Aces are huge favorites to win opener against Phoenix
Broken toe will keep Griner on sidelines for Mercury
The Aces will open their pursuit of a third straight WNBA championship against the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday at Michelob Ultra Arena.
The Aces shot up from 13½-point to 15½-point favorites Monday afternoon when Phoenix center Brittney Griner was ruled out with a toe fracture in her left foot.
Westgate Superbook oddsmaker Jeff Sherman opened the Aces higher than the rest of the market because he said Monday morning he expected Griner to miss the opener.
“I opened the Aces up 14½, and there’s 13½ out there, because I saw Friday that Brittney Griner’s in a walking boot,” Sherman said. “I’d be surprised if she plays, just based on seeing the pictures out there. I expect that line to go up.”
Griner, tied for the 25-1 fifth choice at the Westgate to win the MVP award, didn’t play in Phoenix’s 98-85 preseason loss to Los Angeles on Friday. A photo posted on X showed Griner on a scooter before the game with a walking boot on her left foot.
The Superbook lowered the line to 14 on Monday morning after taking money on the Mercury +14½. Sherman said the move was based on market difference.
The Aces were -13 at Circa Sports on Monday morning before soaring as high as 16½ at Boyd Gaming on Monday afternoon.
The consensus total is 169½.
NFL Week 1 lines
The Kansas City Chiefs will kick off their quest for three straight Super Bowl championships against the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL’S season opener Sept. 5 at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Superbook made the Chiefs 2½-point favorites over the Ravens in the rematch of last season’s AFC title game, which Kansas City won 17-10. The Chiefs then beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The total for Kansas City’s opener against Baltimore is 47.
The Chiefs opened as 3-point favorites at BETMGM and Caesars Sportsbook.
“We thought three would be too much, so we started Chiefs 2½,” Sherman said.
The Chiefs are the 6-1 second choice at the Superbook to win their third straight Super Bowl. The Ravens are the 8-1 third pick. The 49ers are the +450 favorites.
The NFL opener will feature two of the leading candidates to win the league’s MVP award. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the 6-1 co-favorite with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson is the 15-1 sixth choice.
Sportsbooks also have posted the line on the Eagles-packers Week 1 game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 6.
Philadelphia is a 1-point favorite at the Superbook and the total is 48.
Scheffler shortest favorite since Tiger
Scottie Scheffler is in the midst of the most dominant run by a pro golfer since Tiger Woods in his prime.
Scheffler, ranked No. 1 in the world, became the first golfer since Woods in 2007-08 to win four tournaments in five PGA Tour starts when he won the RBC Heritage the week after winning the Masters.
He also is the shortest favorite to win this week’s PGA Championship since Woods was 4-1 in 2013, according to sportsoddshistory.com.
Scheffler is the +450 favorite at the Superbook to win the year’s second major, which tees off Thursday at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky.
He is 3-1 at Caesars and Boyd Gaming, the shortest odds to win any major since 2009, when Woods was +175 to win the PGA Championship and +175 to win the U.S. Open.
Scheffler is the PGA Championship money leader at the Superbook and tied for third in tickets with Rory Mcilroy, the +750 second choice.
Ludvig Aberg, who is 20-1, is No. 1 in tickets and No. 2 in money at the Westgate.
Defending champion Brooks Koepka, who has won three of the past six PGA Championships, is 16-1. He is second in tickets and fourth in money at the Superbook.
Woods, a 200-1 long shot, is the largest liability at the Westgate. A bettor wagered $1,000 to win $100,000 (100-1) in February on the 15-time major champion.