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​The Los Angeles Clippers have won 11 straight head-to-head meetings against the Los Angeles Lakers.

You wouldn’t know it based on the line movement we saw at FanDuel last night.

I bet the Clippers at -4.5 on Wednesday morning.

By the time they tipped off late last night, it was the Lakers that had closed as the betting favourite.

In a matter of hours, the spread moved from Clippers -4.5 all the way to Lakers -2 at FanDuel.

It was the revelation that LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell would all be available for the “Battle of LA” that fueled the 6.5-point swing.

Apparently, anyone chasing that steam didn’t think it was important that the Clippers had won 10 in a row in the series and had the benefit of the extra rest after the Lakers had played an overtime game the night before.

Those of us that were paying attention were able to grab the better team at +104 on the money line just before tip.

As somebody who doubled down on the Clippers, I’ll definitely remember it as one of my favourite nights of the NBA season.

This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday April 6th, 2023.

Capitalizing On Unexpected Line Movement In The Battle Of LA

As someone who prides himself in getting the best possible number, you could imagine my reaction watching the spread move 6.5 points in the opposite direction after I locked in Clippers -4.5 at FanDuel on Wednesday morning.

 

I didn’t understand the love for the Lakers after they had dropped 10 in a row against the Clippers, including each of their three head-to-head meetings this season.

I didn’t understand the love for the Lakers with a 38-year-old LeBron James, coming off a serious injury, being asked to play a second time in less than 24 hours.

So, I did what I usually do in a spot like that: I doubled down on the Clippers.

It didn’t take long to realize I had made the right decision.

 

The Clippers led by 19 points at the half and then cruised to a 125-118 win.

 

With the victory, Kawhi Leonard and company moved into the five-seed in the Western Conference – tied with the Golden State Warriors at 42-38.

 

It’s always important to track line movement and often times, it makes sense to follow the money.

However, last night’s game was another reminder of why it’s important to use caution, especially when it comes to a public team like the Lakers that was clearly being significantly overrated in that particular spot.

It wasn’t the only example in the NBA last night, either.

The Toronto Raptors opened as a 5.5-point underdog and closed as a two-point favourite at FanDuel last night.

They lost to the Boston Celtics 97-93.

The Dallas Mavericks went from -4.5 to -6.

 

They beat the Sacramento Kings 123-119, failing to cover any number they could be found at throughout the afternoon and evening at FanDuel.

NBA favourites went 6-2 straight up and 5-3 against the spread on Wednesday night.

The over went 5-3.

RNH Reaches Century Mark As Oilers Win Again

The Edmonton Oilers kept the pressure on the Vegas Golden Knights for the best record in the Pacific Division with a 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks last night.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins assisted on the final goal of the game to hit the 100-point milestone for the first time in his career.

 

The Oilers became the first team since 1995-96 and just the 14th team in NHL history to have three or more players post a triple-digit point total in the same season.

Edmonton has now won six straight and is 11-0-1 over its past 12 games.

 

The Oilers are one point back of the Vegas Golden Knights for the best record in the Pacific with one more game played.

Elsewhere, the Calgary Flames bounced back from an awful loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night with a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets to keep their playoff hopes alive.

 

Calgary is tied with Winnipeg for the final Wild Card in the Western Conference with one more game played.

The Flames will close out the regular season against the Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks.

The Jets get the Predators, Sharks, Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche the rest of the way.

Canada Beats Switzerland In World Hockey Championship Opener

Natalie Spooner scored her 67th career goal as Canada cruised to a 4-0 win over Switzerland in its opening game at the IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship.

 

Sarah Nurse, Rebecca Johnston and Sarah Fillier - the favourite to win tournament MVP – all scored for the host team.

Canada improved to 18-0 all-time versus Switzerland in the tournament.

 

Next up for Canada, they’ll host Czechia on Friday night.

Canada remains the favourite to win gold at -170 at FanDuel.

The United States is the second choice at +135.

No other team has shorter than 60-to-1 odds to win gold.