It’s championship week in the NFL. The online sports betting world is just a few more days away from knowing which teams will face off in next month’s Super Bowl.
NBA
Heat at Knicks
Saturday, Jan. 27 | 3 p.m. ET | ABC
Miami may be the defending Eastern Conference champion, but it’s the New York Knicks that have the best record in the NBA in January. The Knicks were 10-2 ahead of their home game with Denver on Thursday night.
New York seems closer to a deep playoff run than it has been in a long time. In 2023, the Knicks won their first playoff series since 2013. Jalen Brunson is a likely All-Star, and new acquisition OG Anunoby gives the Knicks more balance and pop in the middle of their starting five.
Miami is going through a revitalization of its own, having just shipped 37-year-old Kyle Lowry out of town for Terry Rozier. Saturday’s network showdown against New York will be one of Miami’s first opportunities to show how Rozier’s presence upgrades the Heat back toward another playoff run.
The NBA championship odds market gives a slight edge to Miami (+3500) over New York (+4000), but it’ll likely be the Knicks who are NBA odds favorites in this game. They won the first game between these two teams in November 100-98.
NFL
AFC Championship: Chiefs at Ravens
Sunday, Jan. 28 | 3 p.m. ET | CBS
Oh, the familiar places. The Kansas City Chiefs will once again play for an AFC Championship this weekend. It’ll be the Chiefs’ fifth consecutive year playing in the game.
There is a major catch this year, though, as the Chiefs will be playing on the road in Baltimore – the first road championship game of the Mahomes/Reid era.
The Chiefs have advanced through the playoffs thus far by laying their offensive hammer down on battered defenses. Both Miami and Buffalo had shed key starter after key starter on the defensive side of the ball – a brutally tough development for any team that must line up opposite Patrick Mahomes.
Baltimore may present a stiffer test for the Chiefs’ flagging 2023 offense. PFF grades the Ravens as the No. 3 defense in the NFL this year, including the No. 2 coverage unit. The Ravens also led the league this year with 31 takeaways.
On Thursday, BetMGM’s NFL odds priced the Ravens as a 3.5-point favorite over the Chiefs.
NFL
NFC Championship: Lions at 49ers
Sunday, Jan. 28 | 6:30 p.m. ET | FOX
Sunday’s nightcap will set the Super Bowl LVIII matchup, and it should be a good one. Super Bowl favorite San Francisco will host the publicly beloved Detroit Lions, with one team emerging as NFC champion.
As of Thursday, the 49ers were a clean -7 favorite. The total was 51, which is curiously high for a championship game. Then again, Detroit’s powerful offense can score on anyone, but its defense can give up a lot of points, too.
Curiously, the 49ers and Lions are much higher liabilities for the sportsbook than either AFC team. Detroit and San Francisco are the No. 1 and No. 2 overall liabilities, respectively, in BetMGM’s Super Bowl odds market. Many Michigan bettors lined up behind the Lions even before the season began, at one point accounting for nearly half the entire NFC Championship ticket market.