The National Lacrosse League’s first game of 2023 is a primetime matchup on the Las Vegas strip. The Las Vegas Desert Dogs host the Philadelphia Wings Friday night with the Wings seeking back-to-back wins and Vegas looking for its first win in franchise history. Unfortunately for one team, I think this matchup could get out of hand.
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Las Vegas Desert Dogs vs Philadelphia Wings (-1.5)
| Philadelphia Odds | -160 |
| Las Vegas Odds | +140 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPNews |
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook.
The Philadelphia Wings and Las Vegas Desert Dogs entered the season with drastically different expectations, but both have failed to meet those expectations.
The Wings got obliterated by East Conference rival Halifax in their first game, then escaped with a win against Georgia in overtime. However, they haven’t looked like the title contender many expected entering the season, allowing an average of 15 goals through two games. While I’m not convinced the Wings defense has fixed their issues from last year — despite adding free agent Chad Tutton in the offseason — I do expect them to bounce back against a much weaker opponent.
Vegas may not have championship hopes in its first season, but head coach Shawn Williams certainly expected better from a squad that was built to compete this year. What we’ve seen is a team that lacks consistency and chemistry, despite some bright offensive moments at times. While I think the offense should have a better day against a new opponent (Vegas faced Panther City in back-to-back games to start the season), I don’t think they should be only a 1.5-point underdog against a Wings team with playoff aspirations. The Desert Dogs still have too many questions and I don’t think they find the answers against a Wings team already desperate to stay relevant in the East race.
While Landon Kells looked solid in his first start, the firepower the Wings have on offense should give Vegas a tough time tonight. If Philadelphia can take better care of the ball on offense early, I think it’ll be able to exploit the Desert Dogs defense en route to a multi-goal margin.
While I’m not surprised to see a 1.5-point line, I do think we could see Vegas linger in the 2.5-point underdog territory a lot this season. This is a good time to bet the Wings against the spread as small favorites, especially considering the -110 price at Caesars.
Pick: Philadelphia Wings -1.5
