Author: Marc

It’s time for Game 2 between the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. The first game of this series didn’t go in the Mavericks’ favor. Currently down 0-1 in the series, they’ll look to climb back into it tonight in our NBA computer predictions.

However, the first thing they’ll need to do is find a way to create offense. If they don’t, they’ll find themselves in a similar position as they were in Game 1.

The Golden State Warriors game plan was very well thought out in Game 1. The first thing they did was target Luka Doncic, the Mavericks’ best player. Once Doncic became a non-factor, the Warriors were easily able to overwhelm the Mavericks.

Tonight, the game plan is likely very similar for the Warriors. Let’s build out a single-game parlay for the Western Conference Finals.

Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors Preview

The Mavericks are known for their stingy defense, but it didn’t show up in Game 1. For the first game of this series, Dallas allowed 112 points while scoring just 87. In that game, Doncic scored just 20 points, shooting 6 for 18.

For the Mavericks to win tonight’s game, they’ll need to do much better on offense. Someone other than Doncic needs to play a much larger role.

The Warriors put up 112 points against a defense that shut down the Phoenix Suns. How they did this was by stretching the court and using their bench effectively.

Jordan Poole had 19 points coming off the bench in Game 1; Otto Porter Jr. added 10. The Warriors limited the Mavericks’ Dorian Finney-Smith to just five points. Dwight Powell, the starting center, had just three points. We have also put this in our Bet of the day.

Against the Spread: Golden State Warriors -6

This spread is a little too large for us, but we have to take the Warriors here. Game 1 showed us that the Warriors don’t just have a strong offense but defense as well.

With how they shut down Doncic and the rest of the Mavericks offense, the Warriors should cover. Tim Hardaway Jr. is also out for the Mavericks; this leaves them without another scorer.

The Total: UNDER 214

We’re going to stick with the under here because we know what each of these defenses can do. Game 1 of this series stayed under the 216.5 total.

Although the total has been reduced here, we still believe the total will stay under.

In five of Dallas’ last six games, the total has gone under. The Warriors have a similar streak, with four of their last six games going under as well.

To Score 15+ Points: Spencer Dinwiddie +154

Dinwiddie has clearly emerged as a scorer for the Dallas Mavericks. In Game 1 of the series, he put up 17 points against the Warriors.

Considering he’ll be playing a more significant role in the offense, we’ll add this pick as well. If you’d like to get risky, you could take Dinwiddie to score 20 points which have +630 odds.

Player Points: Luka Doncic UNDER (31.5) -108

We don’t see Doncic being able to put a strong game together against the Warriors.

His last game ended in a 20-point outing, something we expect to see again. Until someone else on the Mavericks gives the Warriors trouble, Doncic will be their focal point.

With that much attention on defense, it’ll be hard for him to go over 31.5.

It’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, and the Mavericks are set to face the Warriors. Dallas, fresh off of their series win over the Phoenix Suns, didn’t get much rest in between games.

They’ll hope that their tough defense can limit the Warriors’ offense tonight. However, they’ll need much more help from their offense, including their bench players, to win this game. 

The Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies within six games. They’ve had a bit more time to rest but will still be without Gary Payton II. Offense has always been the focal point for Golden State.

However, during this series, they’ll need to find ways to protect the basket from Luka Doncic. Let’s take a look at each team and see which of them is the better bet tonight. This will be in our Computer Picks for NBA and Same game parlay.

Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors Preview

With Luka Doncic and the Mavericks’ defense, they’re in good shape for this series. However, the question is, will their defense be good enough to stop the Warriors? Golden State averages 111.38 points per game, ranking 14th in the NBA.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, rank 25th overall, averaging 107.62. With such a low-scoring offense, the Mavericks could be in trouble.

The Warriors still have to worry about Doncic and the Mavericks, though. Through their last two games against the Suns, the Mavericks put up 113 and 123 points.

A player besides Doncic that the Warriors should pay close attention to is Spencer Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie averaged 20.5 points against the Warriors and 13.7 points through the season. 

Against the Spread: Golden State Warriors -5

This is a tough bet because the spread is slightly larger than we would like it to be. However, with the Warriors at home and their ability to score, we have to take it.

The Mavericks could keep this game close to start it out, but we think the Warriors will open a gap. They’re the fourth-best shooting team from the three-point line in the NBA; we think they should cover.

