Best bets today: Thunder-Timberwolves among SportsLine's top plays for NBA, NHL, MLB for May 24

Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Florida Panthers are 2-0 in their respective conference finals series, and both will look to take commanding 3-0 leads when they're in action Saturday night. The Thunder are in Minnesota taking on a Timberwolves team looking to mount a series comeback, while the Panthers return home after dismantling the Carolina Hurricanes in front of the Canes' home crowd. Add on a 15-game MLB slate, and there's no shortage of games to watch and bet on. 

Here, we highlight the top betting opportunities for Saturday, May 24, with links to betting analysis and picks for all the top matchups. 

There is also a link to the best sportsbook promotion today from DraftKings Sportsbook, which is offering new users $300 in bonus bets. 

Best NBA bets today

Oklahoma City Thunder (-2.5, 218) at Minnesota Timberwolves: 8:30 p.m. ET

The Thunder had the best record in the NBA this year thanks in large part to their dominance at home. That has certainly been the case in the Western Conference Finals thus far, as OKC took both games at home and heads to Minnesota with a 2-0 series lead. The Timberwolves will need to take advantage of being back at home; otherwise, they may find themselves on the brink of elimination. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was recently named the 2024-25 NBA MVP, and he's played like it so far in this series, scoring 31 points in Game 1 and 38 in Game 2, both of which were the top marks in the game. Anthony Edwards had a good but not great Game 1 showing before scoring 32 in Game 2, though he made just one of nine 3-pointers. Minnesota will need its biggest star to dominate, and it also needs more from Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley, as those three combined for just 14 points in Game 2 despite playing a combined 90 minutes. 

Get full analysis and expert picks for Thunder-Timberwolves Game 3 at SportsLine!

Best NHL bets today

Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers (-154, 5.5): 8 p.m. ET

The defending champs needed seven games to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, while Carolina dominated No. 1 seed Washington in the second round. But it's Florida that's set the tone in this series, winning 5-2 and 5-0 in Carolina. What makes those scores so notable is the Hurricanes allowed just seven total goals to the Capitals last round, and Washington scored the second-most goals in the league this season. The series now shifts to Florida, where the Panthers went 21-12-2 in the regular season. 

Sam Bennett has had a stellar postseason thus far, and he's upped his game against the Hurricanes, scoring three goals and adding an assist for good measure across the first two games. Matthew Tkachuk has a goal and two assists thus far, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 48 of 50 shots, good for a stellar .960 save percentage. Sebastian Aho scored early in Game 1, and Jackson Blake added a late power play goal in that third period, but it's been crickets for Carolina's offense this series. Aho is always a key skater for the Hurricanes, but they're a team built on depth, as evidenced by the fact that Aho led the team in points with 75, and only five skaters had at least 40 points this year. Carolina was one of the more balanced teams in the NHL this year, ranking ninth in goals scored and 10th in goals allowed. The defense was stellar last round but has disappeared thus far against the Panthers, and it's been over 60 minutes of ice time since Carolina put the puck in the back of the net. 

Get full analysis and expert picks for Hurricanes-Panthers Game 3 at SportsLine!

Best MLB bets today

Cleveland Guardians at Detroit Tigers (-148, 8): 7 p.m. ET

The Tigers no longer have the best record in baseball after dropping the first two games of the series at home to the Guardians. Cleveland's pitching has allowed just one Detroit run in 18 innings over the past two days, as the Guardians are now tied for second with the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central at 28-22.

Will those Detroit bats wake up against Guardians starter Luis Ortiz (2-5, 4.66 ERA) tonight? Ortiz has been throwing the ball better of late, allowing two or fewer runs in three of his past four starts, though he has been the hard-luck losing pitcher in two of those stronger outings. The Tigers will counter with Casey Mize (6-1, 2.53 ERA), who is returning off the disabled list after suffering a left hamstring strain. Mize's last start came on May 8, when he held the Colorado Rockies to one run over six innings while punching out eight batters.

https://www.sportsline.com/nhl/game-forecast/NHL_20250524_CAR@FLA/Get full analysis and expert picks for Guardians-Tigers at SportsLine!

Today's featured sportsbook promo

DraftKings Sportsbook's latest offer for new users is $300 in bonus bets if your first bet of at least $5 wins. If you win that initial wager, your account is credited with $300 in bonus bets in the form of 12 $25 bonus bet tokens. 

DraftKings Sportsbook promo code terms and conditions:

• The DraftKings bonus offer is only available to new DraftKings users who have never had an account and are in a state where the sportsbook operates.
• New users need to deposit at least $5 and wager at least $5 as their first bet with DraftKings. That first bet must win to receive the bonus bets. 
• Bonus bets are credited as 12 $25 bonus bet tokens within 72 hours of your first bet settling.
• Bonus bets expire after seven days.
• Bonus bets must be wagered once before winnings can be withdrawn.
• Bonus bets are not included in cash winnings and are not transferable or refundable.

Other games to bet on for Saturday, May 24

MLB: Kansas City Royals at Minnesota Twins (2:10 p.m. ET)

MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at St. Louis Cardinals (2:15 p.m. ET)

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros (4:10 p.m. ET)

MLB: San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves (4:10 p.m. ET)

MLB: Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays (7:10 p.m. ET)

At SportsLine, you'll get top-notch analysis, including game breakdowns, betting trends, predictions and expert advice, on all the NBA Playoff, NHL Playoff and MLB games slated for Saturday, May 24. You can also join the SportsLine Discord channel for even more betting tips and expert picks.  

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