Milwaukee Bucks are only one win away from their first NBA title in 50 years when they face Phoenix Suns in Game 6 in the early hours of Wednesday. The Bucks were trailing 2-0 to Phoenix after Monty Williams’ side won back-to-back home games but Milwaukee are on a roll after three straight triumphs to leave them on the cusp of their first success since 1971.
As the 2020-21 regular season draws to a close and supporters start to look ahead to the play-offs and the race for Stanley Cup glory, we’ve taken a look at the achievements of the greatest players in the history of the NHL, in terms of points scored, games played and goaltender stats.
For each of the four biggest US sports, we’ve picked out five of the most shocking draft picks and surprising trades of all-time. Such decisions can make or break an NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL franchise for years to follow and opinions are often divided on who will come out best from major moves.
Kansas City are fancied to become the first team since 2004 to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy two years running by taking care of Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have home advantage and the Tom Brady factor in their favour, but the all-conquering Chiefs still get the nod to prove a class apart.
We’ve reached the Divisional Round with this season’s NFL predictions and are hoping to land a near-10/1 accumulator from handicap picks on all four matches. Teams are now just two wins away from featuring in Super Bowl LV, which is scheduled to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on February 7.
With the NFL post-season beginning in early January, we have analysed every previous one since the current format was established back in 2002 to understand what might happen this time around on the road to Super Bowl LV.
With the new NBA season getting under way, we’ve analysed every previous one under the current format – stretching back to 2004-05 – for clues about what might happen this time around.
With the sporting calendar gradually returning to normality in the United States, we’ve taken stock of the most popular sports and identified which franchises have enjoyed the most success to date.
The San Antonio Spurs will see their 100 per cent start to the 2019-20 NBA season come under severe threat when they travel to the Los Angeles Clippers for their first road trip of the campaign. The hosts have already seen off arch-rivals the Lakers and title contenders Golden State Warriors.
Boston Celtics will continue their home campaign with another tough encounter at TD Garden when Eastern Conference rivals Milwaukee Bucks look to maintain their early season form. The Bucks and Celtics both boast 2-1 records to be among the front-runners of a congested Eastern Conference, where only the Philadelphia 76ers hold a 100 per cent record after three games.
The excitement of the NBA season continues into night two when there is a huge Atlantic Division clash at the Wells Fargo Center between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. Boston took the four-game series 3-1 during a productive season as they made the play-offs alongside Philadelphia but both crashed out at the Eastern Conference semi-final stage.
Los Angeles will host one of the most eye-catching NBA matches of the season on opening night as the Lakers take on city rivals Clippers at the Staples Center. The Clippers took the series 3-2 during the 2018-19 season but after a busy summer for both teams, the Lakers and the Clippers will be desperate to get off to a perfect start by defeating their their bitter rivals.
The new NBA season gets under way with defending champions Toronto Raptors opening the campaign against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Scotiabank Arena. Toronto secured their maiden NBA crown last season after defeating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the Finals.
Ahead of the NBA play-offs this weekend, we’ve taken a look at every past season since the bracket was expanded to 16 teams in 1984 to reveal some interesting patterns. We’ve looked at which seeds tend to go deeper in the tournament and the likely source of any upsets to help you with your betting before the curtain goes up on Saturday.