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š„ The Greatest UFC Card of All-Time?
Everything you need to know for UFC 300
First Wrestlemania 40, now UFC 300? Have I died and gone to heaven?
In todayās Betting Life newsletter presented by BetMGM.
NBA Friday: Huge playoff implications in both conferences.
The Masters: DeChambeau leads with Scheffler hot on his tail.
UFC 300: Back the devastating power of Jamahal Hill.
Itās 4/12. Take it away, Matt LaMarcaā¦
Just two days. Thatās all that stands between us and the end of the NBA regular season.
Well, technically, itās three days, but since the entire league is off on Saturday, Iām choosing to ignore it.
All 30 teams will be in action on both Friday and Sunday and while some things have long since been decided ā looking at you, Celtics ā others still have plenty to play for.
Some of the most important battles to watch down the stretch:
š Race for the No. 1 Seed
After beating the Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Nuggets hold a one-game lead over Minnesota and OKC in the standings. That said, their work is far from over.
The Thunder would win a three-way tiebreaker atop the standings, so the Nuggets need to win their final two games to guarantee homecourt advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. Theyāll face the surging Spurs on Friday before wrapping up with a beaten-down Grizzlies squad.
Both the Thunder and Timberwolves have at least one tough game left on their schedule, with the Thunder facing the Bucks on Friday and the Timberwolves facing the Suns on Sunday.
š Battle for the No. 6 Seed
The top five teams in the West have all secured guaranteed postseason spots, but the sixth spot remains up for grabs.
The Pelicans secured a huge win over the Kings on Thursday, which puts them in the driverās seat. They currently hold a one-game lead over the Suns, while the Kings, Warriors, and Lakers have all been relegated to the play-in tournament.
The Pels need a combination of two wins or Suns losses over the final two days to secure the No. 6 seed. Phoenix closes the season with matchups vs. the Timberwolves and Kings, while New Orleans wraps up with Golden State and the Lakers.
š„“ Eastern Conference in Flux
The Knicks are already locked in a guaranteed postseason spot, but their win Thursday over the Celtics improved their chances of finishing second or third. Those spots are particularly important since they guarantee avoiding the Celtics until the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Bucks will likely secure the other top-three spot. They just need to avoid losing their final two games while the Knicks and Cavaliers both win out.
After thatā¦ things get a bit complicated.
The Cavaliers, Magic, and Pacers are holding down fourth, fifth, and sixth place, but all three teams could still fall to the play-in tournament. The 76ers are just one game back of the Magic and Pacers, while the Heat are two games back in eighth.
The Magic and 76ers have a huge head-to-head matchup on Friday, and if Philly wins, it opens the door for them to move into the top six. To accomplish that feat, they would need two wins to end the year, combined with two losses from Orlando, Cleveland, or Indiana.
The Heat could still earn a guaranteed postseason spot by winning their division. If they win their final two games ā both against a tanking Raptors squad ā and Orlando loses their last two, Miami jumps Orlando in the standings.
There are a lot of moving parts, and for a more detailed breakdown, make sure to check out The Athleticās live blog.
For now, letās shift gears to Friday. Iāve got my eyes on a few different bets, starting with a big showdown in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavaliers have a big problem at the moment. Donovan Mitchell has been in and out of the lineup recently while dealing with a left knee bone bruise, and when heās been on the floor, he hasnāt looked like the same player. He averaged just 14.3 points while shooting 33.3% from the field over a six-game stretch before breaking out in his most recent contest.
Mitchell had 29 points on 9-17 shooting in his last game, but it came against the lowly Grizzlies. Memphis had most of their rotation in street clothes for that contest, so itās hard to put too much stock in that performance.
Fridayās matchup vs. the Pacers will have a playoff-like atmosphere, and Iām skeptical that Mitchellās knee is up for it. Indiana has played extremely well of late, ranking seventh in the league in Net Rating over that stretch (+7.4 points per 100 possessions). Cleveland has slumped to a 6-9 record over the same time frame, ranking merely 22nd in Net Rating (-4.4).
This number is down to 2.5 after opening at 3.0, and it wouldnāt shock me if the line continued to move towards the Pacers. Iām locking in the +2.5 now.
š„ An Epic Weekend Awaits!ļø
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ā¾ļø Donāt forget about Fridayās MLB slate. Best bets to get you started.
š¤ The complaint against Ippei Mizuhara was released on Thursday, and it was a doozy. The man was putting up SERIOUS volume.
ļøā³ļø Itās Scottie Schefflerās world; weāre just living in it. The pre-tourney favoriteās odds shrink following an opening round 66.
šļøāāļø Bryson DeChambeau leads after shooting seven-under-par on Thursday. It was still only his second most impressive feat of the week.
š 13 holes, 1-under par. Tiger Woods showed us (again) why heās the GOAT.
š The best player in baseball? This young studās MVP odds are on the move following a two-homer game on Thursday.
š° Big bonuses = big knockouts? One bettor decided to leverage that idea in the most degenerate way possible.
āļø Go deep, kid. The Jets may be honing in on this coveted pass-catcher at the draft.
š Only 14 more sleeps till draft day. We have a ton of NFL draft bets up in our tracker already.
UFC 300 has been rightfully dubbed the most stacked card in UFC history, with 12 current or former champions scheduled to compete. Three titles will be on the line, including the headliner, a Light Heavyweight championship bout between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill. Mark Drumheller unlocks the betting potential of this stacked 13-fight card with his UFC 300 best bets.
The total sitting at 1.5 rounds shows the marketās appreciation for the power of both combatants. Pereira has seven knockouts in 11 career fights, while Hill has turned the lights out on four of his last five opponents.
Look for āPoatanā to aggressively go after Hillās legs and work his way up to the body before unleashing his crumbling left hook. I wonāt argue that the champion has a path to victory, but I canāt pass up the opportunity to bet Hill at plus money.
Pereira keeps his hands dangerously low. We saw the championās defensive lapses lead to a brutal knockout loss to Israel Adesanya.
Hillās power is on a completely different level. The former champion can also do serious damage in the clinch, reigning down devastating shots from top position if he takes the fight to the mat.
āSweet Dreamsā knocked out his opponent in 48 seconds in his only other fight as a betting underdog. I wouldnāt bank on this bout ending that early, but I will take a shot that Hill delivers a win once again.
Gaethje has made a career thriving in violence, while Holloway recorded one of the most brutal, lopsided beatdowns in UFC history. If you are looking for a guaranteed winner for this fight ā itās the fans.
The consistent money coming in heavy on Holloway is correlated to this one going the distance. Sure, Holloway floored āThe Korean Zombieā in his retirement fight, but he hasnāt displayed true knockout power against elite competition in several years. Before that fight, Hollowayās previous eight bouts were all decided by a decision.
Rather than risk my money on whether Gaethjeās leg kicks can prevent Holloway from drowning him out with volume, I am betting that these two gladiators go to war for more than four and a half rounds. Gaethje has finishing upside, but the best bet is Holloway's Hawaiian spirit and granite chin to carry us to the scorecards.