Par-lay.

A parlay is a cumulative series of bets in which winnings accruing from each transaction are used as a stake for a further bet.

Fred VanVleet bet on himself and was rewarded with a NBA championship ring and a four-year, $85 million deal with the Toronto Raptors.

He isn’t done betting on himself just yet.

VanVleet was the star of Tuesday night’s 124-113 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 26-year-old guard from Wichita State did everything that was needed of him for the Raptors to pick up the upset win.

Here is the Morning Coffee for Wednesday Feb. 17, 2021.

Bet On Yourself

VanVleet scored a team-high 33 points on 12-of-22 from the field with seven assists and four rebounds in 39 minutes in the win.

On a night when he showed up to the arena in a hoodie that had “par-lay” printed on it, VanVleet hit the over on every single one of his individual player props.

Par-Lay Sports & Entertainment is the name of VanVleet’s agency. But on Tuesday night the word had a different meaning.

VanVleet finished with more than 20.5 points, 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 three-point shots.

Add in a Toronto Moneyline win at +205 odds to a parlay ticket with all of FVV’s props and a $100 wager would have paid $2,902.12.

VanVleet was forced to pick up the slack after Kyle Lowry was forced to leave the game with a sore left ankle.

He did exactly that. The Raptors never trailed in the second half.

Pascal Siakam had 23 points and 13 rebounds. O.G. Anunoby scored 13 with seven rebounds in his return to the lineup.

It was a statement win for a team that needed it.

Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a losing cause.

Milwaukee has now dropped four straight to fall to 16-12 on the season.

The Bucks will look to get back on track in the rematch on Thursday night.

Short Of The Gold Standard

It was only a matter of time before it happened.

The Vegas Golden Knights have played two games in their shiny new gold chrome helmets.

After a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night, the Golden Knights are now 0-2 with their new buckets.

Vegas is 10-1-1 with their traditional steel grey buckets this season.

Golden Knights fans were on the case of the helmet change impact on Tuesday night.

Vegas and the Tampa Bay Lightning entered this week as co-favourites to win the Stanley Cup at +700 odds. Colorado is right behind them at +800.

After splitting the first two of a four-game set against the Golden Knights, the Avalanche will get two more opportunities to close the gap on Vegas atop the West Division in this current series, beginning in Saturday’s outdoor game at Lake Tahoe. 

Tuesday night was one for the underdogs in the NHL.

Including Colorado’s win, underdogs went 4-1 straight up and the under went 4-1.

The Washington Capitals (+105 in 3-1 win over Penguins), New Jersey Devils (+120 in 5-2 win over New York Rangers) and Los Angeles Kings (+135 in 4-0 win over Minnesota Wild) all pulled off small upsets.

The New York Islanders were the only favourite to win – a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres at -135 odds.