Sportsline

Is Arsenal in a trap spot? ....

The Sixers try to keep their season alive. ...

Gavin Williams has been dominant in Cleveland. ...

Terrence Shannon Jr. was held to five points in Game 3. ...

The 76ers keep falling apart late vs. the surging Knicks. ...

It's do or die time for both clubs. ...

Game 1 and Game 2 of this series couldn't be more different from one another; will we finally see a tight checking 1 goal game with a venue change to Montreal? ...

Karl-Anthony Towns has 6+ assists in six straight games

FC Cologne is trying to avoid German relegation. ...

Stay on this red hot player’s points prop for Game 4. …

FanDuel. Braxton Ashcraft has made the most of his first regular stint in the Pirates rotation. The righty has pitched to a 3.02 ERA (2.64 xERA), with 45 K’s in 41.2 innings. His 27.2 K% and 13% swinging strike rate both rate above the 80th percentile for starting pitchers, as he’s been able to draw from his three main pitches to record strikeouts. His curveball in particular has been lethal against lefties, and he’ll see five in the lineup tonight (albeit one is Luis Arraez). Ashcraft has burned lefties with a 32.6% strikeout rate. And the righties he’ll face are largely plus-targets as well. The Giants are a below average lineup, and in a pitcher’s ballpark in pitching conditions, I like Ashcraft to stay efficient.

DraftKings. In a very similar way we saw last series with Dillon Brooks, the Suns are very OK with Marcus Smart in a high usage role - in fact, their coverages are almost designed for it. The Thunder’s defense is predicated on stopping Austin Reaves and LeBron James pick-and-roll action, forcing them to kick to secondary playmakers, in this case Smart. The veteran guard is not shy with the ball, and has put up 28 shots and accrued 16 potential assists in two games, each with a 23%+ usage rate. He’s also needed on the floor to check Shai Gilgeous-Alexander defensively. So while it might not be pretty, nor efficient, I do expect Smart to get enough volume tonight.

DraftKings. Without Jalen Williams available, Ajay Mitchell has seamlessly filled the void for the Thunder on the perimeter as the complementary playmaker to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The second-year pro has cleared this line in three of four games without Williams in these playoffs, only missing in Game 3 against the Suns due to a 5/20 shooting performance. But the touches, shot volume and usage are all there - the latter has been at 25% or better in each of the last four games. The Lakers lack perimeter defenders in general, and Mitchell has taken advantage of the soft coverages thrown his way.

Clay Holmes has been the significantly better pitcher here, as opposed to Merrill Kelly. I don't love backing the Mets offense but they should be the favored ML side here, so I've got some value showing here on the Mets ML in the F5.

Cam Schlittler has established himself as a Cy Young contender, posting an impressive 5-1 record, 1.52 ERA, and 0.87 WHIP. He excels at limiting both hits (5.8 H/9) and home runs (0.19 HR/9), putting him among the league’s elite. According to ArsenalFX, Schlittler’s cutter-slider pairing is currently the toughest "tunnel" for right-handed hitters to decipher—a major challenge for a Brewers lineup that relies heavily on Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, Garrett Mitchell, and William Contreras. The Brewers counter with Kyle Harrison, a talented left-hander posting a 2.12 ERA (xERA 3.36). However, the Yankees are thriving against southpaws this season, holding a 9-4 record and the second-best OPS in baseball. The Yankees’ lineup struggled in yesterday’s 3-for-30, 14-strikeout shutout loss. Expect a motivated response on the road.