Andrew Wilsher
Show Bio
Happy Tuesday, Pickswise Nation! The NBA Playoffs continue with a couple of Game 2s tonight, while the NHL Playoffs gives us the start of a few more first-round series. All that and we have a huge 16-game MLB slate, and afternoon soccer action as well. Let’s get straight into making your next bet better!
About Last Night
Suns and Heat secure Game 1 wins
The top seeds in each conference were in action on Monday night and they proved why as the Heat and Suns secured solid wins in Game 1 of their semifinal series’. Miami beat Philly 106-92 after a dominant second-half performance, while the Suns allowed their 121-114 win over the Mavs to look closer than it was, having led by 17 entering the 4th quarter.
Leafs lay it on Lightning
One of the most intriguing NHL first-round playoff series is the Lightning vs Leafs, and it was Toronto who came out on top with a dominant 5-0 victory over the reigning Stanley Cup champions. The Hurricanes and Blues also secured big wins, while the Kings scored an upset over the Oilers.
Yankees make it a perfect 10
The Yankees’ red-hot run continued as they edged the Blue Jays 3-2 with a 9th-inning run to make it 10 wins in a row. That gives New York the best record in baseball, and they are now +800 to win the World Series.
Today’s Slate
Celtics eye luck of the Irish
The Celtics lock horns with the Bucks at 7:00 pm ET tonight on TNT, and Boston is hoping to bounce back from their rough Game 1 defeat. Following that, we have Game 2 of the Warriors vs Grizzlies. Golden State won that one even without Draymond Green for a half after his ejection. Can the Warriors take a 2-0 lead back to Chase Center? Read our picks for tonight’s NBA games.
Monster MLB slate
After Monday’s modest 8-game MLB slate, we double that number today with a sweet 16 matchups to sink our teeth into. The standout games include the Braves battling the Mets at 3:10 pm ET on FS1, before a huge clash out west between the Giants and Dodgers at 10:10 pm ET on TBS. Read our preview of all today’s baseball games.
More NHL series get started
We’ve got four more NHL playoff series starting today highlighted by the Penguins and Rangers battling it out at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN. That is followed by favorites Colorado taking on Nashville at 9:30 pm ET on the same station. Check out our best bets for all four of today’s NHL playoff games.
Afternoon delight with Champions League soccer
We’ve also got Champions League soccer action this afternoon with Spanish club Villarreal looking to overturn a 2-goal deficit when they host English giants Liverpool (3:00 pm ET). The Reds won the first leg 2-0 last week. Get our pick for Villarreal vs Liverpool.
Best Bet of the Day
Pittsburgh Penguins vs New York Rangers Over 5.5
7:00 pm ET, ESPN
The total for this game opened at 5.5 but could increase before the puck drops. The Rangers have one of the best goalies in the league and a decent offense. They can get goals from a number of forwards and their defense can contribute too. Pittsburgh scored more goals than New York this season despite having to deal with multiple superstars missing time to injury and COVID-19. They are as healthy as they’ve been in a long time and they should be able to generate enough offense to score goals. Both teams are likely to give up a decent amount of scoring chances in Game 1 and that should lead to goals. Check out our full preview of Penguins vs Rangers.
Must-watch
Don’t forget to tune in to our daily sports betting show Let’s Bet It!
Lauren Jbara and Jared Smith are your hosts today, and they will be joined by NBA analyst Jonathan von Tobel to discuss today’s playoff games and their best bets for the action.
The team will also be giving their NHL Ice Picks and MLB predictions, as well as their Plays of the Day.
Check out the show at 10:00am ET on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/Pickswise. You can also access the show through Spotify and Apple Podcasts (search for Let’s Bet It Presented By Pickswise).
Must-read
We’ve got a whole host of betting articles today to see you right through the spectacular slate of sports. We’ve got our NBA Playoffs mega parlay (+1121 odds) as well as same game parlays for both Bucks vs Celtics (+694 odds) and Warriors vs Grizzlies (+1090 odds). We also have our NBA first basket best bets, which includes a suggested 101/1 2-leg parlay.
We also have plenty of great content for today’s magnificent 16-game baseball slate, including an MLB mega parlay (+1051 odds) along with our best MLB player props.
Read all our great sports analysis as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.
Stat of the Day
The Warriors rank 1st in scoring in the NBA Playoffs with 117.8 points per game, while the Grizzlies rank 2nd with 114.9.
Boost of the Day
If you’re in the mood for a 2-leg baseball parlay, then this could be the one for you. FanDuel Sportsbook has boosted the odds of the Padres beating the Guardians and Cardinals beating the Royals from +210 to +270.
Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news, and best bets. Check out our expert NBA picks, NHL picks, MLB picks, Golf picks and Soccer picks for the latest game picks.
