Morning Coffee: Warriors finally win one on the road
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The Sweet 16 doesn’t get underway until Thursday night.
However, the dogs were barking in the NBA last night.
NBA underdogs went 5-1 against the spread.
Four underdogs won outright, including three of them that closed at +215 or longer on the money line at FanDuel.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors weren’t an underdog, but they took care of business on the road as a -670 money line favourite against the Houston Rockets.
It was Golden State’s first road win since Jan. 30.
This is the Morning Coffee for Tuesday March 21, 2023.
Warriors finally win one on the road
The Warriors are currently +1300 to repeat as NBA champions at FanDuel. Only six teams have shorter odds to win it all.
At the same time, only two teams in the association have fewer road wins this season.
Golden State beat the Houston Rockets 121-108 on Monday night for their first road win since Jan. 30.
The Warriors improved to 8-29 on the road.
They are the only team currently in a playoff spot that has posted fewer than 12 road wins this season.
Shout out to our very own Connor Ford for the tip on the Splash Brothers to deliver from beyond the arc.
Steph Curry went 5-of-15 from beyond the arc and finished with 30 points to cash the over on his three-pointers made and points props.
Klay Thompson went 5-of-13 from beyond the arc and finished with 29 points to cash the over on his three-pointers made and points props.
How important will home court be for Golden State once the playoffs roll around?
The Warriors are currently the sixth seed in the Western Conference, but the top three seeds have all surprised this season with the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings currently first through third. It will be interesting to see how Golden State matches up against any one of them come playoff time.
Let’s hope for a first-round series between the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. What a battle that would be.
Elsewhere, the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New York Knicks 140-134 as a +280 money line underdog at Madison Square Garden.
The Chicago Bulls rallied to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-105 in double overtime as a +260 ML underdog.
NBA regular-season MVP favourite Joel Embiid was 12-0 straight up all-time against the Bulls prior to last night’s loss.
The Jazz took down the Kings 128-120 in the late game as a +215 ML underdog at FanDuel.
Ferguson lifts Senators to win in Pittsburgh
With their playoff hopes dwindling, the Ottawa Senators turned to 24-year-old goalie Dylan Ferguson to make his first career NHL start against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.
He didn’t disappoint.
Ferguson made 48 saves in a 2-1 win.
The Senators were outshot 49-21, but Ferguson kept them in it, and goals by Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson were enough to propel them to a victory.
Ottawa is now six points back of the Florida Panthers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
FanDuel still considers the Senators a major long shot to make the playoffs at +1900. Ottawa is -4500 to miss the playoffs this morning.
Flames’ playoff hopes take another hit
The Calgary Flames seemed to have some momentum heading into last night’s game after earning a point in four straight games with a 2-0-2 run.
It didn’t matter last night.
The Los Angeles Kings scored four goals in the first period and cruised to an 8-2 win over Calgary.
The Flames won’t have much time to pick up the pieces, as they are back in action tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
Calgary is a -215 money line favourite at FanDuel.
Coming off last night’s loss, the Flames are now +290 to make the playoffs at FanDuel.
NHL favourites went 3-1 with the Calgary game closing as a pick’em.
The Edmonton Oilers rallied to beat the San Jose Sharks 5-4 in overtime as a monster -365 ML favourite.
The Colorado Avalanche shut the door on the Chicago Blackhawks with a 5-0 win as the biggest favourite on the board at -430.