Weekly Sports Recap & Update – February 17th Edition

One might think that the weekend after the Super Bowl would be a dead spot on the sports calendar. That because of the events in Arizona last Sunday, everyone across the sporting landscape would take a minute to collect their breaths. Check out these events you can bet on against sports odds below.

You might think that, but you would be wrong.

Let’s take a closer look at the NBA and some of the other can’t-miss events this weekend.

Betting Action: Weekly Sports Recap & Updates


Daytona 500

For the 65th time, the drivers of NASCAR are going to race 500 miles at Daytona. It is the Great American Race, and the biggest event on the auto racing calendar is the first race of the season. One week after playing one Super Bowl, we get another.

In each of the last two Daytona 500s we’ve had first-time winners take the checkered flag, with Austin Cindric taking it for Team Penske last year, and Michael McDowell getting the win for Front Row Racing in 2021.

Three-time winner Denny Hamlin is the pre-race betting favorite. Recent Cup Series winners Kyle Larson (2021) and Joey Logano (2020) are also playing some of the shortest odds on the board. Fellow betting favorite Chase Elliott has never won here, but he was the runner-up at Daytona in 2021.

NBA All-Star Weekend

The NFL’s efforts to turn their Pro Bowl into a weekend of festivities ended with mixed results. The NBA, on the other hand, has perfected its showcase event.

On Friday, they have their celebrity game and Rising Stars Challenge – a mini-tournament involving 28 young players, four teams, and three games. The celebrity game will include former NFL star Calvin Johnson and the most recent member of the 700 home run club, Albert Pujols.

Saturday, it is the skills competition, which includes the Slam Dunk Contest and 3-Point Contest. The slam dunk participants include Kenyon Martin Jr., Trey Murphy III, Mac McClung, and Jericho Sims. Headlining the field of eight three-point participants is Celtics leading scorer Jayson Tatum.

Then on Sunday the 19th it is the main event, the All-Star Game. Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo will lead their teams of Western Conference and Eastern Conference All-Stars.

Kevin Durant will not play as he continues to rehab from an MCL sprain, but Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Luca Doncic, and Nikola Jokic will all be there to put on a show.

The Genesis Invitational – The Return of Tiger Woods

The PGA Tour ends its swing through the West Coast at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades. The Tournament has already begun, with the final 18 holes to be played on Sunday.

Last year’s tournament gave us a 60-1 longshot winner in Joaquin Niemann. This year’s event gives us Tiger Woods in his first tournament since The Open Championship last July.

It’s probably too much to hope for a vintage Woods performance on one his favorite courses on tour, although ironically a course where he’s never been a winner. But that won’t stop the crowds or the excitement that follows his group.

As for Woods himself, he says he wouldn’t be playing if he didn’t think he could compete with the best golfers in the field, and possibly beat them.