Gamblin'

What’s On TV Tonight, And How Not To Lose Your Money Gamblin’

Welcome to SportsGrid’s new, daily feature, where we tell you what sports are on TV tonight. Then, I do my best to help you win some money while watching. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing, and gambling is legal in your jurisdiction. Feel free to tweet hateful things at me if my advice moves you to do so. TV games are often the toughest games to find an edge on, so don’t go crazy, people. If I do recommend a bet, I’ll keep track of it, so you can tell me how awful (or wonderful?) I am. For record-keeping, we’ll assume a standard bet is $10. Occasionally, there will be 2x or 3x bets, maybe 4 or 5 if I’m feeling spunky. Good luck, America!

NBA: Spurs (-3) at Warriors (8:00 p.m., TNT)

The Spurs have been the best team in the NBA this season. They have been good against the spread. Good at home. Good on the road. Yet for some reason, their value holds. Unsurprisingly, this line moved from -2 and is approaching 3.5. Tony Parker will light Steph Curry up, because Steph Curry has the lateral quickness of an arthritic rhinoceros. And he pairs that with the strength of a tiny point guard.

There’s virtually no reason to bet on the Warriors. The Spurs were 11.5-point favorites at home against Golden State a month ago. What’s changed? This line is low, and I will take the Spurs.

But this is the NBA, so I won’t be surprised if Tim Duncan decays on the court and the Spurs lose by 30.

Spurs -3 (-107), $20 to win $18.69

College Basketball: St. Louis at Butler (-3.5) (7:00 p.m., ESPNU)

You may not know this, but St. Louis is really, really good (even after the passing of Rick Majerus… RIP). They beat Butler earlier by 17(!) at home.

The line opened at -1.5, but moved, likely due to the revenge factor. Betting against Brad Stevens getting revenge seems unwise. Betting against Brad Stevens is unwise.

There’s probably a bit of line value on St. Louis, but Brad Stevens will steal your money when you doubt him (but probably apologize for it).

PASS, YOU CRAZY DEGENERATE

NHL: Sharks (+130) at Blackhawks (-140) (7:30 p.m., NHLN)

San Jose is perceived as a high-scoring team, but the reality is they’re a good team with great goaltending. Chicago is the same story. with slightly worse goaltending and a more explosive offense.

The Blackhawks are clearly better, but -140 is a steep price to pay against a good team. They might be overvalued because of their historic start.

But the under is worth a look. Like I said, you’ve got two good defensive teams that are perceived as more offensively minded than they really are. Ray Emery is starting for Chicago, but he’s been good. Another plus: these are two of the least-penalized teams in the league, which bodes well for a low-scoring game. Look for both teams to play it tight in a big game.

UNDER 5.5 (-135), $10 to win $7.41

TV: House Hunters International (10:30 p.m., HGTV)

“You’re as Cold as Iceland”

A Denver man is accepted to graduate school in Reykjavik, Iceland, where he and his wife hunt for apartments on a tight budget.

Cool, Denver man and wife! But Iceland is expensive as balls. A beer costs like $8. Living there is like living in a professional sports complex, but you CAN’T ESCAPE.

A Denver man and his wife pay OVER $4,500 per month (-125) for an apartment in Reykjavik because Iceland is expensive as BALLS, $125 to win $100

Bonus Bet!

Saturday:
College Basketball: Providence -1.5, $10 to win $9.09

Record in games actually worth risking money on: 42-32 (+$112.99)

Good luck!

What else is on: NBA: Timberwolves at Thunder (8:00 p.m., ESPN), College Basketball: Stephen F. Austin at Long Beach State (9:00 p.m., ESPNU), College Hockey: Yale at Quinnipiac (7:30 p.m., NBCSN) and North Dakota at Denver (10:00 p.m., NBCSN)

Lines taken from 5dimes.eu (with reduced juice) and betonline.ag