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Reason: The Atlanta Braves had an easy win in game one of this series with the Reds, 9-1. That was the team's third win in four games. The Braves have been very good on the road, winning 12 of their last 15 away games. They are also 22-6 their last 28 games. Spencer Strider has looked excellent for the Braves with a 2-1 record in his six starts and a 4.29 ERA. He is coming off a excellent performance in LA where he went six innings vs the Dodgers allowing no runs and striking out seven. Strider has a fast ball that consistently breaks the 100 mph barrier. The Reds have lost three straight games, getting outscored 11-32 in the process. Their bullpen has also been horrible, posting a 10.64 ERA over their last seven games and a 5.78 ERA overall. That puts more pressure on today's starter, Tyler Mahle. Mahle is 3-6 in his 16 starts with a 4.23 ERA. I don't see this Reds team making much contact vs Strider and his over powering stuff. I'll lay the Run Line with the Braves today.

Two teams in the CFL both looking for their first win of the season. Edmonton Elks are 0-3 and play at the 0-3 Hamilton Tiger-Cats tonight. Edmonton has lost 11 of their last 12 regular season games while Hamilton has lost five of their last nine regular season games. But what stands out for me in this matchup is that Hamilton is 6-1 ATS vs their last seven teams that have a losing record. They are also good at home, going 14-6-1 ATS in their last 21 at home. Hamilton has also covered the last four in this series. I'll lay the 6.5 or 7 points here tonight with Hamilton.

The Atlanta Braves continue to close the gap in the NL East as they trail the NY Mets by just 3.5-games. The Braves took two of their three games with the Phillies, losing on Thursday. Today they begin their 3-game set at Cincinnati and Max Fried will get the start today. Fried is 7-2 in his 15 starts with a 2.77 ERA. Fried has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts. Cincinnati has lost two straight games and 10 of their last 13 games. Mike Minor will start today for the Reds. Minor is 1-4 in his five starts with a 7.72 ERA. Minor has allowed at least three runs in each start and at least four runs in four of his starts. I'll lay the Run Line today with the Braves.

Week 4 of Canadian football league action begins tonight as BC takes on the Redblacks from Ottawa. BC is in the tough West where three teams are undefeated, including BC which is 2-0. BC has been dominating thus far, scoring 103 points and allowing just 18. BC has lost seven of their last 10 regular season games however. QB Nathan Rourke has completed 87.8% of his passes for 718 yards and seven TD's. Ottawa looks for their first win after a 0-2 start. QB Jeremiah Masoli has completed 70.8% of his passes for 711 yards and 1 TD. BC looks the better team, but it's early in the season and I had a big upset winner last week with Montreal a small home dog beating Saskatchwan. I look for the same here today as Ottawa gets their first win of the season as a small home dog. Play Ottawa.

Just one game on the WNBA slate tonight and that's the Atlanta Dream playing at the NY Liberty. Both these teams fighting for one of those last playoff spots as the Liberty are in 7th place with a 8-10 record and the Dream are in 9th place with a 8-11 record. The Liberty have won two straight, including their game over the Dream 89-77 at Atlanta. This back-to-back series now changes venues to New York. Atlanta has lost three straight games and seven of their last eight games. New York is 6-1 ATS in their last seven overall games and 7-0 ATS vs the WNBA Eastern Conference teams. The Liberty playing much better here of late. I'll lay the points with New York.

The No 4 and No 5 teams in the WNBA meet tonight as the 4th place Seattle Storm host the 5th place Washington Mystics. Seattle has won seven of their last 10 games but has just a 1.6 Point differential this season. The Washington Mystics are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a better +4 point differential. What I believe is the key to this game tonight is the No 1 defense in the league by Washington. These teams are pretty even, but I can take the best defensive team getting points I will take that. Play Washington.

Week 3 action in the CFL finds the unbeaten Saskatchewan Rough Riders taking on the winless Montreal Alouettes. Coby Fajardo has been playing very well at QB for The Riders, completing 72.4% of his passes for 558 yards and two TD's. The ground game has also been good, averaging 129.5 yards per game. Montreal has lost five of their last six regular season games. Vernon Adams has completed 55.6% of his passes for 264 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. Montreal is a home dog here tonight and they are really in a must win position. Lose and they go to 0-3 on the season. I'll take a chance with a home dog in the CFL. Play Montreal.

The Philadelphia Phillies look for the 5-game sweep of the Nationals here today after their win on Saturday, 2-1. They have outscored the O's thus far, 25-12. Zach Eflin will get the start today for the Phils. Eflin is 2-4 this season in 11-starts with a 4.28 ERA. He has pitched well in his last three starts, allowing five total runs over 18 innings. Washington is in last in the NL East with a 23.46 record and have lost eight straight games and 11 of their last 13 games. Jackson Tetreault makes his second start of the season after a pretty disastrous one in his first start. Tetreault allowed nine hits an seven runs over four innings vs the Braves. The Phillies should sweep here today and likely in a blowout win.

The Philadelphia Phillies opened this five game set with the Nationals by taking the first three games, including both ends of yesterday's doubleheader. In fact, they have outscored the Nationals by a 23-11 margin thru the first three games. The Phils will send Aaron Nola to the hill today with a 4-4 record over his 13 starts and a 3.42 ERA. He's been slightly better on the road with a 2-3 record in six starts and a 2.70 ERA. Nola has allowed just two total runs over his last two starts (15 innings) with 12 KO's and no walks. In fact, Nola is one of the best control pitchers in baseball with no walks over his last 29 1/3 innings. The Nats have dropped to 22-games under the .500 mark with a 23-45 record. They have lost seven straight and 10 of their last 12 games. Josiah Gray will get the start today for the Nats. Gray is 6-4 with a 4.33 ERA, though that ERA shoots up to 7.14 in his six home starts. Gray has been very good of late, allowing just two total earned runs over his last three starts (16 innings). However, unlike Nola, he's allowed eight walks over his last 16 innings. Hard to find any reason to back the Nats, though Gray is one pitcher you could make a case for. Still, Philly hitting the ball great and Nola doesn't walk batters and that means his team wins the games for him. I'll take Philly again today on the Run Line.

The Philadelphia Phillies had little issues with the Nationals in game one of their four game series that began on Thursday, beating them 10-1. The Phillies are now 33-31 overall as they try to make up ground on the 1st place Mets. These clubs play a doubleheader here on Friday with this being the early contest. Ranger Suarez will start game one with a 4-4 record in his 12 starts and a 4.40 ERA. He's pitched well of late, allowing two runs in each of his last three starts. The Nationals have lost five straight games as they have dropped to 23-43 and last place in the NL East. Joan Adon will start today and he's had a rough season thus far with a 1-10 record in 12 starts and a 6.95 ERA. He allowed eight runs and seven hits over just three innings in his last start at Miami. I had the Phillies on the Run line yesterday, I see no reason to change that here today. Take the Phillies in game one on the Run Line.