The Total: OVER 214.5

Another interesting choice as the Mavericks is notorious for going under the spread. However, the Golden State Warriors are known for the opposite. When you look at the last three games between these teams, you’ll notice the over has hit twice.

It would seem that although the Mavericks’ defense is tough, the Warriors’ offense is tougher. Take the over in tonight’s game.

To Score 15+ Points: Spencer Dinwiddie (+215)

We actually like this pick a lot considering what Dinwiddie has done this season. In two games versus Golden State, Dinwiddie averaged 20.5 points. This is usually because he’s coming in off the bench and could easily be a starter.

The matchups for him are perfect today, especially to score just 15 points. Against the Phoenix Suns in Game 7, Dinwiddie put up 30 points.

Win Margin: Golden State Warriors 1-10 (+170)

As we mentioned, the Warriors should cover the five-point spread tonight. Still, we don’t see them beating the Warriors by more than ten points. Adding this win margin pick also gets you another +170 at the sportsbook.

With both the NHL and NBA having the day off today, we’re going to take a look at an MLB game. The Detroit Tigers, currently 12-23, head to Tampa Bay to face the Rays. Although their record isn’t very impressive, they’ve won their last three games. These will be in our MLB Computer Picks and our Bet of the Day.

Beating the Orioles Orioles in a three-game series is an impressive feat. The question is, can they kick this series off with a win?

The Tampa Bay Rays are 21-14, ranking second in the AL East. The Tigers may seem like easy competition for them, but no game is a guarantee.

Today, we’re going to build out a single-game parlay for this matchup. The Rays have won three of their last five games, so will they add the Tigers to that list? Or could the Tigers pull off an impressive upset over the Tigers tonight?

Detroit Tigers at Tampa Bay Rays Preview

As we mentioned, the Tigers have won their last three games. Through those games against the Orioles, Detroit averaged four runs per game. They did a pretty great job pitching as well, only giving up three runs over the course of three games.

Today, they take on the Rays, who have a .234 batting average. The Tigers will also start the 0-1 Alex Faedo on the mound tonight.

The Rays are coming off of a 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rays are second in the AL East, 4.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees. Corey Kluber will get the start for the Rays tonight.

Kluber is 1-2 as a starter with an ERA of 4.55. Over the course of 29.2 innings, he’s allowed 33 hits and four home runs. This game is shaping up to be a close one.

Best Moneyline Pick: Tampa Bay Rays -210

The Rays are heavy favorites for a reason. They have better batters, and the Tigers don’t perform well when on the road. This season, the Tigers are 3-10 when traveling, something you should keep in mind here.

It’s also important to note that Kluber has a lot more time on the mound than Faedo does. Faedo has pitched only ten innings, allowing ten hits and a home run.

The Total: UNDER 7.5

When looking at each of the recent games by these teams, you’ll see a common outcome. Over the last three games for each team, the total has stayed under 7.5.

Offensively, the Rays have a distinct advantage over the Tigers. However, even the Rays have struggled in recent games to score more than five runs. The last time they did was Saturday, May 7.

To Hit a Home Run: Brandon Lowe (Tampa Bay) +310

Against Faedo, we believe that Brandon Lowe has a very likely chance of hitting a home run. At the moment, he leads the team with five home runs of his own.

In the last game against the Blue Jays, Lowe had a batting average of .250. Three of his home runs he’s hit at home, and two of them have been in May. This game gives him a chance to keep adding to his home run total.

To Record a Hit: Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers) -200

Cabrera is the leading batter for the Detroit Tigers. Not only does he lead the team in home runs (3), he has the leading batting average as well.

With an average of .297, it’s almost a guarantee that he gets a hit against Kluber tonight. If you’re feeling risky, you can also tack on his +700 to hit a home run.

The Memphis Grizzlies are down 3-2 in their series against the Golden State Warriors. However, they absolutely dominated the Warriors in Game 5 of the series.

Scoring 134 points without Ja Morant, the Grizzlies now have the momentum. They also held the Warriors to just 95 points in that game, proving they can play great defense. Tonight, they’ll play the Warriors on the road.

It’s good that the Warriors get to return home tonight, especially after their last game. They’ll need all the help they can get from the crowd in this one. The main reason behind their recent loss was turnovers.

