With a full slate of NBA playoff games, end of season NHL games and the MLB in full swing, there’s so much to bet on this Friday. I took a look at all three major sports leagues, scouring for high quality opportunities on our first day of the weekend.
Here are the best bets I found, with all odds referenced from BetMGM:
MIAMI HEAT VS ATLANTA HAWKS PICK
The Heat travel to Atlanta for their first road playoff game after sweeping the Hawks at home for a 2-0 series lead.
During the homestand, the Heat limited Atlanta to 98.0 points per game (ppg), way below their average of 113.9 during the regular season. Miami continues to get good looks on the offensive side of the ball as well, averaging 115.o ppg so far this series (which is up from their regular season average of 110.0).
So far in the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the higher seed is 14-6 against the spread. With more forgiving spreads in away games, the higher seeds went undefeated yesterday (3-0) as the Grizzlies, Mavericks and Warriors all covered.
The Heat have an answer for everything the Hawks have thrown at them up to this point. I don’t expect that to change. After covering in the first two games, the Heat should do it again tonight.
PICK: MIAMI HEAT -1.5 (-110)
BALTIMORE ORIOLES VS LOS ANGELES ANGELS PICK
Lefty Bruce Zimmerman is likely to get the start on the mound tonight for the Orioles, who visit Los Angeles to play the Angels tonight. Zimmerman, one of the bright spots in a sour start to Baltimore’s season, has put together nine innings of scoreless pitching in two games.
On the other side of the ball, The Orioles rank last in the big leagues in offense. Averaging only 2.15 runs per game, Baltimore continues a remarkable record on UNDER bets this season. They have hit the UNDER in 11 of their 13 games played.
Despite running into an Angels team with hot bats (Top five in runs scored per game), Los Angeles is 1-5 on OVER/UNDER bets at home this season.
A combination of strong pitching and lackluster offense should spell another low scoring affair for Baltimore. Take the UNDER tonight in LA.
PICK: UNDER 8.5 RUNS
COLORADO AVALANCHE VS EDMONTON OILERS PICK
A meeting between a few of the NHL’s brightest stars gets underway tonight as the Colorado Avalanche join the Oilers in Edmonton.
Potentially foreshadowing a Conference finals meetup, both Colorado and Edmonton rank among the best goal-scoring teams in the league. The Avalanche (3rd in goals per game with 3.82) look to bounce back after a loss to the Seattle Kraken while the Oilers (7th in goals per game with 3.44) aim to win their fourth in a row.
Surprisingly, goals may be scarce tonight. The Avalanche and Oilers met twice this year, with both games ending in under five total goals scored (both games also went to overtime).
Darcy Kuemper should be returning to the crease tonight for the Avalanche, who also have the sixth rated defense in the NHL in goals allowed. Kuemper has been excellent for Colorado this season, maintaining a 2.43 goals against average (7th in the league) and a .924 save percentage (3rd).
The battle between the two playoff contenders should be a close and contested affair. Expect both teams to bring their A-game, as I predict the UNDER will hit for the third time in this matchup.
Wolveridge Langan 