The Philadelphia Phillies trail the NY Mets in the NL East by 8.5-games as they sit at 32-31 overall. The Phillies won two of their three games vs Miami, including last night's contest 3-1. Today, they hit the road for a series at Washington. Zack Wheeler will get the start for the Phils today. Wheeler is 5-3 in his 11 starts with a 2.84 ERA. He has been very consistent, allowing three runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts. Washington looks to snap a four-game losing streak here today. They have also lost seven of their last nine games. Pat Corbin gets the start with a 3-8 record in his 13 starts and a 6.65 ERA. He's been hit hard, allowing four runs or more in four of his last six starts. I like Philly a lot today, so I'll have to lay the Run Line to get the price down.

The Chicago Cubs continue their slide, now at a 9-game losing streak. They play their final game here today at Wrigley against the Padres after dropping the first two games by a combined 10-31 score! In fact, they have allowed 12 runs or more in three of their last four games. Matt Swarmer will make his fourth start of the season here today. Swarmer is 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA. He did allow six runs and seven hits in his last start at the Yankees. The Padres are in 1st place in the NL West, leading the Dodgers now by 1-game with a 40-24 record. In addition, the Padres have the best road record in baseball. Today they get their best pitcher on the hill in Joe Musgrove. Musgrove is 7-0 in his 11 starts with a 1.50 ERA. He has allowed just one run over his last four starts (27 innings). I'll lay the run line today with the Padres as they should win another blowout contest with the Cubs.

The Boston Celtics jumped out to a big lead in game three of the NBA Finals, only to have Golden State rally in the third and take a lead entering the fourth quarter. However, like game one, the Warriors collapsed in the fourth quarter and Boston won going away to also cover the spread, 116-100. Thus far none of the three games have been close, with Boston winning game one by 12, Golden State game two by 19 and the Celtics game three by 16. First, Stephen Curry hurt his foot in game two and while he's probable today. The Warriors have proved they can come back from big deficits. They just need to get their act together in the fourth quarter. With the experience of this team and leadership of Curry, I can't see another fourth quarter collapse. I'll take the points here on Friday and won't be surprised by a straight-up win by Golden State. Take the Warriors.

Yankees have now won seven straight games, after taking game one of this set from the Twins, 10-4. They actually haven't just won, they have dominated, outscoring their opponents 48-11 during the seven games. Today, they have one of their best, if not their best, on the mound in Nestor Cortes. Cortes is 5-1 in his 10 starts with a 1.50 ERA and 0.867 WHIP. He has been just as good on the road with a 3-1 record and 1.50 ERA. Cortes has allowed one run or fewer in four of his last five starts. The Twins are in 1st in the AL Central, but this is the softest division in baseball as no other team is even over the .500 mark. The Twins have lost five of their last seven games. Christ Archer gets the start today with a 0-2 record in his 10 starts. Archer has a 3.89 ERA overall and a 5.00 home ERA. I see this matchup as a total mismatch. The Yankees are red hot and have a huge advantage in pitching today. I'll lay the Run line with the Yankees.

The Houston Astros sit comfortably in 1st in the AL West, 6.5 games ahead of the LA Angels. Still, it's hard to accept a 0-6 loss to the lowly Royals as they did last night. Today is the rubber game of the series and the Astros won't want to let this series go down. Framber Valdez starts today with a 5-2 record in his 10 starts. Valdez has a nice 2.57 ERA and better 1.40 road ERA this season. He has allowed one run in three of his last four starts. Moreover, he's allowed no more than three runs in nine of his 10 starts this season. The Royals are in last in the AL Central with a 17-34 record. They have lost five of their last six games. Jon Heasley will start today. Heasley is 0-2 in his four starts with a 4.66 ERA and 5.40 home ERA. While Heasley hasn't been bad, don't think he has enough to take this series from the 1st place Astros. Lay the Run line with Houston.

The Yankees have heated up again, now winning five straight games as they look for the sweep over Detroit today. They took both games in big fashion, shutting out the Tigers in game one 13-0 and again in game two, 3-0. Jordan Montgomery will start today with a 1-1 record in his 10 starts and a 3.04 ERA. He's been very consistent, allowing three runs or fewer in each of his 10 starts. The Tigers will have to find some offense today if they look to avoid the sweep. Rony Garcia will be on the hill and he looks to be more cannon fodder for the Bronx Bombers. Garcia is 0-1 in his two starts with a 8.00 ERA. The only good thing, he's struck out 12 and walked just three. I look for another lopsided Yankees win here today. I'll lay the Run Line with New York.

The Detroit Tigers had their modest 3-game win streak snapped on Friday by the Yankees, 0-13. The Tigers will look to be more competitive today with Beau Brieske on the hill. However, that doesn't look to promising with his 0-4 record in seven starts and 5.24 ERA. The Yankees have won three straight games after Friday's white wash of the Tigers. In fact, the Yankees four game win streak they have outscored opponents by a 30-3 margin. Luis Severino on the hill today with a 3-1 record in his nine starts and a 3.38 ERA. Doesn't really matter who they start though, they should pound the Tigers once again. I'm laying the Run Line with the Yankees.

 I believe the Boston Celtics could have cost themselves a NBA Finals appearance by losing game six at home the Miami Heat. The series returns to Miami for game seven and the winner moving on to the Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Two things stand out to me; 1st is that the Heat took all the momentum in this series after losing game six. The other and bigger thing is that NBA home teams have a distinct advantage in game 7 of a series. Let take a quick look. The Celtics have the most games 7's in NBA history, with 33 and that will be 34 after Sunday's game. There have been 133 games 7's with the home team winning 79% of the time or 105-28. That is a huge stat when it comes to home court advantage. And yet, here we have the Miami Heat a home dog in game seven. Not only do they not have to win, but they have a couple of points to play with as they currently are +2.5 or +3 points. For me, the momentum has shifted to Miami and with home court here in game seven, I'll take the points.

The Houston Astros took the last two games of their three game set with the Guardians. The Astros are in 1st place in the AL West, 2.5-games ahead of the Angels. Justin Verlander will take the hill today. Verlander looks to once again be a Cy Young candidate with his dominating performances thus far. Verlander is 6-1 in his eight starts with a 1.22 ERA. He has not allowed a run in any of his last three starts (19 innings). Seattle has dropped two straight games to fall to 18-27 overall. The Mariners also fell into last in the AL West. Chris Flexen was very good last year, but not this season. He has a 1-6 record in his eight games with a 4.98 ERA. He has also allowed 14 runs over his last 14 1/3 innings. Verlander has been dominating and I don't see the M's giving him much of a problem tonight. Lay the Run Line with the Astros.

The Boston Celtics took a 3-2 lead in this NBA Eastern Conf Finals Championship series with their win on Wednesday night, 93-80. In what was a very low scoring contest, the Heat led at the half, 42-37. However, the Celtics came out of the half firing and won the third quarter 32-16 and then the fourth quarter 24-22. Now the Heat are force to win the last two games in this series, including Friday's contest at Boston. The Celtics are a 3-point shooting team, they live and die beyond the arc and that's why we've pretty much seen blowouts in every contest. The Celtics opened game six line as a 9-point favorite and that's for good reason. Miami guard Tyler Herro missed Wednesday's game and that's a big loss for this team. With his status in question for game six here on Friday and the game in Boston, this becomes my favorite play in the championship series. Take Boston.

