Weekend betting preview: NBA Finals, Formula One & Phillies baseball

Sixers
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry celebrates after the Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals in San Francisco, Thursday, May 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The weekend is nearly upon us and there are plenty of sporting events for people to sink their teeth into. For sports betting fans, this means there are a plethora of ways to make some extra cash this weekend. here are the five events we’ll be keeping an eye on.

Don’t forget you can get free bets by clicking any of the links below:

NBA Finals

An enthralling NBA Finals series is currently taking place between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. The spoils were divided evenly after the opening two games, with the fourth game in the series taking place on Friday night.

As things stand, the Warriors are +3.5 underdogs ahead of Friday’s matchup. This is because the game will be the second in a row played at home for the Celtics. It’s imperative for Boston to take advantage of that and avoid sloppy turnovers, while trying to solve the unsolvable Steph Curry.

In a series as even as this, deciding the winner on any given night is anyone’s guess.

Phillies vs Diamondbacks

The Phillies seem to be firing on all cylinders after the firing of Joe Girardi acted as a catalyst for change. With the young bucks finally getting their shot, the Phils are red hot going into this weekend’s series with Arizona. Like the Phils, the Diamondbacks are also sub-.500 and will be coming off of a torrid series against the Reds that saw them surrender 21 runs through the opening two games. If the Phillies can stay hot, this could get messy.

NHL Conference Finals

The Rangers will take on the Lightning on Thursday evening in game 5 of an exciting conference finals matchup that is currently tied 2-2. Tampa Bay were surprisingly 21-13 when playing in game 4’s, and that record jumped to 22-13 in convincing fashion. However, if you’re looking at betting trends, the Rangers have won 8 games in a row when playing at home, so it’s going to take some more ‘Lightning in a bottle’ for Tampa Bay to reach the Stanley Cup Finals against Edmonton.

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UEFA Nations League

The UEFA Nations League is rolling on as teams across the globe battle it out. It’s really tough to read these games as the majority of players are exhausted after a grueling regular season campaign and could probably do with a rest. With that said, the most intriguing matchup of the weekend sees a Euro Final rematch between England and Italy.

Italy have notably failed to make the upcoming World Cup and England will probably have a bitter taste in their mouths after coming up short again. The game kicks off at 2.45 EST and should make for entertaining viewing. From a betting perspective, it’s hard not to back a far superior England side.

Formula 1: Azerbaijan GP

It’s been two weeks since Sergio Perez was crowned the Monaco Grand Prix winner, and Red Bull will be hoping to add another trophy to the cabinet in Azerbaijan. Ferrari will be desperate to strike back after Charles Leclerc’s cruel track record around the streets of Monte Carlo left him disappointed once again.

Expect plenty of overtaking around the punishing Baku street circuit, and opportunities for some underdogs to win. Not every track provides that, but this one in particular has a history of springing a surprise or two, such as Sebastian Vettel’s brilliant podium last year. Betting the Baku GP could prove to be very valuable as a result.

RBC Canadian Open

We’re almost at the U.S Open but there’s a stop in Canada we must experience first. The PGA Tour returns to St. George’s for the first time since 2019 where Rory McIlroy put in a ridiculous round of 258. He’s surprisingly not the favorite to win this weekend, those honors go to Justin Thomas and Scottie Sheffler. Of the three, it’s Rory who will be more hungry for a win that has evaded him since the C.J Cup Summit back in December, so betting him may make sense.

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Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu