By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
If you glanced at the schedule, it seemed like a normal day.
There was a TNT basketball double-header with four premier NBA teams.
An almost full slate of Major League Baseball.
And the Vegas Golden Knights were in action. In fact, #goknightsgo briefly trended on Twitter.
Except, of course, it’s anything but normal in the sports world — or the world itself for that matter.
The TNT double-header on Thursday marked the restart of the NBA season, abruptly suspended like virtually everything else in sports because of the coronavirus pandemic. While baseball appeared to be in action, two games were canceled because of new coronavirus cases. And the Vegas Golden Knights were playing an exhibition game in Canada in late July.
Normal? Hardly.
Still sports bettors had a pre-coronavirus buffet table of choices. In the NBA, the Utah Jazz, +2.5, used a strong fourth-quarter performance to beat the New Orleans Pelicans outright, 106-104. The total of 229 was never seriously threatened. In the latter game, the Los Angeles Lakers edged the Los Angeles Clippers in a game decided in the final seconds, 103-101, but failed to cover -4. The under, this time at 220, was again a winning ticket.
Baseball bettors who played the Washington Nationals or the Boston Red Sox as modest underdogs cashed tickets while the New York Yankees, heavy favorites at -260, beat the Baltimore Orioles, 8-6, easily sending the total over 11.
The Golden Knights won their exhibition game against the Phoenix Coyotes, 4-1, but there was no line.
Golden Knights fans and hockey bettors are anticipating the game Monday afternoon when the local team meets the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference round-robin portion of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. The VGK are anywhere from -128 at Circa Sports to -140 at Station Casinos and William Hill. The total is 5.5 across the board.
Elsewhere:
— Eighth-ranked Derek Brunson upset undefeated ninth-ranked Edmen Shahbazyan in UFC Apex 5 from Las Vegas. The win handily rewarded gamblers who bet on Brunson as a +250 ‘dog. Over 1.5 rounds at around +110 also paid. He won the middleweight bout in a third-round TKO.
Brunson told MMA Junkie that he felt overlooked prior to the fight.
“I’m not given enough respect in this division,” he told the website. “I’m OK with earning it.”
Bettors earned their +250, too.
There’s another UFC Fight Night on Saturday from UFC Apex in southwest Las Vegas. In the heavyweight bout, Derrick Lewis is -265 vs. Alexsel Oleinik at +215. No total yet on rounds.
— The Las Vegas Aces cruised to a 79-70 win vs. the Dallas Wings on Sunday. The Aces covered -7.5. A low-scoring fourth period easily brought the total in under 171.
The Aces are now 3-0-1 ATS since play resumed. They next play the Washington Mystics on Wednesday.
— Major League Baseball went 13-4 on Sunday. That is, 13 games played and four canceled because of coronavirus concerns. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred warned he will to shut down the season if the league doesn’t do a better job of managing coronavirus.
In the Sunday night ESPN game featuring perennial division rivals, the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 9-7, paying favorite bettors at -220, run line bettors at -125 and anybody else holding a ticket, virtual or otherwise, that read over 10.5.
In contrast, the all six NBA games were played on Sunday. Unlike Major League Baseball, NBA along with WNBA players are being kept in an isolation zones or “bubbles.” Favorites went 2-3-1 for the day.
In the Sunday primetime game, the Houston Rockets, +5, beat the Milwaukee Bucks outright, 120-116. The total came in under 244.
Daniel Behringer is a longtime Las Vegan. Follow posts at doublegutshot.com. On Twitter, @DanBehringer221.