The Golden State Warriors have to wait at least one more game to wrap-up their NBA Western Conference Finals and move on to the NBA Championship series. The Warriors led 3-0 in this series before not showing up in game four in their loss to Dallas, 109-119. Despite the loss, the Warriors did shoot fairly well in game four, hitting 48.8% from the field and 35.7% from 3-point arc. Both those numbers were actually better then their game three win at Dallas. The big jump came in the Mavs shooting as they had their best game in this series hitting 50% from the field and 46.5% from 3-point arc. Line has gone up significantly here tonight but for me I'm going to lay this in what looks like another blowout win. Take Golden State.

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are tied 2-2 in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals Championship. The Heat got beat bad ly in game four on their home court, 82-102. In fact, these teams have alternated win/losses with the winning team covering the spread. The Heat had to play game four without their guard Tyler Herro, who has a groin injury. Herro is questionable today and the Heat could really use his 20.7 ppg average. The Heat also need this game to maintain home court advantage or else they face going back to Boston down 2-3. For me, this is a key game for the Heat, lose and they are likely done in the series, win and they only have to win one of the last two games. I'll take Miami here tonight, especially since I believe Herro will return. Play Miami.

The Golden State Warriors can wrap-up their Western Conference Finals with the Dallas Mavericks tonight. The Warriors took a 3-0 lead in this series after beating the Mavs in Dallas last game, 109-100. The Mavs led early, but once they fell behind in the 2nd quarter they never were able to fully recover. The question for me here tonight is how much does the Warriors want to win this game. A win and they get a nice rest while the Eastern Conference teams battle it out for their rep in the Title match. Sometimes too much rest can take away from a teams momentum too. But tonight, I think the Warriors want the rest and will do all it takes to put this series to an end. Play Golden State.

The Boston Celtics look to even this best of seven series at 2-2 with a win tonight at home over the Miami Heat. The Celtics lost game one in Miami, 107-118, took game two 127-102 and then lost at home in game three, 103-109. The Heat will be with0out guard Tyler Herro tonight who has a groin injury. They do look to have guard Jimmy Butler playing though who was upgraded to probable with a knee injury. The Celtics Jayson Tatum is expected to play with a cervical sprain. Celtics can't afford to lose another game on their home court. This line is a bit stiff, but I look for the Celtics to win here tonight. Play Boston.

Game three of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals changes venues here tonight as this best-of-seven series moves to Boston. The Heat took game one at home 118-107 and then lost in game two, 102-127. The Celtics live and die from the 3-point line and that proved out thus far. In their game one loss, the Celtics hit 32.4% from beyond the 3-point arc. Then in their game two blowout, the Celtics hit 50% from 3-point land. The Heat are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games as a road dog. They are also 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 road games overall. The Heat have also done well in this series, covering 10 of the last 13 games in Boston. If the Heat can keep the Celtics three-point shots from getting out of control, they should cover if not win this game outright tonight. Play Miami.

 The Texas Rangers took game two of this series to even it at one game a piece with their win on Friday. The Rangers got a shutout win over the Astros, 3-0. The Rangers will start Jon Gray here today. Gray is 1-1 in his five starts this year with a 5.73 ERA. Gray is coming off a 5 2/3 inning outing vs the Angels where he allowed four runs and eight hits. The Astros were shut out for the first time since their game on April 20th. Justin Verlander will toe the rubber here today for the Astros. Verlander is 5-1 in his seven starts with a 1.38 ERA and 0.679 WHIP. Verlander has gone 13 innings without allowing a run and just three hits. Verlander is pitching great right now and I look for a bounce back here today with the Astros. I'll lay the Run Line with Houston.

 The Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors play game two of their series here tonight in Northern California. The Warriors blew out the Mavs in game one, 112-87. The Warriors were red hot, hitting 56.1% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point arc. The Mavs had their worst shooting performance in the playoffs, hitting just 36% from the field and 22.9% from the 3-point line. The Mavs have been a good covering team, going 9-4 ATS their last 13 games. The Warriors are 2-6 ATS their last eight as a favorite. The Mavs have done well vs the Warriors, going 11-4 ATS their last 15 meetings and 6-2 ATS their last eight meetings in Golden State. I don't see the Mavs shooting that bad again here tonight. I'll take the Points with Dallas.

The Washington Mystics are 2nd overall in the WNBA with a 4-1 record, just behind 5-1 Las Vegas. The Mystics are outscoring their opponents by 9.4 ppg this year. The Mystics only loss coming at home to the Dallas Wings, 86-94. Atlanta also having a good season thus far, off to a 4-1 record and tied with Washington. The difference is in points differential where Atlanta has just a +2.8 ppg differential. They Mystics have pretty much owned the Dream, going 5-2 ATS in their last seven trips to Atlanta and 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 overall meetings. I'll lay the short points here tonight with the Mystics.

Game two of the Eastern Conference Championship has the Miami Heat with a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series. The Celtics took pretty good pounding in game one, though the 107-118 final made the game look closer than it was. The Celtics have lived and died by the three-point shot this year. They had 110 attempts vs the Bucks and that was third all time in the NBA playoffs for 3-pointers attempted. In game one they hit 32.4%, well below their game seven win over the Bucks of 40%. Still, the Celtics do well as road dogs, going 7-1-1 ATS their last nine. They also bounce back well, going 4-1 ATS their last five after losing straight-up by 10 points or more. The Celtics have done well vs the Heat, going 13-6 ATS their last 19 meetings in Miami and 23-11-1 their last 35 overall. I look for the Celtics to bounce back here in game two.

The Houston Astros had their 11-game win streak snapped on Saturday by Washington, 6-13. The Astros pitching must have taken the day off after shutting out three of their previous five opponents. The win streak brought the team to within 1-game of the AL West leading Angels. Right now it's a two-team race in the AL West with the other three teams all below the .500 mark. Justin Verlander takes the hill today and is looking like his old Cy Young self. Verlander is 4-1 in six starts with a 1.55 ERA. He's been even better on the road with a 3-1 mark and 0.64 ERA. Washington is just 12-23 on the season and in last place in the NL East. The Nats are 3-7 over their last 10-games. Pat Corbin will start today and he's been in bad shape all season. Corbin is 0-5 in his seven starts with a 6.06 ERA. I don't see the Astros losing this game, but I'll have to lay the Run Line with the big price on their heads. Play Houston Run Line.

The Memphis Grizzlies facing elimination here tonight as they play game six of this Western Conference best of seven series from Golden State. The Grizzlies staved off elimination in game five with a blowout of the Warriors, 134-95. Now they return back to Golden State where they once again get 8 to 9 points as they did in game four. Sure, they are without star Ja Morant, but they are now like 25-4 without him in the lineup this year. And they have played a lot without and done well. I don't see that changing here tonight. They will be close when this game is over. I'll take the points. Play Memphis.

