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The Game Of The Week Is TONIGHT!
Plus the drama brewing in AZ, KD's bad luck & the meme of the day
Kate Magdziuk
March 09, 2023
Happy Thursday, sports fan!
Congratulations — you’ve survived most of the week. Sure — we STILL don’t have any Aaron Rodgers news yet, the NFL’s total lack of interest in Lamar Jackson is puzzling league fans everywhere, and the Rams’ very short-lived dynasty might be over…
But none of that matters… because tomorrow is Friday. 🙏
Before we close out the week, however, we’ve got lots of sports to talk about:
Two of the NBA’s most lovable, surging franchises are playing each other tonight 🏀
Game of the Day PARLAY 🔥
Betting meme of the day 🌈
Social moments that matter 📱
🍿 Grab your popcorn 🍿
Are you ready for the game of the week? It’s gonna be so good, y’all. I promise.
Who: New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings
When: Thursday, March 9 at 10 p.m. ET
How to watch: TNT or live stream here
Today, we’ve got Gaming Society contributor Katie Heindl dropping in to give you the scoop on each of these teams (as lovable as any) — and why neither of them is a team you’ll want to bet against right now. 🔥🔥🔥
The Knicks are gonna be a problem in the postseason.
Grinding has been the hallmark of New York this season. If there was an assumption that things were going to automatically improve after Trae Young took that bow in the Garden then the struggles of the Knicks last season put it to rest. Tension in the roster was palpable and Randle shouldered much of the (unfair) blame.
The antithesis of that has been the togetherness the Knicks have shown, and started to win under, this season. The unanimous buy-in is obvious in the way the team treats each other. During Randle’s postgame after the Knicks’ close win over Miami last week, Jalen Brunson came over to bear hug Randle mid-interview and stayed there squeezing him around the ribs for 15 seconds.
Beyond the Bucks, a team that won’t be outworked by anybody, there isn’t a top-tier Eastern Conference contender that would be thrilled to face the Knicks in a first-to-four series. They are that taunting voice, ringing maniacally in everybody’s heads.
But the Kings are surging, too.
The fact that the franchise facing the longest playoff drought (16 seasons) in league history got here is the underdog story basketball fans live for.
With a month of games left in the season, Sacramento sits first in overall their offensive rating and points per game, has already outpaced their projected win record of 35-36 (they’re currently 36-25), and sits third in a stacked Western Conference. They look fun, they look excited, and more than that, they look serious.
“They have a belief that is uncanny for a group that has never played together before, nor have a lot of these guys had key roles on playoff teams as individuals in big situations. It’s extraordinary,” Kings head coach Mike Brown told SI in a recent interview when asked about the success of the group.
As Tom Ziller pointed out earlier this week, the fact that the Kings haven’t been here, facing playoff contention, in a long time doesn’t put this particular group and what they’re capable of doing at a deficit. Sacramento is no longer a breezy win for a struggling team or a record-padding boost for a great one — they’re a real matchup.
Read more about what Katie has to say about these NBA darlings on our website.
The Kings are favored to win tonight, with their moneyline odds (aka, odds to win) at -130. That means it would take a $130 bet to win $100 profit. The Knicks are underdogs, with their odds to win at +110 (A $100 bet would win $110 in profit).
Gaming Society’s Game of the Day Parlay 👀
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Your betting reminders courtesy of The Betting Academy 🫡
☑️ Parlay: A wager made up of multiple bets that ALL need to happen in order to cash! Each bet within a parlay is known as a “leg” and if just one of the “legs” in our parlay doesn’t hit, we don’t win.
☑️ Your payout for a bet is determined by the odds. With parlays, your payout is calculated by combining the odds of each individual bet. The payout is always bigger for a parlay than it is for each individual bet, though! Since there’s more risk, there’s more reward.
🌈 Betting Academy meme of the day 🌈
Did you know? 💡 Not a fan of parlays? Not everyone likes the risk, and that’s okay! They sure are fun to root for, but we know they’re inherently a lot more difficult to win — that’s why they have the potential to win you so much money!
Instead of placing a suggested parlay (say, for instance, our team’s parlay of the day above👆), feel free to bet each of those legs “straight” — meaning, you just place a separate wager on each of the individual bets instead of combining them all together. This increases your odds to win some money back (even if it is a smaller amount) for those days you’re feeling more risk-averse!
Learn more about the basics of sports betting, including key terms to know, over at The Betting Academy!
📱Social moments that altered my brain chemistry this week📱
Kevin Durant sprained his ankle in pregame warmups for his Suns home debut.
Now there’s concern he might miss the rest of the regular season. 😭
KD listed out tonight after tweaking ankle during pregame shootaround 😳
Tonight was supposed to be his Suns home debut
(via @sportingnews)
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport)
1:55 AM • Mar 9, 2023
With 16 games left in the schedule, the Suns sit just 3.5 games ahead of the Warriors, Clippers, Timberwolves and Mavericks. 🫣 Are the Suns play-in tournament-bound in a wide-open Western Conference?
Are the Rams blowing it all up?
The #Rams have parted ways with LB Bobby Wagner and reportedly looking to move the following players:
QB Matthew Stafford
CB Jalen Ramsey
WR Allen Robinson
LB Leonard FloydDoes Sean McVay believe he can win long-term with a Baker Mayfield?
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman)
6:47 PM • Mar 9, 2023
Remember that time the LA Rams won a Super Bowl? Boy, does that feel like it happened a million years ago. In reality, it’s been 389 days. That’s it. That’s how much can change in the year.
We’re not about the negativity here at Gaming Society, though. So, here’s your positive spin: if you’re thinking of making a positive change, now’s the time! A lot can change in a year, so… where you could be in 389 days? 🤔 Go get ‘em, tiger!
The Cardinals are talking $h!t on their own QB. WTF.
Cardinals OL Kelvin Beachum on how Kyler Murray can take the next step 👀
— PFF (@PFF)
3:46 PM • Mar 9, 2023
Having a teammate come out to say their franchise quarterback, turning 26 this offseason, has some growing up to do… YEEEEESH. I know it was blanketed in some fluffy language, but regardless — YEESH.
The Arizona Cardinals are an absolute dumpster fire right now, between the concerns around Kyler Murray’s leadership, his torn ACL and the recent loss of their head coach and GM. These narratives coming out of the locker room aren’t helping.
Best of luck to new HC Jonathan Gannon in his endeavor to repair that locker room. 🥴 The Cardinals currently sit with the second-worst odds to win Super Bowl 58 at +18000 (Bet $10 to win $1,800 profit if they win)… meaning their chances at a Lombardi in 2024 are considered very, very, very slim.
Before you go, check out some more cool things we’ve been workin’ on!
