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By Dan Behringer, LVSportsBiz.com Sports Betting Writer
Winners of two straight OT thrillers, who’s next for the suddenly reborn Las Vegas Raiders?
Diehard fans and Raiders bettors flush with cash after victories against the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks know it’s the Los Angeles Chargers who come to Las Vegas for a game Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.
Contrasting trends are evident with the Chargers (6-5) at the Raiders (4-7). The Chargers are 4-2 on the road but an impressive 5-1 ATS. The Raiders are 2-2 in the fan-friendly environment of Allegiant and also 2-2 ATS.
But the betting action appears to be on the Silver and Black. After opening at Raiders +2.5, the line has now shifted to Raiders -1. The total is up from 50 to 50.5.
Covers.com notes that 52 percent of the betting interest is on the home team.
The two OT wins haven’t particularly impressed coach Josh McDaniels.
“This doesn’t guarantee us anything going forward,” he told reporters. “We’re going to stick with our process, we think we have a really close-knit group here that works hard, we believe in what we’re doing, we believe in what we’re coaching, we believe in trying to win the way we’re trying to win, and I think our guys do, too.”
In other words, you gotta believe. Maybe you’ve heard that before somewhere.
Diehard fans and bettors probably also remember the Chargers won the regular-season opener vs. the Raiders, 24-19 way back on Sept. 11. Perhaps Sunday will be payback time. Perhaps not.
Kickoff is at 1:25 p.m.
Elsewhere:
— On the road again: After a loss on Thursday night at the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights next face the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday in their third stop of a four-game road trip to Eastern cities.
“They were harder on pucks than us,” coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters after the 4-3 loss to the Penguins. “We didn’t handle their pressure below the goal line specifically well.”
The VGK are now 17-7-1. The Red Wings are 11-6-3-2.
The Golden Boys are -130 for the game with the total at 6. If the puck line tempts you, the VGK are 13-12 but 8-5 on the road on that bet.
Saturday’s puck drop at Little Caesars Arena is at 4 p.m.
— On a run: Yes, that’s the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels who are 7-0 and undefeated. Yes, they boast a win over a ranked team, Dayton, and another victory over a respectable Big 10 team, Minnesota. A blowout 126-54 win over Life Pacific, in which there was no betting line, gives the Rebels their best start in 11 years.
“In a situation like that, having 32 assists off 52 field goals,” coach Kevin Kruger said after the win against Life Pacific, which appeared to be a varsity vs. junior varsity matchup. “We are proud of them for having good spacing, sharing the ball and making plays for each other.”
The Rebels, who received six votes in balloting for The Associated Press Top 25 teams, will next be on the road at the San Diego Toreros (5-3) of the West Coast Conference on Saturday. No line yet on that game.
Tipoff at the Jenny Craig Pavilion is at 7 p.m.
Beating the NBA: Having any luck wagering on NBA action? If you’ve been playing the Sacramento Kings, you should have no complaints. The Kings are 13-7 ATS for a respectable 65 percent cover ratio and covering by an average of 3.6 points per game, according to TeamRankings.com. The Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks trail the Kings by only percentage points.
The hobbling Dallas Mavericks, however, are 5-15-1 against the betting line, covering only 25 percent of the time. A 131-125 OT loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, in which the Mavs were 8-point favorites, didn’t help their record.
Play of the Week (8-4): We had an ill-advised selection on Oklahoma-Oklahoma State over 66.5 in our last play, which dropped out record to 8-4 for the season. Still, you can compare that with the record of your friendly, neighborhood tout. This week, we’re on the Kansas City Chiefs, -2.5.