Canadian Rapper, Drake was one of the NBA Finals bettors who earned payouts after the Denver Nuggets’ Game 5 victory at home Monday night to win a title.
However, his winnings were probably very high compared to the others.
He revealed before Game 5 on his Instagram story that he had $242,584 in Bitcoin on Denver winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“The Joker,” Drake said in his story, talking about star center of the Nuggets Nikola Jokic. “Cash me out. Gotta see this one hit right here. It’s a must.”
Following Denver securing the deal against the Miami Heat, Drake earned a whopping sum of $824,785 in payouts. The One Dance crooner is already worth millions, but this type of win comes with a massive celebration.
Drake who goes by the moniker “Champagne Papi’’ on Instagram, posted two more stories showing how the outcome of the finals had made him a happy man.
“Me and Eddie after Nuggets finally get me a sports win @stake,” Drake wrote with a Polaroid picture of Jokic and teammate Jamal Murray smiling.
Denver’s Murray is also a Canadian, so Drake’s next story was a still shot of the shooting guard after the victory with Canada’s national flag and “cash me’’ written in capital letters.
Murray delivered only 14 points in Game 5, which is low for his postseason standards. He delivered eight rebounds and eight assists over 41 minutes.
The Joker headed his team offensively with 28 points and 16 rebounds and was awarded the title of Finals MVP.
The Denver Nuggets surpassed the Miami Heat 94-89 in a challenging Game Five of the finals to clinch their first NBA title; Nikola Jokic, the star of the team won the Bill Russell trophy as the NBA Finals MVP.
Jokic who made history as the first player in the NBA to lead the league in points (600), rebounds (269) and assists (190) in a single postseason saved his teammates with 28 points and 16 rebounds in a game where all hope was lost.
The Serbian was awarded the Bill Russell trophy as the NBA Finals MVP, an award that meant more to him than the two overall MVPs he won in 2021 and 2022.
“We are not in it for ourselves, we are in it for the guy next to us,” Jokic said. “And that’s why this (means) even more.”
Denver’s victory was a gruelling one.
The Nuggets found it difficult to subdue the burning Heat or beat the finals night nerves, causing them to miss 20 of their first 22 three-pointers and seven of their first 13 free throws.
Jokic’s team led by seven late before Miami’s Jimmy Butler scored eight straight points to give his team a one-point lead with 2:45 left.
Butler ended the night with 21, making two extra free throws with 1:58 remaining to help Miami retain a one-point lead. Bruce Brown then got an offensive rebound and tip-in to give Denver the final lead.
Following behind by three with 15 seconds left, Jimmy shot a three but missed the net. Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope delivered two free throws each to keep the match out of reach and win the title for Denver.
No matter how tough the game was, the aftermath was beautiful, something the Nuggets and their fans could accept. Fireworks exploded outside Ball Arena at the final buzzer. Denver will house the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in the team’s 47 years in the NBA.
“It was ugly and we couldn’t make shots, but at the end, we figured it out,” Jokic said. “I am just happy we won the game”
“That’s why basketball is a fun sport,” he added. “It’s a live thing. You cannot say, ‘This is going to happen’. There are so many factors. I’m just happy that we won the game.”
Miami Heat, as coach Erik Spoelstra said, were a tenacious bunch to break. But they failed in their shooting. Bam Adebayo shot 20 for the team, but the Heat shot 34 per cent from the floor and 25 per cent from threes. Until Butler brook loose, he was 2-for-13 on eight points.
The Heat thrived through a loss in the play-in tournament and became the only second No 8 seed to advance to finals, insisting that they did not want the consolation prizes. They played like they expected a victory, and for a while during the match which was more settled on the ground than in the air, it seemed they would.
Denver came in shooting 37.6 per cent from 3 for the series and shot 18 per cent in this one. The team committed 14 turnovers. Despite clutch shots from Brown and Caldwell-Pope, they went just 13 for 23 from the line.