Game six of this Eastern Conf Semifinal has the Celtics taking on the Bucks from Milwaukee. The Celtics somehow lost game five, despite a large 4th quarter lead. Now the Celtics face elimination with a loss here tonight. In their previous two games at Milwaukee, Boston lost 101-103 and won 116-108. The Celtics live and die outside the paint. They did well last game hitting 51% from the field but just 32% from 3-point line. Only one other game they shot worse and that was also a losing effort. I look for the Celtics to rebound here today and take this game six and force a game seven back in Boston.

Game 6 of this best of seven series tonight shifts back to Dallas after the Mavericks lost game five in Phoenix, 80-110. The Mavs now face elimination tonight with a loss. Like a lot of other series, this has been dominated by the home team. The Mavs lost the first two games in Phoenix and failed to cover either game, then won and covered the next two at home, before getting blown out in game five at Phoenix. The Suns are a small favorite, but I'm sticking with the home team in this series and that means a small dog here on Dallas.

The Memphis Grizzlies face elimination here tonight in this Western Conference Semifinal matchup with the Golden State Warriors. The Grizzlies lost game four, 98-101, but played well and were in the game from the start. And, they played without star Ja Morant. That makes them 24-5 this year when Morant has been out of the lineup. It appears Morant will miss again here tonight with that knee injury. The Grizzlies played both games on their home court tough, winning 106-101 and losing 116-117. In fact, they have covered three of the four in this series. I'm going to take the Grizzlies again here in game five plus the points and won't be surprised by a straight-up win.

The Grizzlies jumped to a double digit dog here today because of Ja Morant status now doing to doubtful with a knee injury. But really the Grizzlies seem to step up play when Morant hasn't been in the line. They are 25-4 this year when Morant has been out. The Grizzlies are down 1-2 in this series after losing on Saturday at Golden State, 112-142. I highly doubt the Warriors can his 63% from the field again here today and 53% from 3-point arch. The Grizzlies look to be without Morant and even if that's so, I'll take the extra points here on Monday. Play Memphis.

The Boston Celtics are down 1-2 in this best of seven semi-final matchup with the Bucks. They played tough in game three, but came up just short in a 101-103 loss, pushing the 2-point dog line. The Bucks look to be without forward Khris Middleton here today who has a knee injury. Middleton averages 20.1 ppg and 5.4 assists per game. Otherwise both teams come into today's contest healthy. Line here is pick'em or either side one-point favorite. For me, I'm taking the Celtics as I look for them to even this series tonight at 2-2.

 The Brewers feasted on the Reds last week, taking all three games by a combined score of 34-12. The Brewers look for more of the same here tonight as they look to snap a 2-game losing streak after dropping two of three at Atlanta. Brandon Woodruff gets the start for the Brewers with a 3-1 record in five starts and a 5.18 ERA. Woodruff got the win in his start last week against the Reds, 6-3. The Reds have improved to 5-23 if you consider they won just 3 of their first 20 games and two of their last three games. Sure, it was against Pittsburgh. The Reds have activated Luis Castillo today from the 10-day IL. The Reds have had a whopping 14-players on the DL this year. I don't expect to see Castillo in top form yet as that will take some time. I'm laying the Run Line with the Brewers.

 The Brewers feasted on the Reds last week, taking all three games by a combined score of 34-12. The Brewers look for more of the same here tonight as they look to snap a 2-game losing streak after dropping two of three at Atlanta. Brandon Woodruff gets the start for the Brewers with a 3-1 record in five starts and a 5.18 ERA. Woodruff got the win in his start last week against the Reds, 6-3. The Reds have improved to 5-23 if you consider they won just 3 of their first 20 games and two of their last three games. Sure, it was against Pittsburgh. The Reds have activated Luis Castillo today from the 10-day IL. The Reds have had a whopping 14-players on the DL this year. I don't expect to see Castillo in top form yet as that will take some time. I'm laying the Run Line with the Brewers.

 The Washington Nationals are 10-19 after winning their game against the Angels on Saturday, 7-3. They look to take the three game series here today at LA. Erick Fedde toes the rubber today for the Nats. Fedde has a 2-2 record in his five starts with a 4.68 ERA. The AL West leading LA Angels are 18-11 and lead the Astros by just a half game. The Angels had not allowed a run their previous two games before surrendering seven to the Nats on Saturday. Patrick Sandoval will get the start for the Angels today. Sandoval is 1-1 in his four starts with a 1.29 ERA and 1.143 WHIP. I look for the Angels to take the rubber game here today. In fact, I like Sandoval a lot in this one. I'll lay the Run Line with the Angels.

The Oakland A's have dropped to 10-17 following this current eight game losing streak. They have lost both games to the Twins, 1-2 and 0-1 as they play the rubber game here on Sunday. The A's have scored a total of one run in their their last three games. Daulton Jefferies starts today for the A's with a 1-4 record and 4.81 ERA. He is coming off two bad starts where he's allowed 11 runs over nine innings of work. The AL Central leading twins look for their third win in a row here today. Chris Paddack is 1-2 as he takes to the hill for his fifth start of the season. Paddack has a 3.15 ERA and 1.100 WHIP. He's also allowed just two earned runs over his last 11 innings with nine KO's and just walks. I'll lay the Run Line here today with the Twins.

Opening day of the season for both these teams as the Connecticut Sun take on the Liberty from New York. The Suns have been hot vs the number, covering their last 11 of 16 games. Meanwhile the Liberty are just 3-8 ATS their last 11 in the Eastern Conference and 1-4 ATS in their last five home games. The Suns have also done well in this series, going 5-1-1 ATS their last seven meetings. Not a lot to go on early, but the Suns look to be very good again this season while I don't see a lot of improvement in the Liberty. Play Connecticut Sun.

The Oakland A's looking to snap out of this seven game losing skid they are currently having. The A's have seen their record drop to 10-16 with this losing streak. James Kaprielian starts today for the A's having one game under his belt this season. He went two innings and allowed three runs and four hits. The Twins snapped their two game losing streak with a win over the A's on Friday, 2-1. Sonny Gray will toe the rubber here today with a 0-1 record and 5.68 ERA in his two starts. I expect a lot more out of Gray as the season progresses and it starts here tonight. I'll lay the Run Line with the Twins.

Opening game of the regular season for both teams here tonight. The WNBA preseason is only a couple of games so it's difficult to get a handle on these early games. The Storm were 2-0 in their preseason, beating LA 81-68 and Phoenix, 82-78. Minnesota Lynx opened preseason with a loss to Washington, 66-78 and then a win over Las Vegas, 89-86. Minnesota has to take the long trip West here tonight. Taking last season into the picture I will take Seattle here tonight and lay the points.

