The NBA and NHL playoffs are nearing the end of their first-round series, and 76ers-Knicks has been among the most entertaining so far.
The Knicks lead the series 3-1, but all games have been decided by fewer than 12 points, including two by fewer than six points. 76ers big man Joel Embiid scored 50 points in Game 3, and then Knicks guard Jalen Brunson nearly matched him with a Knicks playoff-record 47 points in Game 4.
In the NHL, the Rangers made quick work of the Capitals with a four-game sweep ending Sunday night. Three of the four games were decided by two or more goals.
In the first round of the NBA playoffs, road favorites have done well against the spread over the last several years. Since 2010, road favorites are 86-60-3 (58.7%). On Saturday, two of three road favorites (Celtics and Thunder) covered the spread, while the Nuggets did not.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry teamed up to win the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, the only official team event on the PGA Tour. At 25-under, the pair beat Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer on the first playoff hole. Going into the tournament at BetMGM sportsbook, McIlroy/Lowry pulled in the third-most bets to win outright (8.8%) and the third-most money (10.6%).
The Heat, who closed as 14.5-point underdogs, upset the Celtics in Game 2 of their first-round series Wednesday night. It matched the third-largest NBA playoff upset since 1991.
The Canucks stunned the Predators on the road in Sunday’s Game 5, scoring two late third-period goals and then winning in overtime for a 3-1 series lead. Bettors heavily favored Nashville, as they pulled in 86% of the money on moneyline bets.
Following last week’s NFL draft, several new NFL odds markets have been established ahead of the regular season.
No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams is the favorite to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year at +200. Marvin Harrison Jr. is next at +600, followed by Jayden Daniels at +750. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is fourth at +850.
When it comes to the AP Defensive Player of the Year, Dallas Turner is the favorite at +400, followed by Laiatu Latu at +750. Jared Verse has the third-best odds at +800, with Quinyon Mitchell after him at +900.
Nobody's Super Bowl odds moved during the draft. Kansas City remains the favorite with +550 odds to win a third straight Super Bowl. The 49ers are the next closest at +600, followed by the Ravens at +900.
This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM Sportsbook.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, and teammate Shane Lowry, of Ireland, right hold up their trophy after winning the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière (13) shakes hands with Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) following Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (AP) — Trick-or-treaters in the Northeast who in past years would bundle up under their Bluey or Beetlejuice costumes comfortably roamed neighborhoods in unseasonably mild temperatures Thursday.
New York City hit 81 degrees (27.2 Celsius) on Halloween, with Boston topping out at 78 degrees (25.5 C). Caribou, Maine, hit a high of 75 degrees (23.8 C), well above the Halloween average of 47 degrees (8 C).
Buffalo, New York, saw a record-breaking 78 degrees — a year after light snow fell on Halloween.
In Schenectady, parents walked kids dressed as ninjas, superheroes and princesses down residential streets before the sun went down. The temperature was in the 70s, and people were loving it.
“It’s not a typical Halloween by any means,” Tom Kaczmarek said as he accompanied his 4-year-old daughter, who was dressed as a ghost. “But it’s nice not to have to cover our daughter in a coat, so she can wear her costume fully and proudly.”
Twelve-year-old Emma Abraham said she was a little hot in her Joker costume, but she was going to pull through.
“These temperatures are running on average about 20 degrees warmer than normal,” said Samantha Borisoff, a climatologist at the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University. She noted that weather can vary widely in October, a transitional month between seasons.
“So every Halloween can be very different,” she said.
This year was a far cry from 2011, when an early Nor’easter just before Halloween dumped heavy, wet snow around New York's Hudson Valley region. In 2012, the New York City area was reeling on Halloween after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the northeastern coastline Oct. 29, causing about $65 billion in damage.
Elsewhere, parts of eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin were getting their first snow of the season Thursday. The National Weather Service said there was high uncertainty about accumulations because the ground is still warm. Snow melted when it hit the pavement in downtown Minneapolis.
But revelers in the Northeast were enjoying the treat while it lasted. Temperatures were expected to return to normal ranges starting Friday.
Nelson Rose wore a bewigged scary clown mask in the late-day Schenectady sun, but he said he was comfortable as he rolled a double stroller for his grandchildren.
“The end of October and we’re still getting this 70-degree weather,” he said. “I’m not complaining at all.”
Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski contributed from Minneapolis.
A boy dressed in a firefighter costume arrives to watch a Halloween parade, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
A man carries a child dressed as a king upon arriving to watch a Halloween Parade, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Parents attend a Halloween parade compare costumes, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Children at Daniel Warren Elementary School walk in a Halloween parade, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Children at Daniel Warren Elementary School walk in a Halloween parade, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Mamaroneck, N.Y. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
