Some alarming developments for the Halos, who have only won one series thus far (a three-game sweep in Miami) and are only 7-15 in games not involving the lowly Marlins. Baserunning snafus continue to haunt Ron Washington (Jo Adell thrown at trying to steal to end the Wednesday loss to the O's), not to mention patience running thin with starter Patrick Sandoval, whose inconsistencies (as well as his 6.75 ERA) remain hard to ignore. Meanwhile, big Bailey Ober has been sharp on the mound for the Twins ever since getting hammered in the opener by the Royals, with a 1.06 ERA and 0.65 WHIP in three subsequent starts. Minnesota also finally has momentum after a 4-game sweep of the Chisox. Play Twins on Money Line

We suspect this series will continue to be played on the edge, with scorelines as close as the Dallas win in Game 2. Kawhi Leonard (knee) is going to appear on the Clips' injury report for every game, but he fact he got back on the floor at midweek suggests he is likely to continue giving it a go in the playoffs. Of course, LA won Game One minus Kawhi, and the Mavs continue to lean very hard on Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who scored more than 60% of the Dallas points in Game 2. Even if Kawhi doesn't feature, still plenty of go-to scorers on the Clips side, and the zig-zag has already worked once in this series. Play Clippers

Considering that the Chisox are on a 20-win pace (really!), have lost 22 of 25, with 16 of the last 19 of those defeats by more than one run, you might think that even the Run Line price against them would be sky-high. That might be coming soon, but we're still in the reasonable range tonight with the Rays and Zach Eflin, who hasn't allowed a run across 12 IP in his last two starts. Meanwhile, Pedro Grifol is so desperate for pitching on the Sox side that he is giving ex-Mariner Chris Flexen another chance in the rotation after demoting him to the bullpen two weeks ago, all following an 8.78 ERA across his first three starts. Play Rays on Run Line

This looks a bit worrying for the Canucks, with GK Thatcher Demko out until further notice, as was the case in the Game 2 loss to the Preds. It was Demko (35-14-2 in the regular season) who was main catalyst in the Vancouver surge under Rick Tocchet; not so much backup Casey DeSmith, in goal again tonight and having hit the wall late in the regular season when in an extended stint as the Canucks' number one with Demko out. At Bridgestone, Andrew Brunette has the last line shifts, and if not for a brief moment of madness in the opener (when Vancouver scored twice in 12 seconds in the 3rd period), the Preds could already be up 2-0. Play Preds on Money Line

Some ominous signs for the Caps, who face almost certain extinction in this series if they fall behind 3-0 after tonight. Elsewhere in the East last night, neither the Lightning nor Islanders could hold serve at home and are now in desperate trouble in their first-round matchups. Moreover, Alex Ovechkin, who can't be invisible for the Caps to succeed, has been just that in the first two games, with a mere one shot on goal. But Washington proved resilient down the stretch, Charlie Lindgren is still performing admirably in goal, and the first two games were challenges for the Rangers. NY will still be in control of this series after tonight, though it might be a bit closer. Play Caps on Money Line

We're seeing something in this matchup that's making us back off of the venerable zig-zag, which has risen once again in the playoffs and definitely kicked on in Game 2 of this series when the Pacers rolled by 17 om the road. But aside from Dame Lillard's unconscious first half (35 points) in Game 1, Indiana has been outplaying Milwaukee, continuing a regular-season trend that saw the Pacers win four of the five meetings. The Bucks haven't yet figured out a way to slow Pascal Siakam, scoring at a brisk 36.5 ppg clip in this series, and now Khris Middleton (ankle) is also hurting on the Milwaukee side, which could be minus Giannis (strained calf) once again. Play Pacers

The Islanders might have needed some psychological counseling after blowing a onetime 3-0 during Game 2 at Raleigh, with the last three Canes goals coming in the final 2:15, turning around what had been a very late 3-2 Isles lead. The takeaway from the first two games, however, is that New York is hardly outclassed, as the Islanders have been skating with the Canes. New York also solved Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen, at least to a degree, on Monday, with Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, and Anders Lee all scoring goals. Patrick Roy has made one important switch for tonight, as Ilya Sorokin will be in the Islander goal after Semyon Varmalov likely a bit shell-shocked after Monday's late loss. Play Islanders on Money Line

Are the Knicks better than everyone thought...or are they simply tempting fate? Leaving it late as in Game 2 suggests that maybe it's the former, as even with Jalen Brunson shooting only 29% from the floor in the series (and just 7 of 28 in Game 2), New York still forged a 2-0 lead at MSG vs. the Sixers. Or, are the Knicks standing on the precipice, risking everything collapsing if Brunson doesn't begin to ignite like he did prior to the playoffs, when scoring nearly 36 pg in the first half of April? There are plausible explanations both wasy, but we do know both previous games cleared 204, and each was trending strongly "over" prior to Monday's game. Play Knicks-Sixers "Over"

The Sunshine State series is being conducted in close quarters, with plenty of tight checking and not much room for the respective snipers to operate. Defense has been the name of the game as each of the first two games landed 3-2 in Florida's favor, and both goalies (Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy) looking sharp beat. If there might be an edge with the series shifted to Tampa, it's the absence of Panthers forward and catalyst Sam Bennett, out at least a week with what appeared a wrist injury suffered in Game 2. In a series of such tight margins, the absence of a key cog like Bennett looms large, and the Lightning will play with real urgency tonight. Play Lightning on Money Line

We've seen the venerable NBA Playoffs zig-zag work this week, though we suspect this particular East matchup is wired a bit differently. Our suspicion is that Cavs-Magic will proceed more upon home-road lines; the Cavs held serve as host in the first two games, and now it's Orlando's turn. Certainly, Amway Center helped Magic fortunes this season, as they were 29-12 at home (only Boston and Milwaukee better in the East). The key for Orlando getting back into this series is to shoot better after being rather icy in Games 1 (barely 32% from floor) and 2 (only 36% FGs), and for someone (Jalen Suggs? Cole Anthony?) to provide a bit more help for Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Play Magic

By this point, the White Sox must be feeling like the old Washington Generals, as almost every opponent might as well be the Harlem Globetrotters. It's now losses in 21 of 24, and of the last 18 defeats, 15 of those have been by more than one run. A recovery on Thursday with ex-Brave Michael Soroka on the mound seems remote with Soroka having posted a 7.50 ERA and 1.79 WHIP, and the host Twins looking for a four-game sweep. Minnesota also can't wait for another look at Simeon Woods Richardson, making his first start since April 13 vs. the Tigers, when allowing just one run and two hits in 6 IP of a 4-1 win. Play Twins on Run Line