Today's top picks: Why the Sixers will beat the Heat, plus MLB, NHL playoffs, tennis and soccer best bets for Thursday, May 12

Host Allan Bell is joined by Mike McClure, Larry Hartstein and Allie O'Neill on the Early Edge podcast, powered by SportsLine. Get highlighted plays for Major League Baseball, NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, NBA Playoffs, soccer and tennis for Thursday, May 12, and you can stream the show live every morning on the SportsLine YouTube page.

The experts go through some story lines, then AB kicks off the picks with two SportsLine Plays of the Day. The first play is from the NHL, with expert Matt Severance backing the Lightning -135 against the Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. ET). Severance knows the teams have alternated wins and losses so far, and he expects Tampa Bay to bounce back after dominating early but falling in Game 5.  

The second site play is on the Spanish La Liga, and Jon "Buckets" Eimer is backing Levante to go Over 1.5 goals on its team total (+185) vs. Real Madrid (3:30 p.m. ET). Los Blancos have already wrapped up the title and don't have much to play for, and Eimer expects Levante to take advantage.

Mike is on MLB, and he is looking for favorable weather to help the Cardinals in their matchup with the Orioles (1:15 p.m. ET). He is taking St. Louis to go Over 4.5 on its team total (-115) . "Love this spot for them," McClure says, and he he sees the Cardinals "taking advantage of the overall hitting conditions." He also likes the pitching matchup for the St. Louis hitters, with the Orioles starter still to be determined.

Allie also has an MLB pick, and she is on the Reds vs. Pirates matchup (6:35 p.m. ET) to go Over eight runs (+105). Cincinnati's last 10 games have gone over this number, including the teams' three meetings last week. It's the same pitching matchup as the first game of that series, which the Reds won 9-2, with Connor Overton starting for the Reds and JT Brubaker for Pittsburgh. 

The Coach is away from the show, but he still shows up for Cash With the Coach, and he has an NHL pick. He is going Over 6.5 on Tampa Bay vs. Toronto in Game 6. 

Allan has a play of his own, and he is on the NBA Playoffs, backing the Sixers -135 vs. the Heat (7 p.m. ET). The home team has won and covered in all 10 games between the teams in tonight's NBA matchups. Miami is up 3-2 entering the matchup in Philadelphia, while Phoenix takes a 3-2 lead into its game in Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET). Bell is looking for this trend to continue, at least in Philly tonight.

Larry has a tennis play on WTA Rome, backing ninth-seeded Ons Jabeur to beat qualifier Yulia Putintseva 2-0 (-130). Jabeur is the seventh-ranked player in the world and just won the Madrid Open, and Putintseva has played four matches already, including two three-setters. Hartstein expects Jabeur to cruise.

Early Edge is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox and wherever else you listen to podcasts. Enable push notifications so you always know when the latest episode is available! Every episode is also available on YouTube. Follow @SportsLine on Twitter and Instagram  

Follow our crew on Twitter: @TheCoachrules, @Mike5754, @LarryHartstein and @allie_sports. You can listen to Early Edge on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Early Edge podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Early Edge podcast." For more betting picks and analysis, visit SportsLine.com. To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit CBSSports.com/podcasts.