The Denver Nuggets set the tone of the game with 2:51 left in the first quarter when The Joker received his second foul and joined Aaron Gordon on the bench. Jeff Green and Jamal Murray, who concluded with 14 points and 8 assists on an off night, joined them too.
Denver was tentative on both ends of the court for the remainder of the half. Somehow, after they shot 6.7 per cent from threes – the worst first half in the history of the finals (10-shot minimum) they only trailed by seven.
True to the Denver Nuggets’ character, they pressed on and came at the Heat in waves. Their historic game morphed into a slugfest, but they found a way to win regardless.
Florida Panthers VS Vegas Golden Knights put the Panthers in a fight to secure the Stanley Cup title on the road, as they intend to bar the Knights from closing out the 2023 Stanley Cup Final.
Can the Panthers force Game 6? Or will the Stanley Cup be clinched by the Golden Knights?
The Florida Panthers have run out of chances to make mistakes after they lost Game 4 at home, 3-2. This indicates that the Panthers now trail the Golden Knights in the series, three games to one. If there is one thing the team should draw confidence from, it is the fact they have been in this position before and won the series.
In this first round, Florida lost three of their first four matches against the Boston Bruins – the beast NHL team in the regular season by a mile; before they won all of their next 3 games to move to the conference semifinal round.
Another upside for the Panthers is that they still win the possession battle for the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final. They have an even-strength Coris For the rate of 55.74%. They will need to improve the quality of their shots, but they are at least getting many chances. Florida enters Game 5 with a 4-1 record in their last 5 games on a Tuesday.
Betting On The Vegas Golden Knights
1XBet Spread: -1
1XBet Total: Over 5.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.967
BetMGM Spread: -1.5
BetMGM Total: Under 6
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.50
The Vegas Golden Knights are a young NHL franchise that hasn’t clocked its 10th year yet but is already a win away from a Stanley Cup parade. The team’s offense keeps coming up with creative ways to bring an action on the ice, and one of those instances is in Game 4, where they scored the first three goals of the contest.
Vegas relied on Adin Hil, the netminder’s defense, who blocked 29 of 31 shots on goal by the Panthers. Chandler Stephenson hit the back of the net twice in Game 5 to raise his playoffs total to 10 goals.
It would seem that anyone can deliver the Golden Knights’ offense, as they have 6 players with at least 6 goals in these playoffs, including Jonathan Marchessault, who has 13, and William Karlsson with 11 (plus one in Game 5). Vegas carries 21-6 in their last 27 outings after conceding two or fewer goals in the previous game.
MatchPlug Prediction
The Florida Panthers are more competitive than they had been in the last two games, and they should keep this momentum for Game 5. They will outshoot the Vegas Golden Knights and take charge of a slim lead, thanks to efforts by Sergei Bobrovsky at the front of the net.
Seattle Mariners VS Miami Marlins feature in a series of two teams looking to advance in their respective division races in the Pacific Northwest.
Miami takes the road to play the second game of a three-game series with Seattle tonight. The Marlins won two of three from the White Sox on the road over the weekend, prevailing 6-5 on Sunday afternoon.
The Seattle Mariners lost for the 8th time in their last 11 matches after they lost to the Los Angels on their road set Sunday afternoon. They entered Monday’s game 31-33 on the season and secured 4th place in the AL West, 10 games behind the Rangers for the top spot.
During Sunday’s game with the Angels, the Mariners received three hits each from Ty France (two runs) and Teoscar Hernandez (run, two RBI) i, although it wasn’t enough in the contest. Hernandez (11th) and Mike Ford (second) each homered in the loss. Logan Gilbert (4-4) took the loss on the mound allowing seven runs (six earned) on 8 hits with no walks and two strikeouts over 3 innings of work.
George Kirby will pitch for Seattle to make his 13th start of the season. He enters 5-5 with a 3.50 ERA, a 1.112 WHIP, 6 walks and 61 strikeouts over 74.2 innings of work on the year. Kirby lost in his last start versus the San Diego Padres on the road Wednesday.
