The “gold games” are Kyrie Irving’s description of the NBA Finals, and he’ll be playing in the league’s championship series for a fourth time. We like Irving’s chances to make a major impact from the jump on Thursday. Here are our picks for today. NBA Finals Game 1Dallas enters as the underdog to the Celtics in Game 1 and the series, but the Mavericks don’t do blowout defeats. And it’s even less likely on this stage. Only one laugher this postseason – Game 1 at Oklahoma City in the semifinals, 117-95 – could meet lopsided standards. At 6.5-point underdogs, the favorite might be getting too much love after a nearly two-week layoff. The players everyone expects to play to their All-NBA reputations on Thursday night are Jayson Tatum of the Celtics and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks. No doubt each defense is geared to use a long-developed game plan to slow these stars. That will thrust Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown into prominent featured roles. Irving’s big-game clutch gene is there – and more developed – and he thrives in environments where the crowd focuses on his every crossover. Mavericks +6.5 (+115, DraftKings) with Kyrie Irving over 30.5 points, assists and rebounds (+154, FanDuel)Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue JaysBaltimore has won 10 of its past 13 games and sends left-hander Cade Povich to the mound at Rogers Centre in his major league debut.Bats are alive for the birds, who won the first two games by a combined score of 17-3. They lost a 3-2 decision on Wednesday and take on lefty Yusei Kikuchi on Thursday afternoon in the first MLB game of the day. Kikuchi is 4-5 with a 5.17 ERA in his 13 lifetime appearances against the Orioles. Povich gets his first start after going 5-1 with a 3.18 ERA, 75 strikeouts and 21 walks in 56 2/3 innings with Norfolk.Orioles money line +100 (FanDuel)Padres vs GiantsKetel Marte already bagged a two-HR night this week and leads San Diego with a hard-hit rate of over 51 percent. He’s not shy swinging on lefties with six longballs against southpaws this season. Youngster Kyle Harrison starts for the Giants and he’s allowing 1.33 home runs per nine. Ketel Marte HR (+340 at FanDuel) Relatedall sportsbooksnew online sports betting sitesmobile betting applive in game bettinglive betting linesbest betting sites with cash out
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Jose Mourinho insists Tottenham have not received an offer for Christian Eriksen from Inter despite the Serie A club s reported optimism of signing the midfielder.
Eriksen, whose contract expires at the end of the season, was heavily linked with a move away in the previous transfer window.
Spurs are thought to be keen to sell the Denmark international this month to avoid losing him for free when the campaign comes to a close.
Inter are said to be confident of concluding a deal for the former Ajax playmaker, but Mourinho sees little reason for the Nerazzurri s apparent stance.
If they are confident, it s because they are ready to make us an offer which didn t happen yet, Mourinho told a media conference ahead of Saturday s clash with Watford.
Wh…
Huddersfield Town have completed and the signing of Danny Simpson as a free agent.
Simpson s career started back in 2005/06 with Manchester United, but despite spending five years on their books, he only managed to rack up eight appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils, which all came in 2007/08. He was mostly out on loan, and he played for Royal Antwerp, Sunderland, Ipswich Town and Blackburn Rovers, and eventually, Newcastle United. He ended up joining the Magpies permanently in 2010, but after three years at St James Park, he went on to Queen s Park Rangers. At the very end of the 2014 summer transfer window he moved again, this time to Leicester City. He spent five years with the Foxes, playing in 133 games in their shirt and helping them make history in 2015/16,…
Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Real Madrid for an absolutely wonderful nine years at the club after revealing the time was right to start a new chapter of his illustrious career with Juventus.
The Spanish giants released a statement to confirm they had accepted Ronaldo s request to move to Italy in a deal reportedly worth €105million.
Juventus have yet to announce the transfer, though the five-time Ballon d Or winner said his farewells to Madrid in a letter published on the LaLiga club s website.
These years at Real Madrid, and in this city of Madrid, have been possibly the happiest of my life, the 33-year-old said.
I only have feelings of enormous gratitude for this club, for this hobby and for this city. I can only thank all of them for the love and…
Manchester United were held to a third 0-0 draw in a row in all competitions as they failed to find a way past Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
There was a paucity of quality in misty conditions at Selhurst Park as Ole Gunnar Solskaer s men handed Manchester City another boost in the Premier League title race.