In Game 5, the Warriors were careless with the ball, turning it over 22 times. Another performance like that, and we could see Memphis tie the series tonight, in our NBA Computer predictions.

Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors Preview

The Memphis Grizzlies have found a way to create offense without Ja Morant. This is great, considering they struggled in their first two games without him. Now, they can focus their efforts on defense.

If they can slow down the Warriors’ shooting, similar to their Game 5 performance. The Grizzlies should be able to come away with a win tonight. They’re also 8.5-point underdogs.

With the Warriors at home, they definitely have an advantage tonight. The question is whether that advantage will lead them to a victory. After seeing how careless they were with the ball, we’re slightly concerned for them tonight.

The Warriors tallied just 37 rebounds in Game 5 compared to the Grizzlies’ 55. Frankly, it seems as if the Grizzlies wanted it much more.

Against the Spread: Memphis Grizzlies +8.5

We’ve seen each of these teams take a step forward offensively. The problem is, we’ve seen the Warriors regress when it comes to taking care of the ball.

The Grizzlies have the momentum now and have previously kept the games close. Throughout this series, the Memphis Grizzlies are 4-1 against the spread. We’ll take the Grizzlies +8.5 in tonight’s game.

The Total: OVER 217

This is a slightly low total considering what these offenses have done in this series. At just 217, each team needs to only average 108.5 points. The total has gone over in eight of the Warriors’ last eleven games.

During this series, three out of five games have gone over the total. This is also the lowest point total of the entire series.

To Score 20+ Points: Klay Thompson (-164)

Considering the odds are pretty good on this one, we’ll add it to our parlay. Thompson’s league average is 20.4 points per game. During the postseason, Thompson has averaged 19.4 points per game.

Through his last ten, he’s averaged 30.8 points per game, making him a great pick to score 20+ points.

Win Margin: Golden State Warriors 1-10 (+175)

Lastly, we do believe that the Warriors will win this game, but not by much, as you can see in our Same game parlay pick.

This is why we took the Memphis Grizzlies +8.5 against the spread. However, with the Warriors at home and after an awful game, we expect a bounce back.

It’s hard to keep the Warriors down; this will be a close game with Golden State winning in the end.

Today, we enter Game 5 in the series between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors lead the series 3-1 but now have to travel back to Memphis. Take a look at all of our NBA Computer Picks, or even our bet of the day.

They secured a 101-98 victory over the Grizzlies in Game 4 and will look to end the series tonight. The question is, can they find a way to yet again stave off the offense of the Memphis Grizzlies?

The Grizzlies are in a bad spot at the moment. The Warriors have their backs against the wall, and they’ll face elimination in each game. The best thing the Grizzlies can do is take it one game at a time, starting with Game 5.

They get the added benefit of playing at home today, where they’ve won before. Unfortunately for them, Ja Morant is still ruled out for this game.

Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies Preview

As one of the best scoring offenses in the NBA, the Warriors have an advantage here. Not only that, a huge blow has been dealt to the offense of the Grizzlies as well.

The Warriors come in as four-point favorites, a sizable step down from Game 4. All the Warriors need to do is focus on playing defense. Let’s not forget that they narrowly lost to the Grizzlies without Morant last time.

The Grizzlies will look to players such as Desmond Bane to lead them tonight. With Morant out, their offense won’t be nearly as potent.

However, Bane has shown himself to be a leader, averaging 18.2 points during the season. Bane scored just eight points in Game 4; if the Grizzlies want to win, this can’t happen. Bane and others need to pull their weight tonight. 

Against the Spread: Golden State Warriors -4

Barring Golden State coming out and playing horribly, they should win this game. Sure, they had an uncharacteristic Game 4, scoring only 101 points, but we know they’re capable of more.

As a team, the Warriors average 111.0 points per game, ranking 15th in the NBA. Tonight, we think they’ll put the nail in the coffin and send the Grizzlies home for good. 

The Total: UNDER 218.5

We might see a better game from the Warriors offensively, but not the Grizzlies. With Morant out, the Grizzlies’ offense has taken a massive step back. In six of Memphis’ last nine games, the total has gone under.

Because of this and Morant being out, we think the best bet is to take the under in this one. Had Morant been playing, this would be a different story. 

To Score 20+ Points: Dillion Brooks (-115)

The person that will do what they can to aid the success of the Grizzlies is Dillion Brooks. Brooks has averaged 17.0 points per game against the Warriors this year.

