NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, And French Open

Each week, our “What’s on Tap” series previews the week ahead in the world of sports betting. Come here for a summary of upcoming financial happenings, legislative and regulatory meetings, industry conferences, top games scheduled for the week, and much more. Also, check out our weekly review, “Get a Grip,” for a look back at last week’s notable news.

Monday, May 29

Duke takes on Notre Dame in NCAA lacrosse finals

Duke defeated Penn State in controversial fashion Saturday when Garrett Leadmon appeared to step into the crease on a game-winning goal in overtime. Officials, however, were unable to review the goal, which gave the Blue Devils a 16-15 win over the Nittany Lions in the NCAA semifinals.

In Monday’s final, top-ranked Duke will face Notre Dame, a 13-12 winner over Virginia in the other semi. The No. 3 Irish defeated the Blue Devils 17-12 in the only matchup between the teams on the season. Perhaps owing to that regular season victory, Notre Dame (-148) is the moneyline favorite at Barstool Sportsbook to again defeat Duke (+117); the total is 26.5 goals.

Duke has won three NCAA Men’s Lacrosse titles, the last in 2014. Notre Dame, which lost to Duke in the 2014 finals, is seeking its first national championship in program history.

🥍 @DukeMLAX wins the semifinal vs. Penn State but it’s not without controversy. Video replay shows Garrett Leadmon had his foot in the crease when the OT Goal was scored.

Here’s what Leadmon and Coach John Danowski had to say after the game. pic.twitter.com/Z8JvqALNP3

— Lacrosse TV (@WatchLacrosseTV) May 27, 2023

Alcaraz emerges as French Open favorite with Nadal out

The French Open began this week without 14-time champion Rafael Nadal, who pulled out of the tournament with a hip injury. Without Nadal in the field, fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz enters the French as the top seed and a heavy -10000 favorite to defeat Flavio Cobolli (+1700) in Monday’s first round.

Alcaraz (+160) is also the favorite at DraftKings to win the year’s second grand slam. Only two other players, Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune, have odds under +1000 to win the title. Djokovic, a two-time French Open champion, lost to Nadal in the 2022 quarterfinals.

Celtics look to complete improbable comeback against Heat

Derrick White tipped in a missed shot by Marcus Smart with 0.1 seconds left on Saturday to lift the Boston Celtics over the Miami Heat. With the victory, the Celtics became only the fourth team in NBA history to win three straight in a best-of-seven series after being down 0-3. Now the Celtics can become the first of the four to pull off a highly unlikely series win.

A week ago, the Celtics’ odds to win the series ballooned to +700 after the Heat captured Game 3. But Boston has been installed as a -320 moneyline favorite at FanDuel to defeat Miami (+240) in Monday’s Game 7. In last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics topped the Heat in seven games.

I absolutely love all the conspiracy theorists who have come out of the woodwork since Derrick White hit one of the most iconic shots in the history of the NBA trying to say it was rigged or refs screwed up the clock. Their jealousy fills me with glee. #Celticsin7

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 28, 2023

Tuesday, May 30

North Carolina bill hits Senate Finance Committee

At some point this week, the North Carolina Senate is expected to vote on a bill that aims to legalize mobile sports wagering in the Tar Heel State. Last week, HB 347 passed through a committee with several amendments. The bill will reach the Senate Finance Committee for a vote on Tuesday before moving on to the full Senate later this week if it passes.

Thursday, June 1

Nuggets open NBA Finals after lengthy break

After sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers, the Denver Nuggets will have eight days off before Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Nuggets are looking to win an NBA title for the first time in franchise history after rolling through the Western Conference playoffs, suffering only three defeats in 15 games.

Regardless of its opponent, Denver is favored at BetMGM to win it all. As of Monday morning, Denver had odds of -125 on the futures market to win the title, ahead of the Celtics and Heat at +125 and +1400, respectively. There are also odds of +160 on the Nuggets to upend the Celtics in the Finals. Boston will play in the championship round for the second straight year with a win over Miami on Monday.

Saturday, June 3

Panthers open Stanley Cup Finals on the road

The Florida Panthers have defied the odds throughout the playoffs, storming back from a 3-1 deficit against the Boston Bruins to eliminate the Presidents’ Trophy winners in the first round. Entering the playoffs with the lowest point total of all 16 teams, the Panthers are now four wins away from hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup.

On Saturday, the Panthers will face the Western Conference winner in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Panthers enter the series with 11 wins in their last 12 games. Florida will take on the winner of the Vegas-Dallas series on Saturday night. The Golden Knights led the Stars three games to two ahead of Monday night’s Game 6.

At Caesars Sportsbook, the Panthers are slight +105 favorites to win the title. The Golden Knights are the second choice at +130, but have lost two straight after taking a commanding 3-0 lead against the Stars. Dallas has odds of +600 to win the title, but needs two wins in a row to face the Panthers.

Last week, the Panthers booked a trip to the finals with a Matthew Tkachuk goal with 4.3 seconds left in regulation. Tkachuk remarkably scored three game-winning goals in the series. At DraftKings, Tkachuk has odds of +290 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, just behind Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (+210). Vegas forward Jack Eichel is the third choice at +600, while Stars center Roope Hintz is the top Dallas player at +1600. The trophy is awarded annually to the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs.

Using https://t.co/42X0ijkvUe‘s Clutch Goal Metric.

Matthew Tkachuk has been more clutch in this one playoffs alone, than any single player has over their career going back 105 years. #TimeToHunt #ConnSmythe pic.twitter.com/23vmpuiMW9

— Senny (@Senotaur) May 29, 2023

Have a good week, everyone!