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STN Sports Weekly Rundown

June 1, 2022

Although the NBA and NHL seasons are dwindling faster than Lake Mead, there are plenty of sports to go around! Within the next couple weeks, champions will be crowned in a multitude of sports, and summers will be sweeter than a short stack at The Brass Fork. Let’s quickly look back over the sports landscape and take a peek at what’s ahead on the courts, on the ice, on the diamond and on the STN Sports App and at the Station Casinos Race and Sports Book…

All the Hoop-la!
The Bay or Beantown, who ya got? The Golden State Warriors and and Boston Celtics both punched their tickets to the NBA Finals last week, giving us a bicoastal battle that’s expected to bring in a big handle. Shortly after the series price was posted at the Book and on the STN Sports App, money poured in on Boston. After that, a wave of Golden State money came in, driving the Celtic’s odds back up a tick. Interestingly, there has yet to be a big push on Game 1, so the spread hasn’t moved. The game total, however, has moved up.

The NBA is like the The Spa at Green Valley Ranch: the blowouts continue! Prior to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals which saw the Celtics and Heat end in a push, spreads seemed to not matter in the association. There hadn’t been a game that fell within the point spread since May 9. That’s right, there were 22 games in a row in which the favorite covered the point spread, or the underdog won outright. The only spread more disappointing: Philadelphia Cream Cheese. “It really has been the National Blowout Association for the most part with the NBA,” Esposito said. “You look at hockey and how many games have gone into overtime and have been competitive, the NBA’s really been nothing but blowouts so far.”

Big Bet Alert: Although the Heat went home after losing Game 7, one Station Casinos guest torched the Book with a six-figure second half bet on Miami. The Heat, who were down six at halftime, covered the second half line and that bet got there.

Aces are good in poker, blackjack and WNBA. In fact, the hometown Aces are the best team in the league, with a 9-1 start. Because Aces wagers have become increasingly popular, Station’s Sports Books and the STN Sports App have begun putting up prop bets for all of Vegas’ games. “They’re getting some love from the bettors. They score a lot of points, they’re undefeated at home and they’re beating really good teams convincingly,” Esposito said. “From a betting standpoint, it’s not quite the same as what you saw with the Raiders or Knights, but you’re seeing a lot of action come in on the Aces.” Overall, the WNBA has seen an uptick in bets, but the Aces easily get the most WNBA action. The Aces are so impressive that even Tom Brady had to check out the WNBA’s best in action on Tuesday night, a win against the Sun.

Cup Runneth Over
The NHL Conference Finals couldn’t be more different. The Tampa Bay-New York series is expected to be physical and low scoring, whereas the Colorado-Edmonton series could see point totals higher than Pete Mitchell’s altitude in Top Gun. With a closing total of 6.5, the Game 1 total for the Avs-Oilers was a full goal higher than the Game 1 total in the Eastern Conference (industry-wide, there were even some who closed at 7 goals!) And if you watched Game 1 of the Avs-Oilers, you saw why. There were 14 freaking goals scored. Hell, we’ve seen lower scores at Red Rock Lanes! To no surprise, the high totals in the West are expected to continue throughout the series. “Based on the way these two teams played in the last round and especially Edmonton, I would think the overs are going to hit more than the unders,” Esposito said. “Until these two goal tenderers and the style of play for these teams show us anything different, there’s a reason why the total is higher.”

Of the four teams left in the NHL Playoffs, the Oilers are the biggest underdog to win the Stanley Cup. That, Esposito believes, is a solid bet, despite the Game 1 loss. “I’ve been an Oilers fan all along, and I’m not getting off that,” Station’s top oddsmaker said. The Oilers have really been battle tested, besting the Kings in a Game 7 scenario, and then extinguishing the Flames as prohibitive underdogs. “In Connor McDavid’s case, I just look at his play and I see Michael Jordan. He’s always going to be elite. He’s always going to be one of the greatest players ever, but he needs that Cup,” Esposito said. “I think he sees an opportunity with this team and the way that they score and the never-give-up attitude. I’m not getting off that bandwagon. I’m saying that the Oilers are still gonna hoist the Cup.” If you think of it like a wedding, McDavid has been the bridesmaid too many times, and you can only pretend to be happy for someone else so many times! “I should add that I’m saying I like Edmonton because I think there’s value on them,” Esposito said.

$pace City
The Astros have firmly planted roots in Houston, but they’re in limbo… meaning they continue to go low in games (insert garbage can joke here!) The ‘Stros are far and away the under kings of MLB. Thus far, we’re hitting the unders at a rate higher than 75%! “Their pitching has been phenomenal,” Esposito said. “They have winning records both at home and on the road, and they’re playing phenomenal ball right now. Only the Yankees are playing better ball than them.” Baseball has largely leveled off a bit, but the Astros are bringing new meaning to the term “small ball.”

Open For Business
Although Rafael Nadal is the King of Clay, he was almost a two-to-one underdog going into his French Open match Tuesday against Novak Djokovic. As the dog, Nadal did what he always does in the French Open… win. The Spaniard, who’s won 13 French Open titles, beat The Joker in four sets in a match that took four hours! “That match got a ton of play,” Esposito said, citing the straight bet, but also the props that were listed. “Tennis fans really come out and bet the majors.”

Bets To Know

We are in the thick of Pro Basketball Championship action! The STN Sports App has added a TON of team and player props to give you all sorts of options to bet the action. Check out the app for the most updated series prices, player stat props, team props, and much more.

STN Sports Weekly Winners

Gimme all the sports! This STN Sports bettor hit a nice cross-sport parlay at Wildfire Rancho on May 29. $100 bet, $6,866.95 win!

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• – Storm -335
• – Dream +105
• – Sparks +105
• – Giants -146
• – Brewers -130
• – Celtics -135
• – Celtics OV 194.5 -150 B(+2)
• – Dodgers -210