What's the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Well, playing against the Reds is becoming commonplace this year as they are the worse team in baseball after a trouncing at the hands of the Brewers on Wednesday, 4-18. And, that despite leading 2-0. The Reds are now 3-21 record and have lost eight straight games. In fact, 18 of their losses this year have been by two or more runs. Hunter Greene starts early here on Thursday and is 1-3 with a 6.00 ERA and 1.612 WHIP. The NL Central first place Brewers have won seven of their last eight games. Adrian Houser starts for the Brewers with a 2-2 record after four states. Houser has a 2.53 ERA and 1.172 WHIP. In his two home starts, Houser is 1-1 with a 0.77 ERA. I'm sticking with what keeps working. Take Milwaukee on the Run Line.

 The Dallas Mavericks lost game one of this best of seven series with the Phoenix Suns, 114-121. Despite trailing by double digits most of the game, the Mavs rallied and just missed cover the 5.5-point dog spread. The Mavs won 4-2 in their series with Utah, covering five of the six games. In fact, the Mavs are 11-3-1 ATS their last 15 games. The Suns finally got healthy and it showed in game one, though the Mavs made it closer at the end then the game ever was. Game two here today and the Mavs are looking to steal a game and gain home court. I believe they put forth their best effort here tonight. Play Dallas

 The Cincinnati Reds continue to prove why they are the worst team in baseball with a 3-20 record and losing seven straight games. The Reds lost again on Tuesday in their opening game with the Brewers, 3-6. In fact, 17 of their losses this year have been by two or more runs. Vladimir Gutierrez looks for his first win in four starts. He has a 0-4 record and 7.41 ERA with a 1.941 WHIP. The NL Central first place Brewers have won six of their last seven games. Freddy Peralta will start today with a 0-1 record and 5.00 ERA. Peralta coming of his best start of the Year, a six inning outing vs the Pirates where he allowed just three hits and no runs with no walks and seven KO's. I'm sticking with what keeps working. Take Milwaukee on the Run Line.

The Cincinnati Reds have been stuck on 3 wins for the season for the last six loss in a row. The Reds just cannot seem to get out of the doghouse after losing to Colorado on Sunday, 1-10. The Reds have allowed seven runs or more in five of their last six games. Tyler Mahle will get the start today. Mahle has one of the three Reds wins on the season as he sits at 1-3 overall with a 4.24 ERA. The Milwaukee Brewers are 15-8 overall and in 1st place in the NL Central. The Brewers had their five game win streak snapped on Sunday by the Cubs, 0-2. This pitching staff has allowed two runs or fewer in five straight games. Brandon Woodruff starts today with a 2-1 record, 5.30 ERA and 1.339 WHIP. However, in his two home starts he has a 2-0 record and 0.00 ERA and 0.636 WHIP. I'll lay the Run line today with the Brewers.

 The Boston Celtics lost home court in the first game of their semi-final series with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics getting beat soundly in game one, 89-101. You have to go back to December 29th for the last time the Celtics scored fewer points. They hit a miserable 33% from the field and were out-rebounded. Now they can ill afford to go down 0-2 on their home court. The Celtics are too good a team having won 55 games to do so. Plus, the Bucks are happy to escape Boston 1-1 so I don't look for a win here today by the Bucks. I'll lay the points with Boston and see if they can even the series. Play Boston.

Game one of this best of seven series between the Mavericks and the Suns from Phoenix tonight. The Mavericks took six games to beat Utah including winning the last two games. The Jazz also covered every game in that series except the first game. The Suns had the best record in the regular season, but had to go to six games to beat the New Orleans Pelicans. They did have some injury issue with Devin Booker is recovering from a hamstring injury. Booker looked limited in game six of the Pelicans series but looks ready to go at full speed here in game one tonight. With the Suns back at full strength I do like them here in game one. Play Suns.

 Game one of this best of seven Semi-Final series between the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. The Warriors won their quarterfinal matchup with the Denver Nuggets 4 games to 1. The Warriors also covered three of the five games in the series. With the exception of the last game, the Warriors hit 50% or better from the field in the other four games. The Warriors were never the dog in any of the five games either. The Memphis Grizzlies won their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves, four games to two. The Grizzlies were tied 2-2 before taking the last two games in the series. The Grizzlies covered three of the six games and were favored in all six games. Game one should be excellent between these team and I'll take the road club here on Golden State.

 The San Diego Padres dropped to 14-8 after losing their Extra Inning game on Saturday to the Pirates, 6-7. The Padres have now scored at least six runs in each of their last five games (all going over). Joe Musgrove will take to the hill today with a 3-0 record after four starts. Musgrove also has a nifty 2.16 ERA and 0.880 WHIP. The Pirates improved to 9-12 with their win last night. That win snapped a four game losing streak for the Bucs. They send Mitch Keller to the hill today. Keller is 0-3 in his four starts with a 6.62 ERA and 1.641 WHIP. In his two starts at home he is 0-2 with a 8.63 ERA. I'm going to lay the Run Line here today with the Padres and a very good Musgrove on the hill.

The NY Yankees have taken over first place in the AL East thanks to a seven game win streak. The Yankees beat the Royals in game one of their series, 12-2. The Bronx Bombers have been hitting the cover off the ball in recent games, outscoring their opposition 49-19 over their last five games. Gerrit Cole gets the start today with a 1-0 record in his four starts. He has a 4.00 ERA and 1.166 WHIP. Cole coming off his best start of the season against Cleveland, pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowing four hits and no runs. The Royals dropped to 7-11 with last night's loss to the Yankees. That makes them 2-6 over their last eight games. Carlos Hernandez starts today with no record over his three starts. He also has a 6.43 ERA and 1.787 WHIP. The way the Yanks are hitting the ball and with a suspect pitcher on the hill for the Royals, I'll lay the Run Line with the Yankees.

The Nationals pulled a huge shock on Friday by scoring 14 runs against one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, the Giants. That was not only a season high in runs for the Nats, but more runs then their last seven games combined. Joan Adon gets the start for the Nats today with a 1-3 record in four starts. Adon has a 6.98 ERA and 1.655 WHIP. He has one start vs the Giants and went four innings, allowing six hits and five runs to absorb the loss. The Giants fell a half game back of the Padres in the NL West with last night's loss. The 14 runs allowed by the Giants were more than they have allowed combined in their last six games. Logan Webb starts today with a 2-1 record and 2.96 ERA. I look for the Giants to rebound big time here today vs the Nats. I'll lay the Run Line with San Francisco.

The Washington Nationals look to snap a 8-game losing streak as they head West to begin a West Coast swing that could get ugly with the Giants up first. The offense has been horrible, scoring three runs or fewer in nine straight games. Don't expect it to get any easier tonight against one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. Aaron Sanchez will toe the rubber for the Nats. Sanchez has one start and it wasn't pretty, just 4 1/3 innings, six hits and four runs against these Giants in a 2-5 loss. The Giants are just a half game back of the Padres in the very good NL West with a 13-6 record. The Giants lost a tough one last night their Bay City Rivals, Oakland, 0-1. That snapped a five-game winning streak for the Giants. Alex Wood goes today with a 2-0 record in his three starts. Wood has a nifty 2.51 ERA with a 1.186 WHIP and has 16 KO's against just four walks. I'll lay the RUN LINE here tonight with the Giants.