He threw 3.2 innings, permitting five runs on 11 hits with no walks and 3 strikeouts in a game where they lost 10-3. In Kirby’s last three starts, he is 0-2 with a 6.61 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP, one walk and 14 strikeouts over 16.1 innings of work. In his 38th career major league start, pitching against the Marlins for the first time here. Today will mark his 20th career start at T-Mobile Park.
Kirby is 6-5 with a 3.43 ERA, a 1.61 WHIP, 12 walks and 110 strikeouts over 107.2 innings of work in those outings.
Betting On The Miami Marlins
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.32
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
BetMGM Spread: +1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 2.20
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 7
The Miami Marlins won their second straight and 8th in the last 9 games while they took down the Chicago White Sox in the rubber game of their weekend set. They entered Monday 37-29 on the season and took second position in the NL East, 3.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the top rank in the division.
Against the White Sox Sunday afternoon, Miami picked from a 5-1 deficit after 7 innings to earn the win. Jorge Soler (two runs, two RBI) had 3 hits for the Marlins while Garett Cooper (run, RBI) and Bryan De La Cruz (two RBI) each added a pair in the win. Soler (his 18th and 19th of the year) homered twice while Cooper (his seventh) and Jean Segura (his first) all went deep too.
Braxton Garret wasn’t included in the decision when he threw 5.1 scoreless innings, allowing three hits with one walk and 9 strikeouts. Bryan Hoeing (1-1) earned the win in relief, throwing a scoreless 8th inning, permitting no hits or walks while striking out one. A.J. Puk worked a 1-2-3 ninth for this seventh save of the year.
Edward Cabrera will be pitching for Seattle today in his 14th start for the season in this series. Cabrera enters 5-4 with a 4.29 ERA, a 1.381 WHIP, 38 walks and 80 strikeouts over 63 innings of work on the season. He secured the victory in his last start, which was Wednesday at home against the Kansas City Royals.
Cabrera threw 5 innings, allowing one run on two hits with two walks and four strikeouts in a game the Marlins went on to win 6-1. In his last three starts, Cabrera is 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, seven walks and 19 strikeouts over 16.2 innings of action. Tonight’s match will be his first career start against the Mariners, his 35th career major league start. Due to this, Cabrera also pitches at T-Mobile Park for the first time in his career.
The Mariners have struggled lately and Kirby is not exempted from the slump. Seattle has had issues in all areas recently and that could be a problem as they face the Marlins that demonstrated great resilience while securing wins.
Miami trailed behind in the 9th inning on Saturday and Sunday against the White Sox before gathering to win each contest. Cabrera managed to work on his control over his past several outings: after delivering 30 free passes in his first 8 starts spanning 47 innings, he walked only 8 while striking out 31 over 27.2 innings in his last five starts.
Miami has won four of those five outings in that span and the team generally had a lot of momentum. The Marlins will have the upper hand as Seattle struggles to add runs to the board at home.
Division rivals Baltimore and Toronto have met only thrice so far, but their next three clashes are set for this week, starting with Baltimore Orioles VS Toronto Blue Jays tonight’s game.
The Blue Jays (37-30) touchdown in Maryland, hoping to finally defeat the Orioles (41-24) this season.
In May, Baltimore travelled across borders and swept Toronto clean, winning all three of those matches. The Blue Jays’ chance at vengeance will happen at 7:05 p.m. EDT from Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
How To Overhead Press: A Beginner’s Guide buy cabergoline uk The Best Bodybuilding Supplements For Muscle Growth
MatchPlug has the MLB best bets today for this series opener between the Orioles VS Blue Jays. We are a Winning Prediction Site for everything Major League Baseball. Find similar previews on our site.
Having the third-best winning percentage in MLB, Baltimore is set for the postseason. They ride this series on the wings of a four-game winning streak, thanks to efforts from a pitching staff that’s decapitating opponents.
In those four games, the Orioles permitted a total of 9 runs and never conceded more than 3 in a match. The team’s last poor pitching performance was started by Dean Kremer, but he can join other effective staff in this game. Particularly if he restricts the Blue Jays to one run as he did in 5.1 innings a few weeks ago.