City s 4-1 win over Wolves on Tuesday stretched the gap at the top to 15 points, but United could not respond in kind against a Palace side who beat them 3-1 at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture.
The Red Devils failed even to have a shot between the 27th and 81st minute and have now gone three games without scoring a goal, having recently been the leading scorers in England s top flight this term.
United started scrappily but twice came clo…
Best Odds: 8/13
Bookmaker:
In what is a heavyweight derby showdown this weekend, Atletico Madrid will welcome bitter rivals Los Blancos to the Wanda Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon.
Atletico Madrid
Starting with the hosts, after making a much-welcomed return to winning ways last time out, there is no doubt that Atletico Madrid will be desperate to build off of that result. After suffering what was a shock 1-0 loss at home against Chelsea when making a return to Champions League duties on February 23rd, Diego Simeone s side brought an end to their three-match winless run last weekend. Managing to eventually pick up a 2-0 victory against a Villarreal side in the midst of a domestic sluggish patch, Atletico still find themselves sat in pole position to lift thei…
Vincent Kompany will leave Manchester City this summer, the Premier League champions have .
The centre-back joined City in 2008, the same year when the club changed ownership, signaling the beginning of their impressive uprise. He made a total of 360 appearances, the last one on Saturday as his team comprehensively beat Watford in the FA Cup final and completed the historic domestic treble. He found the opposition net 20 times, but perhaps none more important than the spectacular strike against Leicester City this season to keep his team on course for the league title ahead of challengers Liverpool.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak described the departing captain as the most important ingredient in the club s renaissance, as well as its lifeblood, soul and beating hear…
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min took to social media to pay tribute to Jose Mourinho, who insists he does not need a break from football after his sacking from Tottenham.
Mourinho was appointed as Mauricio Pochettino s successor in November 2019 but was dismissed on Monday with Spurs having slumped to seventh in the Premier League and seen their chances of qualifying for Champions League diminished further by their Europa League exit.
The timing of his sacking may seem a little strange just six days out from the EFL Cup final but Daniel Levy has opted to yield the axe with Mourinho failing to oversee a full campaign in charge.
Influential striker Kane and star forward Son flourished under Mourinho, striking up a fearsome partnership. Between them they contributed 74…
Elaine Thompson-Herah completed a stunning sprint hat-trick at the Tokyo Olympics as Italy enjoyed further success on the track on Friday.
Having won both the 100m and 200m individual finals, Thompson-Herah was part of the impressive Jamaica team, alongside Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson and Briana Williams, that won the women’s 4x100m relay, finishing ahead of the United States.
No female athlete had been victorious in all three sprint events at a Games since American Florence Griffith Joyner back in 1988.
Thompson-Herah now has five Olympic golds in total, one behind Allyson Felix, who added to her collection with a bronze medal in a 400m race won convincingly by Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas.
After success in the 100m, Marcell Jac…
The former Barcelona and Juventus right back claims he had offers from both of his former clubs to return to their ranks in the upcoming season, reports . In spite of the offers, however, the 36-year-old decided to sign with the Brazilian Sao Paolo for a period of three years.
Alves, who became a free agent after completing his contract with Paris Saint-Germain this past June, was a key player of what is thought to be Barca’s best team ever, from 2008 until 2016. Although his contract with the Catalan club lasted until 2017, he was allowed to leave prematurely on a free transfer, after which he joined Juventus in June 2016 on a two-year contract. However, this contract was terminated by mutual consent and Alves joined PSG in July 2017.
The Brazilian says the reason he…
England midfielder Declan Rice is relishing the opportunity to face Germany duo Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller in a mouth-watering Euro 2020 last-16 clash on Tuesday.
Gareth Southgate s side came top of their group, taking seven points from games against Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic without conceding a goal, ensuring they will begin the knockout rounds at Wembley Stadium.
There, they will face Germany for the third time at a European Championship and the first in a knockout match since the Three Lions lost on penalties in the semi-finals of Euro 96.
West Ham midfielder Rice has started all three of England’s games so far and is likely to be in from the start against two players who he has expressed admiration for in the past.
After Baye…