Monday July 15 Best Sports Betting Picks & Predictions For 7/15/2024

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If we thought last Monday was a little quiet for wagering purposes, wait until you get a listen to the almost dead silence this time around.

No MLB, WNBA or international soccer leaves us with some darts, NBA Summer League and some domestic soccer here and there, so please proceed with the utmost caution.

World Matchplay Darts – Michael van Gerwen vs. Luke Littler

The third and final leg of the darts Triple Crown got underway this past Saturday in Blackpool, England, and will run through next weekend.

The prime matchup as we wrap up first-round action on Monday must be between second seed Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands and teenage English darling Luke Littler, who rose to prominence with his runner-up finish at the World Championships back in the new year.

These two have met nine times, with the Dutchman holding a 5-4 edge, but the 17-year-old phenom Littler is a -170 favorite for this matchup.

I don’t see value on Littler at those narrow odds, but I do like the best-of-21 leg tie to go close to the distance.

Over 16.5 legs (-140)

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NBA Summer League – Miami Heat vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

The boys from South Florida got their summer league campaign off to a solid start on Saturday night when they put up 119 points in a 5-point win over the defending actual NBA champs, the Boston Celtics.

OKC was held to a miserable 69 points in a blowout loss to the Raptors.

Miami were led by rising second-year man Jaime Jaquez, who put up 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting, adding 11 rebounds and five assists. Five of his teammates also ended up in double digits, as the Heat shot 60 percent from downtown.

I doubt they’ll shoot that well from three again on Monday, but they should have enough to cover against the Thunder.

Miami Heat (-5.5, -110 at DraftKings)

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Swedish Allsvenskan – Halmstad vs AIK Stockholm

I managed a winning pick last week in the Swedish league, so let’s give this competition another go here.

Halmstad got hammered 5-1 by league leaders Malmo on the road in their first game back after the league’s recent month-long break, but it was a one-goal game until Malmo scored three times in the final 15 minutes, so that score may be a little misleading. Halmstad, who sit 10th in the 16-team league, did only manage one shot on goal, however.

Their opponents Monday, AIK Stockholm, sit two spots behind Halmstad in the table and fell 2-1 in their return after the break, at home to lowly Kalmar. They have only won one of their last six matches in the league, and lost both friendlies in late June to Sparta Prague and Viking of Norway.

With the way both of these teams are playing at the moment, I think the value in this game is with the draw, which was the result when these two teams last played in October, 2023. Ten of the 36 all-time meetings between these two teams have also finished tied.

Tie (+280 at DraftKings)