Kremer has had the most underwhelming season, with a 10.5 H/9 and 4.67 FIP, but he just needs to keep today’s match manageable. Sitting in the wings is a group of relievers that lead MLB in FIP and War, according to FanGraphs.
However, Baltimore’s offence shouldn’t be slept on, as they enter today’s match 6th in runs per game, averaging 4.97. They’ve delivered 26 runs during their active winning streak, surpassing 5 runs in 3 of those games.
The Orioles thrive in the same as the Blue Jays, with a strikeout rate that ranks 9th and a walk rate ranked 12th. They set the ball in motion, stole bases (tied for 7th place with Toronto), and struck bad pitches over the fences. Even in the absence of leadoff hitter Cedric Mullins, they found ways to win.
Betting On The Toronto Blue Jays
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.827
1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
BetMGM Spread: -1.5
BetMGM Moneyline: 1.78
BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8.5
What is a good season for the Toronto Blue Jays, would be better if they just knew how to defeat their division rivals. A 6-15 record against the AL Easy put them in 4th and almost out of a playoff spot.
A 4.57 ERA against the East, way higher than their 9th-ranked 3.88 mark all season is one area the Blue Jays can improve on. Chris Bassitt is in line for this start, and he’s been on fire lately.
Over the last 15.2 innings pitched, Bassitt only permitted two runs. He hasn’t walked anyone in those two starts and has 13 strikeouts to match. With a bullpen that is top-10 in ERA, this might be a good meeting for Toronto’s pitching staff in the division.
The team’s offense is averaging 4.6 runs per game this season, 12th in the league, and floats around that mark against the division. Gathering hits is how the Blue Jays win, and there is no team in MLB with more knocks.
There are just two teams with a higher batting average or OBP. Alongside those marks, Toronto has the fourth-lowest strikeout rate and seventh-most stolen bases. They are in 10th place in slugging and 11th in homers. This lineup can taunt pitchers in any given match and could be explosive.
MatchPlug Prediction
This match leaves many questions in its wake. Can Chris Bassitt deliver a third straight line against a dangerous offense in hostile territory? Will the Blue Jays cast out intradivision demons against a team that punked them on the home pitch? Given the way the Baltimore Orioles have been swinging lately, it is not looking possible.
Baltimore may be sending out one of their weaker starters, but Kremer shut down Toronto once this season, there is no telling that he won’t do it again.
If Dean keeps this match close, the Orioles’ bullpen will defeat the Blue Jays on most nights. With both sides’ offenses roughly equal, the hosts look better at home.
Detroit Tigers VS Atlanta Braves face off Tuesday for MLB action in Comerica Park. Today’s matchup will be the second meeting in a three-game series. In the opener on Monday, Detroit gathered a close victory.
Detroit Tigers lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game sweep during the weekend.
On Monday, they secured the walk-off win in the 10th thanks to 15 team hits. The Tigers starting pitcher Mason Englert mustered 2.2 innings, one earned, three hits and a walk.
For today’s game, Reese Olson will mount the mound for Detroit. This season, Olson is two games and one start (the first games of his career). He is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERS and nine Ks in 10.0 innings.
Betting On The Atlanta Braves
1XBet Spread: -2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 1.422
1XBet Over/Under: Under 7.5
BetMGM Spread: -2.5
BetMGM Moneyline: Over 8
BetMGM Over/Under: 1.36
The Atlanta Braves played against the Washington Nationals this weekend, winning two of three matches. On Monday against the Tigers, the Braves fumbled a 4-0 lead and fell 6-5.
Starter Charlie Morton delivered 5.1 innings with 4 hits and 3 walks. Today, Spencer Strider will be starting for Atlanta.
In Strider’s 13 starts so far, he is 6-2 with a 3.79 ERA and 121 Ks in 73.2 innings. Spencer is 18-7 with a 3.08 ERA in 46 career games (33 starts).
MatchPlug Prediction
Analysts stick with Atlanta in this game. Strider no doubt needs to make an excellent bounce-back effort. In his last meeting against the New York Mets, he put up 8 earned on 8 hits and two walks in 4.0 innings. Although, before that, Strider had been pitching well.