Over his last ten games, he’s had an average of 21.0. Look for Brooks to score over 20 points tonight, but it won’t be enough to get Memphis a win. 

Player Points: Andrew Wiggins OVER 15.5 (-116)

This one is a risky one, but it has the potential to pay off. We know that the Grizzlies will be focused on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

This will leave Andrew Wiggins a chance to put points up on the board. Over his last ten games, he’s averaged 17.4 points and averages 16.8 on the road.

Down 2-1 in the series, the Memphis Grizzlies face Golden State for Game 4 of the series tonight. Unfortunately, after losing one of their first two games at home, the Grizzlies have fallen behind.

The good news is if they can get a win here, they’ll even up the series and return home. However, if they lose, they’ll go down 3-1 and need to win four games in a row to survive.

Everything is essentially going according to plan for the Warriors. They have the Grizzlies’ backs up against the wall at the moment. One more win at home, and they’ll take a solid lead in the series and only need one more game.

They’ve also stayed pretty healthy during this series, with only a few players out. They have a large spread to cover, though, which could be a problem. Take a look at all of our NBA computer predictions and Same game parlays.

Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors Game Preview

The Grizzlies are in a poor spot at the moment; that much is certain. If they can’t find a way to get past the Warriors tonight, winning three in a row is a tall task.

So, tonight, they’ll first need to start by playing strong defense. Through the first three games of this series, they’ve allowed the Warriors to average 120 points per game. They can’t afford to keep letting them score this way.

Fortunately for the Warriors, the Grizzlies could be without Ja Morant. Morant suffered an injury to his knee and is currently listed as “day-to-day.”

If Morant is out, the Warriors will have less to worry about from Memphis’ offense. Golden State scored 142 points on them in Game 3, so they don’t need to do much on offense. It also looks like they should cover the 10-point spread.

Against the Spread: Golden State Warriors -10

This is a lot of points to cover, especially in the playoffs. However, with the Warriors averaging 120 points per game, they shouldn’t have much trouble. Through the series, the Warriors are 1-2 against the spread.

Most of these games, aside from the most recent, have stayed relatively close. However, if Ja Morant is on limited minutes, the Warriors should have no trouble here.

The Total: OVER 224

At this point, taking the over on the total just makes sense to us. The Warriors’ offense put up 142 points on their own just a few days ago. Each of these teams has the ability to score a lot of points, which we’ve seen so far.

The total has also gone over in seven of the Warriors’ last nine games. Keep these things in mind when you’re building out your single-game parlay.

To Score 15+ Points: Andrew Wiggins (-172)

We really like this pick because Wiggins could play a much larger role tonight. The Grizzlies will focus their defensive attention on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Wiggins, who averaged 17.2 points during the regular season, could make a bigger impact tonight. So far, he’s only averaged 13.0 points per game against the Grizzlies. Perhaps he takes a step up tonight.

Player Points: Klay Thompson UNDER 21.5

This is a player that we feel hasn’t taken a step forward in the postseason. Thompson is one of the best shooters in the NBA but only averages 20.4 points per game.

Against the Grizzlies, his average is even worse at 14.0. Because of this and the attention he’ll receive tonight, we’ll take Thompson going under 21.5.

With the first two games of the series finished, the Heat lead 2-0. After winning both home games, they’ll now travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers. Their previous showing over the 76ers was an easy 119-103 victory. We will include this match in our bet of the day and our NBA computer picks.

They’ll likely try to repeat the same success tonight; the question is, can they? They’re in a new stadium with a hostile Philadelphia crowd.

Down two games, the Philadelphia 76ers are in must-win mode. If they lose this game, they’ll face elimination for the rest of the series. At the moment, Joel Embiid is ruled out for this game, but some say his status can change.

The good news for the 76ers is that Miami has a few players out as well. Let’s go over the game itself and build a single-game parlay for this one.

Miami Heat at Philadelphia 76ers Game Preview

As we’ve mentioned before, the Heat have one of the best defenses in the NBA. However, what’s been more impressive is how they’ve performed on offense.

On average, through the regular season, the Heat put up 109.94 points per game. For this series, they’ve upped that average to 112.50. Add this with their stingy defense, and you have a championship team.

