Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are our best bets for Saturday, June 10:
TOP PLAY
The play: Stanley Cup Finals, Golden Knights over Panthers
The odds: -102
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 8:20 p.m. (TNT)
Our take: The Vegas Golden Knights were just minutes away from taking a 3-0 series lead in front of a packed house in Florida during Game 3. However, some late-game heroics from the hosts in the third period and overtime helped the Panthers cut the Golden Knights’ lead in half.
However, it’s been obvious for all to see throughout most of this series that Vegas is the superior team. Florida has continued to fight — as shown in Game 3 — but there doesn’t seem to be enough left in the tank in this miracle run for the Panthers to finish the job.
Jonathan Marchessault and Co. are just two wins away from the Golden Knights’ first Stanley Cup victory in Vegas’ short history. There’s no better place to celebrate a Stanley Cup Finals triumph than Sin City, which will become a possibility if the Golden Knights win Game 4.
Given how dominant Vegas was in Games 1 and 2 (outscoring Florida by an aggregate of 12-4), it seems like a steal to get the Golden Knights at even money here. Florida got its feel-good win in front of a home crowd, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Golden Knights came out firing this evening.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PLAYER PROP
The play: UEFA Champions League final, Erling Haaland anytime assist
The odds: +290
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 3 p.m. (CBS)
Our take: Erling Haaland is a goal machine. You know that, I know that and, hell, your mother’s brother’s best friend’s dog probably knows that. It’s no surprise that oddsmakers do too, which is why his anytime goalscorer odds are juiced (-135) during the biggest club match in the world.
The unrelenting Norwegian international leads all scorers in the UEFA Champions League with an astonishing 12 goals in 10 games. He’s also only got one assist in the 756 minutes he’s played in the competition, so why are we backing him to help create a goal?
The stubborn Inter Milan defense will surely have a game plan for the best striker on the planet. Two parts of his game that he’s refined during his time under Pep Guardiola, though, are his creative abilities and passing. This is evidenced by his eight assists during the Citizens’ English Premier League-winning campaign.
Haaland scores a lot of goals, yes, but in order to play for Man City under the aforementioned Guardiola, you have to be selfless. I expect the superhuman striker to attract a lot of attention from the Inter defenders, which will allow his teammates to make runs in behind on goal.
The Norwegian loves to win more than anything. His creative abilities could be the difference maker that allows the Citizens to lift their first Champions League trophy in their history.
HOW WE’VE FARED
NBA Finals Game 4: Nuggets -3½ over Heat (WON)
MLB: Mariners over Angels (LOST)
Friday’s record: 1-1
Total for the week: 2-7, 1 pending
Total for June: 6-11, 1 pending
Total for 2023: 127-144, 1 pending
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