On Monday, the Braves fell and had a bad 9th inning (conceding 3 runs). This will be had for them to shake off, but they may make a comeback in game 2.
Houston Dynamo VS LAFC is another game gracing MLS’ already packed fixtures for matchday 18.
This game is one of the most prominent matches happening today in American Soccer. The present champions need a victory that will keep them at the top of the Western Conference standings.
18 games into the season and Houston Dynamo is yet to get the year they hoped for, they currently sit at 10th position of the overall table in their conference with 18 points.
But, the difference between them and the 5th position isn’t much (five points), so they intend to go on a winning spree, to scale the standings.
Houston began their task on the right note by winning Chicago Fire on June 6th, a victory that ended their two successive defeats. The Dynamo have a promising home record, with 8 wins in the last 10 games played there, leading experts to believe they’ll win today.
Possible Lineup: (4-2-3-1): Andrew Tarbell; Franco Nicolas Escobar, Erik Sviatchenko, Micael dos Santos Silva, Chase Gasper; Hector Herrera, Luis Mosquera; Amine Bassi, Adalberto Alcazar, Nelson Quiñones, Aliyu Ibrahim.
Betting On LAFC
1XBet Spread: -1.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 2.23
After a disappointing presentation in the CONCACAF Champions League, LAFC faced Atlanta United mid-week, where they were defeated by León.
LAFC played against Atlanta United mid-week after a poor display in the CONCACAF Champions League, where they were defeated by León despite being the favourites to win the final.
However, this loss shouldn’t deter their performance in the domestic competitions, especially since they are now in third position in the Western Conference with several matches in hand that may launch them closer or earn them a top place in the standings.
Although Los Angeles’ away record is not bad, it could certainly use some improvement as they’ve just won two out of 6 games played, losing only one. The team needs to improve their game and aim for more away victories.
Possible Lineup (4-3-3): John McCarthy; Ryan Hollingshead, Jesus Murrillo, Denil Maldonado, Diego Palacios; Jose Adoni Cifunetes Charcopa; Illie Sanchez, Erik Dueñas; Kwado Opoku, Mateusz Bogusz, Denis Bouanga.
MatchPlug Prediction
In all the 11 games between these clubs, both ends of the field have scored goals. There is a chance that this will happen again since they are two strong teams, particularly Los Angeles FC.
They have all they need to compete for the title this year, but they must first face a tough rival in today’s game.
Vancouver Whitecaps VS FC Cincinnati sees the top MLS team goes against one that is slowly making its way up the standings.
This match will be keenly watched by fans, as the visitors lead the Eastern Conference, while the hosts are in 6th position and in the playoffs zone in the west.
The Vancouver Whitecaps is a difficult team to win at home, losing just one home game. The club struggled in its first game, but since then they have not lost any of the subsequent 8 matches it played in Canada, recording 5 wins and 3 draws. Now, they face today’s game after a 1-1 tie against Kansas City.
Vancouver is headed by Vanni Sartini the Italian coach and has the second-highest number of goals scored in its zone, but their defence is vulnerable. Brian White is the team’s top scorer, with 6 goals and has scored in two of the last 3 matches the team played.
Out of the 16 matches the Whitecaps played, just three covered the Under (1.5), and two of them were home matches, which is where the match will happen today.
Possible Lineup (4-4-2): Yohei Takaoka; Mathias Laborda, Ranko Veselinovic, Tristan Blackmon, Luis Martins; Ryan Gauld, Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Pedro Vite, Sergio Córdova, Brian White.
Betting On FC Cincinnati
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 3.545
FC Cincinnati has the real talent in American Soccer, they’ve never won a title but are on track to get one this year. This team is the best at the moment, recording 12 wins, 3 draws and just one defeat. The only drawback they faced was in St. Louis City. But, in the last match, they nearly defeated Chicago Fire by a 1-0 score.