The 76ers have struggled to get off the ground in recent games. It’s important to note that they had their struggles against the Toronto Raptors as well. However, in those games, they had Joel Embiid.

Without Embiid, the 76ers are missing the interior presence they need. Over the course of the series, the 76ers have averaged just 97.5 points per game. So, where is James Harden?

Against the Spread: Miami Heat -3

At this point, it’s hard to believe that the 76ers are going to turn this around. They don’t have the defensive ability to stop the Heat from scoring. On offense, they’re being held to under 100 points per game.

The Heat will only need to cover three points in this one, a very low margin. Considering they just beat the 76ers by 16 points, Miami should be able to cover tonight.

The Total: UNDER 210

This is another area where the defense of Miami begins to take over. In six of their last seven games, the total has gone under. With their ability to hold Philadelphia’s offense under 100 points per game, we expect tonight to go under as well.

It’s also important to note that in the first game of the series, Miami only scored 106 points. So, the best bet here is taking the under.

To Score 20+ Points: Tyrese Maxey (-225)

At the moment, the only player pulling his weight in Philadelphia is Tyrese Maxey. Maxey averaged 17.5 points per game during the regular season. 

However, when facing the Miami Heat, he steps it up to 21.5 points per game. Look for Maxey to do what he can at home against the Heat tonight. If he had help from James Harden, the 76ers could win this game.

Win Margin: Miami Heat (1-10) +170

We would tack on this win margin as well since the Heat are on the road. They’ve beaten the 76ers by over 10 in the first two games, but now they aren’t at home.

With the travel involved and the boost Philadelphia should get from the crowd, we’ll go with the 1-10 win margin.

Game 2 between the Mavericks and the Suns is set for tonight, May 4. The Mavericks are behind in the series 0-1 but can even it up with a win here.

After being unable to stop the offense of the Suns, will they come out with a better game plan here? Or will they try to produce more on offense to keep up with Phoenix? We’ll find out tonight at 10:00 PM EST.

Although Phoenix won the first game of the series, they can’t ease up. The Mavericks lost a few games to the Utah Jazz but ended up winning the series. Devin Booker being healthy definitely gives the Suns an advantage here.

The question is, whether that advantage will continue to result in wins? Let’s take a look at the game itself and make some single-game parlay picks, or even our bet of the day.

Game Preview: Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns

There’s one thing that the Mavericks do better than most teams in the NBA, play defense. On average, the Mavericks only allow 104.52 points per game, ranking first in the NBA.

The problem is, they don’t have a very strong offense to go along with it. Averaging only 107.87 points per game during the regular season, the Mavericks ranked 24th overall.

The Phoenix Suns don’t have very many issues when it comes to scoring. In the first game of the series, they put up 121 points on the best defense in the NBA.

The Suns have the highest field-goal percentage in the entire NBA. If they can match their 48.73% shooting percentage, they’ll be in good shape tonight. We do know that the Mavericks will focus on Devin Booker.

Against the Spread: Dallas Mavericks +6.5

This is a tough pick because we think the Suns will win the game. However, covering a 6.5-point spread against the Mavericks’ defense will be tough. The Mavericks only lost by seven points in Game 1; we think it’ll be much closer here.

Taking the Mavericks +6.5 on the road seems like a much smarter bet. The Mavericks have gone 5-1 against the spread in their last six games.

The Total: OVER 215.5

Defense will be an important factor in this game, but the total will likely go over. We saw the total easily go over in the first game of this series, and it was set at 214.5. The total has gone over in 6 of Dallas’ last eight games on the road.

For Phoenix, the total has gone over in five of their last six games. Although the Mavericks play great defense, stopping the Suns will be a tall task.

To Score 20+ Points: Chris Paul +162

Now, he might not lead the team in scoring, but Chris Paul can put up a lot of points. In Game 1 of the series, he put up 19, nearly eclipsing 20 points. In the game before that, when the Suns faced the Pelicans, he put up 33.

With more attention being put on Devin Booker, we think this will be a great game for Paul. He can shoot, drive the lane, and be the scorer the Suns need.

Win Margin – Phoenix Suns (1-10) +170

This is another great pick for those of you looking to up your winnings. We already mentioned that we believe the Suns will win this game but by a small margin.

The Mavericks are 0-10 against the Suns, having not beaten them since before 2020. Adding this pick will increase your winnings, and it’s the most likely outcome.