The NY Yankees have got hot, winning six straight games to pull within a half game of AL East leader Toronto at 13-6. The Yankees have been hitting well too, scoring 37 runs over their four games while allowing 16. Nestor Cortes starts for the Yanks and has no record after three starts. However, he could easily be 3-0 with his 1.15 ERA and 0.639 WHIP. Cortes allowed his first runs of the season his last game, a 6 1/3 effort vs the Guardians, allowing 1 hit and two runs, 8 KO's and two walks. In fact, he now has 25 KO's and just two walks. The Royals improved to 7-10 with their win on Thursday over the White Sox, 5-2. Still, they have lost five of their last seven games. Kris Bubic will start today with a 0-1 record in three starts. He has last more than two innings just one time and has a 14.14 ERA and 3.000 WHIP. The Yankees with Cortes should walk away with this one. I'll lay the RUN LINE with the Yankees.

The Dallas Mavericks can close out this best of seven series here tonight, but it will take a win at Utah. The Mavs opened this series with a loss at home to the Jazz, 93-99. Then rebounded with a pair of wins, including one at Dallas to take a 2-1 lead. They lost game four at Utah, 99-100 to even the series and then won game five on their home court, 102-77. If they win tonight they will be the only road team thus far to close out a series on the road. The Jazz Donovan Mitchell has been upgraded to probable for tonight's contest as he's been ailing with a quad injury. Otherwise both teams are healthy for this game. This game is virtually a pick'em so I'll take the Mavs here tonight to see if they can win the series.

The San Diego Padres improved to 11-7 with their win over the Reds on Tuesday, 9-6. The Padres need to take advantage of these types of games since they play in the tough NL West division. Mackenzie Gore will start today for the Padres. Gore is 1-0 in his two starts with a 1.74 ERA and 1.065 WHIP. Gore has 10 KO's and four walks. The Reds have just three wins and have lost 12 of their last 13 games. In fact, had you laid the Run Line against them in their last 12 losses you would have won ALL 12 of those games. Vladimir Gutierrez starts today with an 0-3 record in his three starts, a 5.54 ERA and 1.692 WHIP. Walks have been an issue with nine free passes against just nine KO's. I'll lay the run line with the Padres and stick to the plan.

The Boston Red Sox have struggled to a 7-10 mark thus far on the season. The Sox have lost three straight and five of their last six games after dropping game one of this series with the Blue Jays last night, 2-6. Moreover, this Red Sox team is having issues scoring runs as they have scored three runs or fewer in seven of their last eight games. Nick Pavetta will start today as he looks for his first win after an 0-3 start to the season. Pivetta has had it rough, allowing 13 runs over 11 2/3 innings (10.03 ERA) and having nine walks and 10 KO's on the year. Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays are in 1st in the NL East with a 11-6 record after beating Boston last night. The Jays have won five of their last six games. Kevin Gausman is 1-1 after three starts for the Jays with a 2.89 ERA and 1.125 WHIP. He has not allowed a walk yet this year against his 22 KO's. Gausman should have little trouble against the offensively struggling Sox team tonight. I'll lay the Run Line with the Blue Jays.

The Miami Heat can wrap-up their best of seven series tonight on their home court. The Heat lead the series 3-1 after taking the first two games at home and then splitting the next two at Atlanta. They won game four in Atlanta, 110-86. They have also covered three of the four games in the series. That makes nine out of the last 11 games the Heat have covered. The one mark against the Heat tonight will be the loss of guard Kyle Lowry, who is out tonight with a leg injury. Is this an issue tonight? Well, consider that Lowry also missed game four and the Heat still won by 24 points. I believe this will be more of an issue going forward in their next series. For me, I'm taking the Heat to wrap it up tonight and cover this game. Play Miami.

It's a dog fight in the best MLB division in baseball, the NL West. The Padres expect to be in the thick of it too as they sit 10-7 overall right now and in fourth place. The Padres are coming off a loss on Sunday to the Dodgers, 2-10, losing two of the three games to LA. Now they get to feast on what has been the worst team in baseball, the Reds. Joe Musgrove will get the start today as he's 2-0 after three starts with a nice 1.89 ERA and 0.737 WHIP. Musgrove has 21 KO's and just one walk on the season. The Reds finally snapped a 11-game losing streak on Sunday with their win over the Cardinals, 4-1. It was also the most runs the Cardinals have scored since tehy got five runs against the Guardians back on April 12th. River Sanmartin has struggled in his two starts this year, going 8 total innings and allowing 12 hits and 10 runs for a 11.75 ERA and 2.350 WHIP. He also has as many walks on the year as KO's (6). The Reds look to have a long season and it won't get any easier against Musgrove tonight. Play the Padres on the Run Line.

Three teams in the NL West now have 10 wins and the Giants are one of them as they trail the Dodgers by just a half game in the division. It's going to be a dog fight between the top three all season. The Giants have won two straight games after taking the first two in this series with Washington. They have outscored the Nationals, 12-3 with their outstanding pitching putting the cuffs on the Nats. No relief in this staff either as Logan Webb takes to the rubber today. Webb is 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 1.075 WHIP in his three starts. Washington has dropped to 6-11 after losing four straight games. Joan Adon will look to snap that losing streak. Adon is 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA after three starts. Adon doesn't have the best control either with nine walks in three games. Can't go against this Giants staff with a poor Nats team. I'll lay the run line today with the Giants.

The San Francisco Giants opened this 3-game set at Washington with a convincing win on Friday, 7-1. The Giants improved to 9-5 overall and 2nd place in the NL West. Alex Wood gets the start for the Giants and has pitched excellent after two starts. Wood has a 1-0 record with a 1.93 ERA, allowing nine hits over 9 1/3 innings with three walks and 11 KO's. The Nationals are 6-10 on the season and have now droped three straight games. During this losing streak they have scored a total of six runs and allowed 22 runs. The Nationals will start Aaron Sanchez today who just recently joined the team. Sanchez has three Triple-A starts with a 3.60 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. Don't really think it matters who the Nats start, the Giants have too many excellent pitchers. Lay the Run Line with the Giants.

The Toronto Raptors return home for game three of their best of seven series with the Sixers down 0-2. They lost game on in Philly, 111-131 and then lost game two, 97-112. This is a pivotal game three as they can ill afford to go down 0-3 in this series. Up until this series, the Sixers had not been a good covering team. Yet they covered both games so far in this series. The Raptors do have a few good things here in game three. They are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 home games vs a road team with a winning record. They are also 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games playing on one day rest. The Raptors are 5-1 ATS in their last six games vs the Sixers in Toronto. I'll take the Raptors here as it's do or die. Play Toronto.

