The most popular winter sports continue to provide plenty of chances to place a wager at West Virginia sportsbooks. Both the NHL and NBA are moving right along, with some teams having more success staying healthy than others.
While the leagues haven’t needed to suspend play indefinitely, several teams were forced to postpone multiple games.
After taking almost a week off because of the Devils pausing team activities, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won three of their first five.
They’ve beaten the Islanders twice in three games, with another scheduled for Saturday night. The Penguins took care of business, winning 4-1 on Thursday.
Next week, they’ll travel to Washington to take on the Capitals for the prime time game on NBC Sports.
Pittsburgh split its last two meetings against the Caps this week but earned two victories against them in January.
The NBA slate next week also has lots to offer bettors. The Mountain State’s online sportsbooks always include a wide variety of markets for NBA games.
On Tuesday night, TNT features two great games many will have their eyes on. International phenom Luka Doncic and the Mavericks host the Boston Celtics in the early game, while Portland and Denver tangle in the late contest.
Let’s take a deeper look at each of these upcoming games and break down the key matchups that will determine their outcomes.
Penguins vs. Caps betting preview
Pittsburgh currently sits in fifth in the East Division; however, it is in striking distance of the top.
Philadelphia, along with the Caps and Isles, is two points ahead, with Boston in first at 22 points.
If the Pens can start to figure things out on the road, then they could be another dangerous team come playoff time. While they’re 6-1 at home so far this season, the Penguins are just 2-5-1 on the road.
Their next game against the Islanders is at home, but both meetings with Washington next week are in the nation’s capital. Pittsburgh will follow that up with two more games in New York before returning home.
This is a difficult stretch that will provide a good indication of where this team can go.
Bryan Rust now leads the way in points with 15 through 15 games. Sidney Crosby sits at 13 points, and winger Jake Guentzel has 12.
To no one’s surprise, Kris Letang is the team’s top-scoring defenseman. Despite not having any goals to date, he’s tied for second in assists for the Pens, with seven.
Pittsburgh will likely need contributions from most of its top skaters to beat Washington.
The Caps have 19 points and have won two of their last three. They’ll play against the Rangers on Saturday night before preparing for the Pens next week.
Several familiar names are leading Washington in points, too.
Nicklas Backstrom is off to an incredible start. He’s generated 20 points in 15 games, with 12 assists and eight goals.
Alex Ovechkin hasn’t been a slouch either. Ovi’s recorded 14 points in just 11 games this year.
Although there aren’t any betting odds released for this game just yet, it should be a very tight affair. Expect for the Caps to be slightly favored at home, especially with the Penguins’ road struggles.
The total for this game should also be quite high. These two sides are averaging 7.25 goals per game through their first four.
NBA bets at WV sportsbooks
Celtics vs. Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are not having the season they envisioned thus far in 2021. They were picked by many to make strides this year and certainly find themselves in the playoff mix.
But things haven’t come as easy, and Dallas is looking up at a lot of teams in the standings. It is 13-15 overall, which puts it at 10th in the West.
Boston is in a similar situation of underperforming to start the season. The Celtics are only 14-14, even though they feature one of the best rosters in the NBA.
When the two sides meet in Dallas on Tuesday, there will be no shortage of star power.
Boston leans on Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker. When they’re all producing, the Celtics are tough to defeat.
Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis pace the Mavericks. While its record isn’t ideal, Dallas is getting everything it can from Doncic.
He leads the Mavs in points, assists, rebounds, minutes and steals.
It’s tough to see a clear favorite on paper in this game, so WV sportsbooks will probably have a close spread. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives the Mavs about a 59% chance of winning at home.
Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets
Tuesday’s nightcap is another interesting contest between two of the better teams in the West.
Portland is a surprising eight games over .500 and in fourth place in the conference right now. It’s been able to sustain success even with many important players sitting out due to injury.
The Blazers have won six straight and will likely make it seven against the Wizards on Saturday.
Although he didn’t make the starting lineup for the All-Star Game, guard Damian Lillard is nearly unstoppable. He’s averaging almost 30 points per game, while shooting over 45% from the field.
Denver has its own MVP candidate in center Nikola Jokic. The 26-year-old leads the Nuggets in every major category, including more than 27 points and 11 boards per game.
Denver is likely to make the postseason, but it needs to make up some ground to not be on the road in the opening round. A victory against this Portland team would go a long way.
ESPN’s BPI is giving the Nuggets a 62% chance of winning, but it might not be that easy. The Blazers have a 10-5 away record, the fourth most road wins in the league.
