The NBA In-Season Tournament has been a fascinating experiment that seems to be going extraordinarily well based on fan enjoyment.
What we haven’t seen yet, though, is just how much it’ll matter when it comes to actually crowning a champion. That changes this week. Early returns are promising, with how hard players seem to be playing in these games. And with the tournament moving to the single-elimination knockout stage, I don’t expect that to change soon.
Also highlighting this week’s action are the Army-Navy Game and a big NFC battle between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Here’s that and more from this week’s betting calendar.
NBA In-Season Tournament Championship
NBA games with stakes in December? What a delight this tournament has been, and it’ll come to a dramatic end this week in Las Vegas with semifinals on Thursday and the inaugural championship game Saturday.
But first, we have two days of quarterfinals on Monday and Tuesday.
Monday
Tuesday
Jimmy V Classic
ESPN’s Jimmy V Classic events started Sunday with the women’s classic, featuring three games. The men’s classic tips off Tuesday with two ranked-versus-ranked games, and they include two Final Four teams from last season, a third NCAA tournament team and North Carolina. These will be some good games.
Tuesday
(13)FAU vs. (24)Illinois, 6:30 p.m.
(17)UNC vs. (4)UConn, 9 p.m.
Army vs. Navy
Most of college football is taking a break before bowl season commences, but we still have the Army-Navy Game to look forward to. It’s one of the greatest rivalries in the sport, and a 2.5-point spread for Saturday’s game means we could be in for another great finish.
MLS Cup
The MLS season will come to a close Saturday with the Columbus Crew hosting LAFC in the MLS Cup. One single game, with everything on the line. Columbus is a -150 favorite to win it all.
Saturday
Columbus Crew vs. LAFC, 4 p.m.
NHL Western Conference Finals rematch
The Dallas Stars just can’t seem to beat the Vegas Golden Knights. Ever since digging out of a 3-0 hole in the conference finals to force a Game 6, the Stars have lost three straight to Vegas, including two this season. However, they’ll get another shot Saturday, with both remaining among the West’s best teams.
Saturday
Golden Knights at Stars, 4 p.m.
Super Lightweight Boxing Championship
Regis Prograis is the one-loss super lightweight champion, but he’ll be an underdog as he puts his title on the line Saturday against Devin Haney. The undefeated Haney is relinquishing his undisputed lightweight titles ahead of this fight, as he looks to become a two-division champion, and BetMGM oddsmakers like his chances.
Saturday
Regis Prograis (+275) vs. Devin Haney (-350)
NFL Games of the Week
We can thank the San Francisco 49ers for beating the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, because now we have a game this week with even more meaning than it already had. The Dallas Cowboys host the Eagles Sunday Night Football, and now first place is on the line with just a game separating the two teams. This is the game of the week in the NFL.
Another game maybe worth watching, MAYBE, is Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs. Between the regular season and playoffs, these teams have played some amazing games the last few seasons. Neither team appears to be in top form as this game approaches, so it could end up being a dud. But both teams are desperate for a win, so let’s cross our fingers for a good one.
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