There’s still one day left before we can all rejoice about Friday and the weekend, so thank God we’ve got sports to turn to. For this Thursday, at least two games should be too awesome for you not to bet on.
In Texas, the Alamo Bowl will be battled between two great-scoring offenses, while in Cleveland, the Boston Celtics will be on revenge mode when they visit the defending champs.
Read on and see which teams you should bet on!
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With a rather unimpressive start (19-13), fans are still waiting for the Celtics to suddenly boom, and it looks like they’re about to do it. They have now won six of their last seven games, with their All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas averaging 29 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.9 threes per game during that span.
Although a bit average in scoring (105.4 PPG, 12th in the NBA), they are currently third in the league in assists (24.8 APG) and eighth in offensive efficiency.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are still where they ought to be: sitting on top of the Eastern Conference (23-7) with a top-ranked offense and scoring production (110.1 PPG). They are one of only three teams (Warriors and Timberwolves) to currently have three guys average 20 or more points per game – LeBron James (25.5), Kyrie Irving (23.6), and Kevin Love (21.7).
Irving (illness) is listed as a “game-time decision” for Thursday, but reports have also indicated that he’s expected to suit up.
The Celtics have won four straight road games (4-0 ATS), while the Cavs are 16-2 at home this season (10-7-1 ATS).
WRITER’S PREDICTION: The Cavs win, 111-103.
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs. Colorado Buffaloes (9:00 PM ET)
This will be Oklahoma State’s 11th consecutive bowl game under head coach Mike Gundy (11 in 12 years), and second in the Alamo Bowl. They are sure to bring in their potent passing game, one that threw 26 touchdowns and put up 322.8 YPG (ninth in the nation) in the season. Mason Rudolph is sure to sling it to primary receivers James Washington and Jalen McClaskey – Washington ended the regular season with 62 receptions, 1,209 yards (19.5 yards per catch), and nine touchdowns. True freshman back Justice Hill should also create some damage for the opposition from the backfield. He ran for 1,042 yards and five TDs in his debuting year for the team.
For Colorado, they have an identity like no other team from the PAC-12, as they are more of a smashmouth, physical bunch. In trying to matchup with the Cowboys, look for QB Sefo Liufau and RB Philip Lindsay to power themselves through the defense with their feet.
The dual-threat QB only had a modest 2,171 passing yards (197.3 per game), but could always dash for good yardage or for a score, as evidenced to posting 449 yards through the ground and having seven TD runs in the year. Lindsay, on the other hand, had 1,189 yards and a PAC-12-leading 16 rushing TDs.
