Basketball takes center stage tonight as a pair teams look to stay alive in the NBA Playoffs. With the MLB getting into full swing and a little bit of hockey action, I walk through my favorite bets for tonight’s slate of games.
These are the best bets I found, with all odds referenced from BetMGM:
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS VS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
In the lone game of NHL action tonight, the Flyers travel out to Chicago in an attempt to get their third win in a row against the Blackhawks.
With the injury to Carter Hart, Philadelphia called up Felix Sandstrom to backup Martin Jones for the remainder of the season. The netminder’s rough start (0-2-1, 3.29 GAA) mirrors the struggles of Kevin Lankinen (6-15-6, 3.62 GAA), who plays his foil tonight for Chicago.
The Blackhawks have struggled defensively since trading starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. In their 16 games since the trade deadline, the Blackhawks limited opponents to two goals or less only twice. Opposing teams scored four or more goals in 11 of those contests.
Both Philadelphia and Chicago rank among the worst for goals allowed this season. The Flyers sit at 27th, conceding 3.58 goals per game while the Blackhawks are one spot above at 3.57 goals allowed on average.
With a pair of backup goalies tending the nets tonight and the Flyers new young talent scoring in bunches, take the OVER on what should be a goal-heavy night in Chicago.
PICK: OVER 6.5 GOALS (-110)
LOS ANGELES DODGERS VS ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
You would be hard pressed to find any team in the MLB better than the Dodgers. LAD won their series against San Diego, lead the big leagues in Runs per Game (5.47 Runs/G) and On Base Percentage (.331 OBP) and rank in the top ten for Batting Average and ERA.
The Dodgers are also one of the best teams against the spread this season. In every game they’ve won, they cover. 11 money line wins and 11 wins against the spread for the heavily-favored NL West leaders. They travel to Arizona today for their second inter-divisional series.
The Diamondbacks could not be more different. Arizona has struggled offensively so far, ranking 28th in Runs/G (3.06), 29th in Batting Avg. (.189) and 23rd in OPB (.286). Against teams above .500, the Diamondbacks are 3-7 and got outscored 51 to 29
I expect the Dodgers to win this game, and their trend of covering should continue with Walker Buehler on the mound tonight.
PICK: LOS ANGELES DODGERS -1.5 (-120)
BROOKLYN NETS VS BOSTON CELTICS
On the brink of elimination, the Brooklyn Nets need to find a way around the Boston Celtics stout defense to prolong their stay in the NBA Playoffs.
The Celtics capitalized on turnovers, forcing more and scoring off of them frequently. Brooklyn averaged 13.2 turnovers a game and allowed 17.3 points off turnovers during the regular season. Those averages are up to 16 TO and 23.7 points in their first three games versus Boston. As a consequence, the Nets have scored less, averaging five less points a game in the postseason.
Part of the lack of scoring is the shutdown of Brooklyn’s star-player duo. Kevin Durant (who averages 5.67 TO a game this series) only took 11 shots in Game 3, while the Celtics keyed in on Kyrie Irving.
After a stellar performance in Game 1, (12-20 FG, 6-10 3PT, 39 PTS) Irving has been worse than ineffective. In Games 2 and 3, Irving went 10 for 30 from the field, missing on all eight of his three-point attempts for a lackluster 26 total points.
It’s obvious stopping Irving is the key to the Celtics game plan, who want the rest of the Nets to beat them. Expect Durant to touch the ball more in an effort to stave off elimination while Kyrie draws newly-minted DPOY winner Marcus Smart. Take the under on his total points tonight.
Wolveridge Langan 