The first round of the NBA H.O.R.S.E Tournament concluded on Sunday. There were shockers on both ends of the bracket, with one of them leading to underdog Chauncey Billups defeating the favorite to win the whole event – Trae Young. Retired NBA star Billups will face Mike Conley Jr this coming Thursday in a semifinals matchup that favors the latter. Will Billups pull off another upset for a finals’ berth, or will Conley make it through?
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Betting Preview for the Chauncey Billups vs Mike Conley Jr NBA HORSE Tournament Semifinal Game on April 16 2020
Where: At home (NBA players, and you)
When:
Semifinals – Thursday April 16, 9 PM ET
Finals – Thursday April 16, 11 PM ET
Live Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN2
Lines:
Betting on Chauncey Billups (+130)
All of Vegas blew it when it came to the Trae Young vs Chauncey Billups first round matchup. Who would have imagined that the young shooter (from anywhere) would fall to the retiree? Trae Young set a surprisingly subdued tone with pretty basic shots, but he got the right-handed veteran early on with a short left-hander, which is a solid takeaway for semifinals opponent Mike Conley Jr. who is ambidextrous. Otherwise Billups lived up to his nickname “Mr. Big Shot” to take the win with Young getting all five letters (H.O.R.S.E) while Billups’ only ended with three (H.O.R.). It wasn’t the most entertaining affair, but it certainly renewed interest in Chauncey Billups as a contender, even if he is third in the odds to win the whole event, priced at +350. Here’s a recap of his first round game if you’re interested:
Betting on Mike Conley Jr (-160)
Mike Conley Jr. is now the second favorite to win the whole event, priced at +155 to do so. But first he must get through his his semifinals opponent and underdog Chauncey Billups. Conley is favored with -160 odds to win in this matchup after having easily defeated ex-WNBA star Tamika Catchings. Catchings simply couldn’t catch Conley. The ambidextrous Utah Jazz shooting machine gave her five letters (H.O.R.S.E) to his single “H”.
If you watch the video below, you’ll see that Conley is playing in a pretty epic indoor “home” court which definitely works to his advantage as Billups will be playing on his outdoor court. Billups not only has to shake off cobwebs, but fight the wind, sun, and other distractions found throughout the great outdoors.
Writer’s Prediction
There’s no upset this time, as Conley beats Billups by a final “score” of H.O.R.S.E. to H.O.
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