The Phoenix Suns showed the league why they are the best team in the NBA this year as they opened the playoffs with a decisive win over the Pelicans in game one, 110-99, covering the 10-point spread. Despite the close cover, the Suns led by double digits most of the way. Phoenix has now covered four of their last five playoff games as the favorite and is 4-0 ATS their last four quarterfinal games. New Orleans will try and avoid returning home down 0-2. They haven't done well lately against good teams, going 1-6 ATS the last seven against a winning team. They are also 0-4 ATS their last four as a dog. I don't look for Phoenix to have any more trouble then they did in game one. Of all the games in round one, this is the one that believes plays out just as it should, a Phoenix blowout.

 The San Diego Padres opened their three game set with the Reds with a 4-1 win on Monday. The Padres were one of my Run Line Rout plays on Monday and they didn't disappoint. The Padres have now held their last two opponents to two total runs. They have also gone under in four straight games and nine of their 12 games this season. Doesn't look to get any easier tonight for the Reds as they face Joe Musgrove. Musgrove is 1-0 after two starts with a 1.42 ERA and 0.710 WHIP. He's allowed just nine hits and two runs over his 12 2/3 innings with 14 KO's and no walks. The Reds are in free fall right now, having lost seven straight games and nine of their last 10. They have scored two runs or fewer in four straight games and three runs or fewer in six straight games. Reiver Sanmartin will start tonight and he looks to improve after a horrendous initial start. Sanmartin went just 2 1/3 inning vs the Braves, allowing four hits and five runs in the loss. I'm looking at a San Diego blowout here tonight.

The World Champion Atlanta Braves come to LA tonight to face the Dodgers and will also face their former All-Star 1B Freedie Freeman who now anchors the 1B bag for LA. The Braves will also bring former LA closer Jansen back to LA for the first time since being dealt to Atlanta. The Braves are just 5-6 overall and split their four game series to open this West Coast swing with the Padres. After giving up 12 runs to the Padres in the first game, they held San Diego to just six total runs the next three games. Huascar Ynoa will start here today. Ynoa went just three innings in his first start against the Nationals, allowing seven hits and five runs to take the Loss. The Dodgers are 7-2 and heavy favorites to win the World Series this year. And if former Ace Clayton Kershaw pitches like he did in his opener, those odds may go up. Kershaw left the game after seven innings with a perfect game. Some thought he should have come back out, but Dave Roberts didn't want to strain a pitcher who has had a lot of injury issues over the last years. LA looks tough and we'll see if Kershaw is near as perfect as he was in his first start. I'll lay the Run Line with the Dodgers tonight.

The Cincinnati Reds look to snap out of a bad losing streak as they have dropped six straight games to be 2-8 on the season. Problem is it won't get much better at the Padres tonight. Nick Lodolo will try to put a stop to the losing streak. He went four innings in his first start against Cleveland, allowing seven hits and five runs to collar the loss. The Padres should be salivating at the sight of the Reds coming to town. San Diego is 6-5 on the season but their last seven games have come against the Braves and Giants where they went 3-4. Sean Manaea will start his third game of the season. Manaea is 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA and 0.538 WHIP. He's allowed just two runs over 13 innings with 13 KO's and just three walks. I'll lay the Run Line here tonight with the Padres who should win this one in a Rout!

Utah looks to take a commanding 2-0 lead back to Utah with a win here tonight at Dallas. the Jazz won game one, 99-93 as a 5-point favorite. The Jazz held Dallas to just 38.2% shooting from the field and 28.1% from the 3-point line. The Jazz are just 3-9 ATS their last 12 games as a road favorite. Dallas looks to eve the series tonight. The Mavs loss on Saturday was just the teams 2nd loss in their last nine games. The Mavs are also 6-2-1 ATS their last nine games. The Mavs also bounce back well, covering 16 of the last 22 times after a ATS loss. The Mavs are 10-4-1 ATS the last 15 vs the Jazz in Dallas and 5-1 ATS the last six overall. I look for a Dallas rebound tonight as they even the series.

The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers play game two of their best of seven series here tonight. The Sixers had little issue with the Raptors in game one, cruising to a 20-point win, 131-111 as a 4.5 point favorite. Tonight that line has jumped to seven as the oddsmaker compensates for that blowout win. The Raptors had been good for bettors. They are 5-2 ATS in their last seven quarterfinal games. They are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 playoff games as a underdog and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games. Still, they get no respect from the oddsmaker here tonight. Philadelphia has been winning but not covering until recently. The Sixers are 6-1 S/U their last seven games but just 3-4 ATS. Philly is also 3-7 ATS their last 10 games overall. The Raptors have covered four of the last five in this series. I look for a rebound here by Toronto tonight, if not a straight-up win. Play Toronto.

 The New Orleans Pelicans made it to the main playoff even with a pair of play-in wins over San Antonio (113-103) and a come-from-behind win over the Clippers, 105-101. Now they face the best regular season team in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns. The Pelicans have been a decent spread covering team this year. Though they were just 1-5 ATS in their last six games against a team with a winning record. The Pelicans have also covered just one of the last five meetings against the Suns. The Phoenix Suns were the standout in the NBA this year, holding the best overall record at 64-18 overall and beating the next closest team by a lot. While the Suns did lost four of their last six games of the season they were resting players as those games had no bearing on their best record in the NBA. Phoenix is now 13-5 ATS in their last 18 playoff games when installed the favorite. They are also 6-2 ATS in their last eight conference quarterfinal games. I'm going to lay the points here today with the best team in the NBA.

The Bulls and Bucks begin game one of their best of seven series here today at Milwaukee. The Bulls ended the regular season with a win over Minnesota, 124-120. That win snapped a four game losing streak by the Bulls. The Bulls are now just 4-10 ATS their last 14 games against a team with a winning record. They are also 7-21 ATS their last 28 games as a underdog and 3-10 ATS the last 13 when those dog games were on the road. Milwaukee finished the regular season with a 51-31 record and lost a meaningless game at Chicago on the final day, 115-133. The Bucks are now 6-1-1 ATS their last eight games in the Conference Quarterfinals. The Bucks have also covered five of the last seven games in this series. I'll take the Bucks and lay the points here today.

The Toronto Raptors had a fine season, finishing 48-34 and right behind Philly in the Atlantic division. The Raptors finished the regular season with a loss at the Knicks, 94-105. However, they did go 14-4 S/U and 12-6 ATS their last 18 games. Philly finished 51-31 and tied for first in the division with the Boston Celtics. While Philly won five of their last six games, they only covered two of those. The Raptors have covered the last four games in this series with the Sixers. I'll take the points and Raptors here in game one.

