The Charlotte Hornets squandered a golden opportunity to be the eighth seed in the play-in. The downfall started by allowing a 10-0 run to close the third quarter against the Celtics, and they lost again on Friday to the Pistons by 18 points. Both games the second halves were letdowns. Look for Charlotte to get a proper tune up game in for a confidence boost before their play-in matchup against the Heat. Lay the number with the Knicks treating this like a preseason game.
The Boston Red Sox are a team that we have seen flip the switch quickly from poor stretches. One of their tenured pitchers in Brayan Bello has struggled his first two starts, but look for the Boston bats to get him run support early. A positive in this series for Boston is St. Louis has scored just four runs in two games. Tail Boston as they win their fourth out of their past five games.
The Cleveland Guardians lost in lopsided fashion yesterday to the Atlanta Braves, 11 to 5. What they have not done on the young season is lose consecutive games. This was the case even in their second series against the LA Dodgers. Parker Messick through two starts and eleven innings of work has given up just one solo shot home run. Take the Guardians to get back in the win column against veteran Martin Perez.
A game that will likely have the lowest handle of today’s slate is Memphis against the Utah Jazz. Utah is a favorite despite losing ten straight games. Just in their last five losses the opposition has increased their scoring each time, with the Pelicans finishing with 156 points Tuesday. In a game filled with reserves in starter roles take the Jazz to in what is their final home game of the season.
The New York Knicks have had the upper hand recently over the Boston Celtics. They won in six games in last year’s conference semi-finals, and have won two out of three in the regular season this year. Both wins were by double digits including handing the Celtics their second worst home loss of the season by twenty two points. An outlier tonight is Jayson Tatum returning to Madison Square Garden for the first time since his achilles injury in game four of last season. That could have a slight impact on his game, but look for the Knicks to take the regular season series 3 games to 1 and cover the spread.
The Brooklyn Nets have surprisingly won consecutive games, and three out of their last five overall. Tonight will mark their sixth straight home game, which I believe can lead to a bit of complacency in a spot against a Pacers team with a worse record overall. Brooklyn has won just three games in a row once this season, and I’ve been impressed with the younger players getting action for the Pacers in Jalen Slawson, Ethan Thompson, and others. Back the Pacers as the road favorite.
The San Antonio Spurs have ruled out both Wemby and Stephon Castle for tonight’s matchup against Portland. Portland’s latest outing was an overtime loss, but against a team in Denver that has the current best win streak in the NBA at nine games. We also have seen this Spurs lineup without Wemby against Portland. This occurred on January 3rd, when Portland handed San Antonio one of their seven home losses on the season. Grab the Trailblazers plus the points.
Late add on the Orlando Magic in one of those wild end of season one-game specific scenarios we tend to get to close out the NBA season. The Minnesota Timberwolves are choosing to rest several starters, which has put them as an unknown in the betting market. I also expect a minutes cap on players like Donte DiVencenzo and Naz Reid. Grab Orlando who is on the upswing with three straight wins and also gets Anthony Black back in the lineup.
In both meetings between the Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics the road team has won. That angle could be disrupted tonight, but I’m siding with the underdog to cover. Charlotte’s only game below 100 points in their last fourteen games was a 114 to 99 home loss against the Celtics. A side note is both matchups Charlotte was playing the second night of a back to back spot. This is the first time they will be on rest. Take the Hornets plus the points.
The Indiana Pacers are choosing to sit four out of their five starters, which means extra opportunities for reserve Quenton Jackson. Jackson has taken advantage over the past two games where he has scored 15 and 16 points. Since February, when he has played 22 minutes or more he is averaging sixteen points per game. Tail Jackson’s over as he continues to fly under the radar in the prop market.
The Washington Wizards showed their true hand on Sunday, in a position to win with under four minutes left against Brooklyn. After a timeout, they let off the gas and a 105 to 101 lead turned into an eight point deficit in less then two minutes. Although the Bulls have the worst losing streak in the Eastern Conference at seven games, they get what may be their final win of the season tonight going away. Lay the number.
The Chicago Cubs played in a double header on Sunday, and then traveled for another road series yesterday against Tampa Bay. They lost 6 to 4, with the bullpen giving up two key runs in the seventh inning which has been a problem in their last two losses. The Rays after playing nine straight games on the road finally have their first home stand of the season. They get their second win in a row at home, and fourth win in a row overall. Back the short priced home favorite in the Rays.
The hitting conditions are not optimal today in a cold weather environment in Cleveland. We saw that impact the first game of today’s double header, which at post of this write up was 0-0 in the sixth inning. While Imanaga certainly should bounce back from a rough debut, he was prone to the home run ball against the Guardians lineup last season. On four hits allowed, three were home runs. Take the Guardians on the mispriced double header.
The no one wants to win game will take place between the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets. Washington in consecutive games has given up 153 and 152 points, this includes yesterday against the Miami Heat. Still, the value to continue losing for the Wizards being a game back of Brooklyn is a value indicator to back. The Wizards override their poor defense with their scoring ability and cover the spread.
The last week of the regular season is a haven for reserves to go off in the scoring department. Ja’Kobe Walter’s prop is two points higher than his season average today, despite going under this prop in three straight games. He is getting the minutes, and I expect an uptick back to where he was at the mid-point and tail end of March. Additionally, the only game this season he was the leading scorer for the Raptors was against the Celtics when he scored 19 points. Back Walter’s over.