after a positive COVID test. The Dutch still have intriguing younger talent that will have a chance to shine this summer. Frankie de Jong plays the midfield for Barcelona. Matthis de Ligt is a defender for Juventus. Memphis Depay scored 21 goals for Lyon in Ligue 1.The Netherlands are ranked 16th in the world by FIFA. The ELO ratings place them 9th. DraftKings lists the Flying Dutchmen at +1500 odds to win the tournament.Ukraine has played in the two most recent Euros but has lost five of their six matches and failed to advance out of its group. The Blue and Yellows went unbeaten in their Euro qualifying matches to finish in first place ahead of Portugal. They are also unbeaten in their World Cup qualifying matches. Manager Andrew Shevchenko’s group is led by Rusian Malinovskiy, who will be on set pieces and penalty kicks. The Atalanta attacking midfielder led Serie A with 12 assists last season. Manchester City midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko will be a familiar name for many. A majority of the roster consists of players from the Ukrainian Premier League. FIFA ranks Ukraine 24th in the world. The ELO ratings place them 20th. DraftKings lists the Blue and Yellows with +10000 odds to win the tournament. Austria will be striving for its first victory at a Euro or major international competition since 1990. Das Team managed a draw in their three group stage matches at the 2016 Euro. Manager Frank Foda oversaw a second-place finish to Poland in the Euro qualifying matches. The roster consists of some compelling talent from the Bundesliga. David Alba has played a role in the Bayern Munich backline for years, although he recently signed with Real Madrid. Alba has moved to left wing when playing for his national team in the past. Center midfielders Marcel Sabitzer and Konrad Laimer feature at RB Leipzig. Forward Sasa Kalajdzic scored 16 goals in 33 games for VfB Stuttgart last season. Austria is ranked 23rd in the world by FIFA. They are 34th in the ELO ratings. DraftKings lists them at +10000 to win the tournament. North Macedonia makes its debut in a major international tournament after only being a nation since 1990. The Lynxes did not advance from the Euro qualifiers after a third-place finish which included two losses to second place Austria. They beat Kosovo and Georgia in a qualifying playoff to reach this competition. A 2-1 victory at Germany in a World Cup qualifying match on March 31st should put their opponents on notice.37-year-old Goran Pandev leads the attack up top. The Genoa forward returned from international to participate this summer and add to the 117 caps he has for his national team. Egzijan Alioski plays left back for Leeds United. Eljif Elmas is an attacking midfielder from Napoli. North Macedonia's FIFA ranking of 62nd is the lowest in the tournament. The ELO ratings place them 59th in the world. DraftKings lists the Lynxes at +50000 odds to win the event.

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Euro 2020 Group B Preview: Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Russia

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Jun 12, 2021

Euro 2020 Group B Preview: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, and Russia.Group B of the Euro 2020 includes one of the top three favorites to win the tournament, two teams with expectations to advance to the knockout stage, and one debutante to a major international event.Belgium aspires to acquire the first silverware amidst their current golden generation. The Red Devils' rise began in 2014 when they reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup. A 3-1 upset in the quarterfinals to Wales in the 2016 Euro was a disappointment. They responded by advancing to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup, where they lost to the eventual winners, France. Belgium was perfect in their ten Euro qualifying matches while leading all teams with 40 goals. The three goals they surrendered in those qualifying matches tied for the fewest conceded.Romelu Lukaku leads the attack with seven goals in the Euro qualifiers. The Inter Milan striker had 24 goals in his domestic campaign last season. He is joined up top by Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard after a season marred by several injuries. Kevin De Bruyne patrols the midfield, but the Manchester City star will not initially be ready to play due to the head injury he suffered in the Champions League final. Manager Roberto Martinez has one of the best goalkeepers in the world in Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. The Red Devils are the number one ranked team in the world by FIFA. The ELO ratings place them second. DraftKings lists Belgium at +750 odds to win the tournament. Denmark returns to the Euro after failing to qualify for the 2016 tournament. The Danes responded to that setback by reaching the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup. The Red and Whites came out of nowhere to surprise the continent by winning the 1992 Euro tournament. They finished in second place in their Euro qualifying matches to Switzerland by going unbeaten in their eight games with four victories. Christian Ericksen is the primary goal-scorer. The attacking midfielder has 36 goals and 24 assists in just over 100 international caps. He scored only four times in his 34 games with Inter Milan this season. The Danes have a familiar name in goal with Leicester City’s Kaspar Schmeichel between the posts. Denmark is ranked 10th in the world by FIFA. The ELO rating places them 9th. DraftKings place them at +2500 to win the tournament. The Red and Whites will play all three of their group stage matches on home soil.Russia will play two of their three matches at home in the Gazprom Arena in St. Petersburg. Home field advantage helped the Bears reach the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup as the host nation. They shocked Spain in the first knockout stage with a victory via penalty kicks. Russia has yet to advance beyond the group state at a Euro. They finished in second place in the Euro qualifiers with two losses to Belgium being their only defeats. Their 33 goals were the fourth most of all 55 competing teams. All but four members of the roster come from the Russian Premier League. Artem Dzyuba leads the attack. The 6’5 striker led all players in the Euro qualifiers in big chances and shots inside the box. Midfielder Aleksandr Golovin scored five goals in 21 games for Monaco this season. Russia is ranked 38th in the world by FIFA. The ELO ratings place them 35th in the world. DraftKings lists the Bears at +10000 to win the event. Finland will be playing in their first major international tournament in the history of the national team. They qualified for this event by finishing in section place to Italy in their group. The Eagle owls surprised France with a 2-0 upset victory in a November friendly. However, the team is winless in their last six matches with four losses.The talisman for Finland is Teemu Pukki. The Norwich City striker scored 10 of the team’s 16 goals in the qualifying matches. The Eagle owls have one of the best keepers in the Bundesliga in Lukas Hradecky, who helped Bayer Leverkusen give up the fewest goals in the league outside the top-four. FIFA ranks Norway as the 54th team in the world. The ELO ratings place them 40th. DraftKings lists the Eagle owls at +50000 odds to win the tournament.

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