Pat Noonan’s team enters the field with an impressive streak of six consecutive victories. Luciano Acosta from Argentina is the team’s star striker, assisting with seven goals and three assists in 15 matches. Furthermore, the Cincinnati team won all 6 matches where it entered halftime with the lead, while 6 out of 8 draws ended in a win.
Possible Lineup (3-4-1-2): Roman Celentano; Alvas Powell, Matt Miazga, Yerson Mosquera; Raymon Gaddis, Obinna Nwobodo, Marco Angulo, Álvaro Barreal, Yuya Kubo, Arquímedes Ordóñez, Luciano Acosta.
MatchPlug Prediction
This matchup features a team that has grown strong at home and another that is Major League Soccer’s best team presently. After an analysis of both sides, experts believe that Vancouver VS Cincinnati will be a close game, ending in a draw packed with chances and goals.
After playing midweek during the domestic competition against Los Angeles FC, Atlanta will now want to leverage home-field advantage to improve their recent record. Before the match with LAFC on Wednesday, they had three successive draws.
Los Angeles’ has an impressive home record, winning 5 out of the 8 games played. They were defeated just once in a match at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Possible Lineup (4-2-3-1): Brad Guzan; Brooks Lennon, Miles Robinson, Juan José Sanchez Purata, Andrew Gutman; Matheus Rossetto, Franco Ibarra; Luiz Araújo; Thiago Almada, Derick Burckley Etienne; Georgios Giakoumakis.
Betting On DC United
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 3.645
DC United was active this week in a friendly match with Nexaca which they were defeated in, but this doesn’t change their records much. In Major League Soccer, they are 7th in their conference, where positions can be instantly changed due to slight point differences between clubs.
While they’re fresh off a win in their last away match, DC has gotten just three points in one of their 5 most recent road matches, a trend that won’t surprise fans if it is repeated, especially since Atlanta already won them in the last two games at this stadium.
Possible Lineup (3-4-1-2): Tyler Miller, Donovan Pines, Steven Birnbaum, Derrick Williams; Andy Najar, Chris Durkin, Victor Palsson, Pedro Santos, Mateusz Klich, Taxiarchis Fountas, Christian Benteke.
MatchPlug Prediction
Before their game with Los Angeles, Atlanta had played several matches with lots of goals, scoring up to two goals in 9 out of their last 10 games.
The same thing happened with DC, with 4 of their last 5 games ending it at least two goals scored.
Additionally, the last two games between the two clubs ended with a score of 3-2, showing what today’s match may be like.
Minnesota United goes home after visiting Austin on Wednesday. Last weekend, they played a home game and mustered a 1-1 draw against Real Salt Lake, putting it in 6th position in the Western Conference with 19 points.
As the guests and the team with better performance, Minnesota is the clear favourite for this match.
Possible lineup (4-2-3-1): Dayne St. Clair; D.J. Taylor, Miguel Tapias, Michael Boxall, Kemar Lawrence; Will Trapp, Hassani Dotson; Joseph Rosales, Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Franco Fragapane; Luis Amarilla.
Betting On The Toronto FC
1XBet Spread: +1.5
1XBet Over/Under: Under 2.5
1XBet Moneyline: 4.2
Toronto FC has just 3 wins and 16 points, they are presently in the second-to-last position in the Eastern Conference.
But, they managed to secure one of those three victories last weekend by winning DC United 2-1 at home with Deandre Kerr and Kosi Thompson scoring goals.
Possible lineup: Richie Laryea, Matt Hedges, Aimé Mabika, Kobe Franklin; Mark-Anthony Kaye, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Brandon Servania; Lorenzo Insigne, Deandre Kerr, C.J. Sapong.
MatchPlug Prediction
Today’s match between Minnesota and Toronto could be thrilling and highly competitive, despite the point differential. It is worth considering that these clubs have scored almost the same number of goals for and against, so, the final margin of victory could be small.
Minnesota has been a bit more consistent than Toronto, and with them having a home-field advantage, that may be enough for them to come out on top. They should win but by a small margin.
Instagram Feed
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: No feed found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.