Best bets today: Maple Leafs-Panthers among SportsLine's best bets for NBA, MLB, NHL for May 14

Bettors have many different options to choose from on Wednesday, May 14, with NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs and MLB games all on the schedule. In the NBA, the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors both try to keep their seasons alive in must-win games. The NHL Playoffs has the defending Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers heading to Toronto for a critical Game 5 with the series tied 2-2. 

We highlight the top betting opportunities with links to full game analysis and picks throughout the article while providing the top betting tips for today's matchups.

There is also a link to the best sportsbook promotion today from FanDuel Sportsbook. FanDuel offers new users a "bet $5, get $200" bonus if your first bet wins. No promo code required. See more about the offer below.

Best NBA bets today

New York Knicks at Boston Celtics (-4.5, 207.5) 7 p.m. ET

It's do or die for the Celtics Wednesday night and Boston will have to extend its season without star Jaysom Tatum, who had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon on Tuesday. 

The Knicks are up 3-1 in one of the oddest series you will ever see. New York has been down at least 14 points in all three wins and down by 20 or more in two of them. For the Knicks though, it's not how they start but how they finish. In the three wins over Boston in the series, New York has outscored the Celtics 96-66 in the fourth quarter and overtime. 

The game is in Boston, although that may not be a good thing for the Celtics. The Knicks are a perfect 5-0 on the road in the playoffs. 

Five SportsLine experts have plays in this game. Get full analysis and expert picks for Knicks-Celtics Game 5 at SportsLine!

Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves (-11, 202.5) 9:30 p.m. ET

Golden State needs a win Wednesday to extend its season but the Warriors might be out of gas. After fighting hard in a 102-97 loss in Game 3, the Warriors led Minnesota 60-58 at the half in Game 4. Then the wheels fell off in the third quarter where the Timberwolves outscored Golden State 39-17 to put the game away. 

The Warriors will need to find a way to beat Minnesota on the road without Stephen Curry, who remains out for Game 5 with a hamstring injury. Golden State also has to slow down Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. The duo has combined to average 51.6 points in the first four games. 

Get full analysis and expert picks for Warriors-Timberwolves Game 5 at SportsLine!

Best NHL bets today

Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs (+120, 5.5) 7 p.m. ET

The bad news for Toronto is it dropped both games in Florida after taking a 2-0 lead and got shut out in Game 4. The good news for the Maple Leafs is Game 5 is in Toronto, and the home team has won the first four meetings in the series.  

Despite getting blanked Monday, the Leafs have to feel good about the performance of backup goaltender Joseph Woll. Woll stopped 35 of 37 shots to give Toronto a chance but the Leafs couldn't get anything going offensively. Toronto is hoping the poor offensive output is just a blip after netting 13 goals in the first three games. 

If the Leafs plan to upend the defending Stanley Cup champions in this series, it's imperative captain Auston Matthews gets going. He has yet to score a goal through four games in this series.

Two SportsLine experts have a play in this game. Get full analysis and expert picks for Panthers-Maple Leafs Game 5 at SportsLine!

Best MLB bets today

Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers (-220, 7) 6:40 p.m. ET

Saying the Tigers' offense is red-hot coming into Wednesday might be an understatement. After blasting the Red Sox 14-2 in the first game of the series, Detroit outlasted Boston 10-9 Tuesday to register its seven win in the last nine games. 

The Tigers might not need to score a lot of runs Wednesday with ace Tarik Skubal on the mound. Skubal has allowed two runs or less in each of his last six starts and looks every bit like the Cy Young winner he was last season. 

The Red Sox will turn to Hunter Dobbins to salvage the final game of the series. Dobbins may not be Skubal, but he is coming off his best start of the season where he pitched six scoreless innings against Kansas City. However, Boston blew the strong outing, losing 2-1 in extra innings. 

Two SportsLine experts have plays in this game. Get full analysis and expert picks for Red Sox-Tigers at SportsLine!

Today's featured sportsbook promo

FanDuel Sportsbook offers new customers the ability to deposit as little as $5, and then make a first bet of at least $5. New users will receive $200 in bonus bets if their first bet wins. There are no minimum odds required and the first wager can be made on any sport or market, so you can bet $5 on the biggest favorite you can find and if it wins, you'll still receive $200 in bonus bets. 

Bonus bets cannot be cashed out and must be wagered within the following seven days or they will expire. In addition to the bonus bets, any winning first bet earns the customer their winnings in cash. Bonus bets are not included in any cash winnings. If you make a wager using bonus bets and win, you receive only the winnings back but not the stake.

Other games to bet on for Wednesday, May 14

NHL: Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights (9:30 p.m. ET)

MLB: Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets (7:10 p.m. ET)

MLB: Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros (8:10 p.m. ET)

MLB: Los Angeles Angels at San Diego Padres (9:40 p.m. ET)

Over at SportsLine, you'll get game breakdowns and expert predictions on all the key NBA Playoff, Stanley Cup Playoff and MLB matchups for Wednesday, May 14. You can also join the SportsLine Discord channel for even more betting tips. 

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