Bettors in New York cannot wager on individual player awards, a quirk of the system that comes from the fine print in the Empire State’s gambling laws. And right now, the best wagering opportunities lie across state lines.<\/p>\n
Want to vote on Robert Saleh of the Jets or Brian Daboll of the Giants for Coach of the Year? Daboll is the +700 third choice and Saleh is the +1200 fifth choice, and neither of them stand much of a chance unless they run the table against their upcoming divisional opponents. Nick Sirianni of Philadelphia is the -140 favorite because the Eagles are undefeated. But the Giants will play them twice on Dec. 11 and Jan. 8, and a sweep of those two games by Big Blue could turn the tables.<\/p>\n
Also in the way is Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings, whose team stunned the Buffalo Bills 33-30 in overtime yesterday. That moved Josh Allen into third place in the MVP futures markets, behind Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. Daboll will get a chance to match wits with O’Connell on Christmas Eve on the road in Minnesota, and he is going to need some help from AFC teams, because Miami’s Mike McDaniel is the fourth choice at +1000 with his team now in first place in the AFC East. Pete Carroll of Seattle is +1200, the same odds as Jets coach Robert Saleh, whose team comes out of its bye week next Sunday at New England.<\/p>\n
And that is just the head coaching market. For comeback Player of the Year, Saquon Barkley of the Giants is now the even money second choice behind Geno Smith (-125) of the Seattle Seahawks. Smith is a better story because he was kicked around the league as a lifetime backup before replacing Russell Wilson as the Seahawks quarterback, and Seattle is atop the AFC West at 6-4 despite yesterday’s loss to Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n
But Barkley rushed for 152 yards on a season-high 35 rushing attempts, and he now leads the NFL with 937 rushing yards. He is not in the MVP conversation with odds of +15000 at PointsBet, which can be filed under things that make you go “Hmmmmm” when you are ignoring just how good Patrick Mahomes is. But remember that Nov. 14 line if the Giants run the table and finish 15-2.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/twitter.com\/Giants\/status\/1591911593826476032<\/p>\n
But the bottom line for all of the New York metropolitan NFL teams is that individual awards may elude them because neither is a sexy team. The Giants’ win over the Houston Texas was like watching paint dry, and they likely lost viewers in the New York Metropolitan area because that game was up against the Buffalo-Minnesota OT thriller that qualified as an instant Picasso.<\/p>\n
Not a good day for the Knicks or the Nets. Despite scoring a franchise record 48 points in the first quarter against Oklahoma City, the Knicks lost 145-135 to the Thunder. At night, Kevin Durant and the Kyrie Irving-less Brooklyn Nets were dreadful in their 116-103 loss to the previously hapless Los Angeles Lakers, who now are only the fourth-worst team in the NBA.<\/p>\n
The Knicks and Nets are both off until Tuesday. Tom Thibodeau’s team now embarks on a brutal five-game Western road trip, and they could be as cooked as a deep fried turkey by the time Thankgiving arrives. They are back home for their next road game the day after Thanksgiving against Portland. Coach Tom Thibodeau benched guards R.J. Barrett and Rick Brunson in the second half Sunday, and it would not be surprising for general manager Leon Rose to shake up the roster sooner rather than later. As MSG network broadcaster Walt Frazier likes to say, they are playing “matador defense.”<\/p>\n
And get this: They do not have a home game against an Eastern Conference opponent with a losing record until Dec. 23 against Chicago, which should have Lonzo Ball back by then and be on the way to recovering from their 6-8 start.<\/p>\n
So stick a fork in the Knicks. They are done.<\/p>\n
The Nets?<\/p>\n
Anthony Davis shredded them for 37 points and 18 rebounds in the Nets’ worst performance of the season, and we finally got a little something on social media from Kyrie Irving.<\/p>\n
This came after the Saturday distraction of owner Joe Tsai saying Irving has more work to do before the Nets will lift their indefinite suspension. We addressed this in an article yesterday, and there has been no further clarity Monday morning as to when Irving will return<\/a>. But Irving, who was averaging nearly 27 points per game, was back on Twitter with a very Kyrie-esque message.<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/KyrieIrving\/status\/1591903457342263296<\/p>\n Is that somehow part of Irving completing his required six-step mea culpa program? Maybe, and maybe not. Whatever the case, the Nets are floundering in 1th place in the East, yet still remain among the favorites to come out of the East, being listed at +1300 to win the championship, with Durant at +2700 to win the Most Valuable player award. Newly installed head coach Jacque Vaughn is at +1400 to win Coach of the Year at PointsBet, which means there is a sincere belief among oddsmakers that the Nets will find a way to get things turned around.<\/p>\n For now, Joe Mazzulla of Boston looks like the best bet out there, with his Celtics riding a season-high six-game winning streak. That’s while Will Hardy’s Utah Jazz have dropped back to Earth with two straight losses to fall to third in the West behind Portland and Denver. Mazzulla is +700, while Hardy remains the favorite for now at +500.<\/p>\n No Sunday Scaries after a 4-0 week \u2705 pic.twitter.com\/aM4vq6Mj6F<\/a><\/p>\n — Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 13, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n