The Timberwolves and Grizzlies begin their best of seven series here today at Memphis. The T'Wolves split their last four games 2-2 S/U and 1-3 ATS. The Wolves are just 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as a dog. They are also 3-8 ATS their last 11 rod games vs a team with a winning home record. Memphis finished the regular season with a loss to the Celtics, 110-139 in what was a meaningless game for the Grizzlies. Still, they would like to get back to the streak that saw them win seven straight games. Unlike Minnesota, Memphis has been hot vs the number. They are 17-4 ATS their last 21 games at home. They are 14-3 ATS their last 17 as a home favorite. They have also dominated the T'Wolves of late, covering the last 16 of 21 meetings. They are even better at Memphis, going 24-8 ATS their last 32 vs the T'Wolves. I'm taking Memphis here in game one.

The Mets continue to play well and their pitching staff continues to dominate. The Mets punished Arizona on Friday to the tune of a 10-3 win. Only one Mets starter has a ERA of 3.00 or higher and that's Max Scherzer who has a 3.27 ERA. Arizona is just 2-5 and lost five of their last six games. Zac Gallen makes his first start of the season for the D'backs. Gallen was 4-10 last year with a 4.30 ERA. Don't expect Gallen to make much difference here today against the Mighty Mets. I'll lay the Run Line like I did yesterday with the Mets.

Win and move on, lose and you go home. That's the theme here tonight for these two teams. The Pelicans won their first play-in game last Wednesday, beating the San Antonio Spurs 113-103 as a 5.5-point favorite. The Pelicans are 13-5 ATS in their last 18 road games and 10-4 in their last 14 road games as a dog. The LA Clippers got some bad news today when star shooting guard Paul George tested positive for Covid and will have to miss this game. That's a huge loss since they are already playing without their Superstar forward Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers lost their opening Play-In Round game to the T'Wolves, 104-109. This line dropped to a pick'em with George out tonight. I'm taking the Pelicans as they move onto the seeded playoffs.

Early game on the schedule today has the Arizona Diamondbacks taking on the Mets. Arizona has struggled to a 2-4 start to their season and that isn't good considering they play in arguably the best division in baseball, the NL West. The D'back won their opening game, then dropped four straight before winning on Wednesday against the Astros, 3-2. Zach Davies gets the call to the mound today for the D'backs. Davies pitched well in his opener and got a no decision for his effort. Davies went five innings, allowed four hits and two runs against the Padres which the D'backs eventually lost, 2-5. The NY Mets are off to a nice 5-2 start and have to be considered a favorite to win the division. The Mets are a great pitching team, in fact all five starters have a ERA of 3.27 or less this year. Today's starter, Chris Bassitt went six strong innings in his opening game against the Nationals. Bassitt allowed just three hits and no runs to go with eight KO's and one walk. I don't see the D'back light hitting team getting much today if not shut out entirely. The Mets shouls have little trouble with Arizona. I'll lay the Run-Line with New York today.

NBA Play-In tournament continues here today as the San Antonio Spurs take on the New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs finished the regular season with a 34-48 record. They did lose their last three games though they covered two and pushed the other. In fact, this Spurs team has bee a very good team vs the number, going 5-0-1 ATS the last six games and 9-1-1 ATS their last 11 games. The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of injury questions coming into today. However, two seem solved with center James Valancions and forward Brandon Ingram now both probable for today. Forward Zion Willamson does remain out though with a foot injury. The Pelicans finished the regular season with two losses both S/U and ATS. The Spurs have covered eight of the last nine in this series and all seven of the last seven meetings in New Orleans. I'll take the Spurs here in the Play-In game.

Play-In tourney game here today pits the Charlotte Hornets against the Atlanta Hawks. The Hornets surprised everyone this year with a 43-39 record and 3rd place SouthEast division finish. The Hornets finished the season strong, winning and covering their last three games. The Hornets do well with rest, evidenced by their 11-4-1 ATS record when they get two days of rest. They are also 10-4-1 ATS their last 15 games as a road dog and 15-5-1 their last 21 overall on the road. The Atlanta Hawks finished with an identical 43-39 record. The Hawks won and covered their last game of the regular season against the Rockets. The Hornets are 3-1-1 ATS the last five meetings between these teams. Atlanta will also be without forward John Collins who is out with a foot injury. I'm going to take the points here today with the Hornets.

The NBA play-in tournament begins here on Tuesday with the LA Clippers taking on the Timberwolves from Minnesota. The winner gets the No 7 seed in the West Playoff bracket. The Clippers beat the Wolves in three of their four meetings this year. The Clippers continue to play without Kawhi Leonard who will remain out. As for the Wolves, their point guard D'Angelo Russell is questionable for this game with an illness. The Clipper finished strong down the stretch, winning their last five games and covering four of those. The Wolves struggled a bit their last few games, going 1-2 S/U and 0-4 vs the spread. In fact, they were just 2-7 ATS their last nine regular season games. The Clippers have pretty much owned this series, going 4-1 ATS the last five meetings and 15-6-1 ATS the last 22 meetings in Minnesota. I'll take the short points with the Clippers here on Tuesday.

Early action on the NBA hard court today as the 76ers host the Pacers. The Indiana Pacers are just playing out these last two days before their vacation. However, the Philadelphia 76ers still have something to play for this weekend. The Sixers are in 4th in the East, just a half game behind the Celtics for third place. They are 1.5 games back of Milwaukee and 1.5 games ahead of Toronto. The Sixers had their three-game win streak snapped at Toronto on Thursday, 114-119 as a 3.5-point favorite. Philly will close out their season at home against Detroit tomorrow. Both these games should be wins for the Sixers, which will put some pressure on those teams in front of them. The Pacers won't win here today. They haven't won since March 20th, losing eight straight games. They have also covered just three of their last eight games. The Sixers can't let down now. I'll lay the points with Philly today.

The Phoenix Suns have the best record in the NBA locked and put away. They really have nothing left to play for in these final days of the regular season. In fact, I won't be surprised to see key players doing a lot of sitting here tonight. The Suns snapped a two-game losing streak last game with a win over the Lakers, 121-110. Still, they haven't covered a game in four straight. The Clippers have already clinched a Playin berth as they currently sit 8th, four games ahead of the Pelicans. The Clippers have won two straight games and covered both after a stretch that saw them go 1-6 S/U and ATS. The Clippers are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 meetings in LA with the Suns and 19-9 ATS the last 28 overall meetings. I'll take the Clippers here tonight.

Interconference game here has the West's Dallas Mavericks taking on the East's Detroit Piston. The Pistons are done for the year after this week. They are already eliminated from the playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks are 4th in the West, just one game back of the Warriors and two games ahead of the Jazz. The Mavs have split their last two games, losing at Washington, 103-135 and then beating Milwaukee, 118-112. The Mavs are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven road games. While the Pistons are out of the NBA playoffs, they still are playing hard, winning three straight games including their last over Indiana 121-117 as a 4.5-point road dog. The Pistons are now 5-0 ATS their last five and 17-3 ATS their last 20 games. I'm taking Detroit here as they are fighting to the end.

West Conference matchup here has 2nd place Memphis taking on 6th place Utah. The Grizzlies have nowhere to go as they are 7-games back of Phoenix and 5.5-games ahead of Golden State. The Grizzlies are hot though and look to keep the momentum as the playoffs start soon. Memphis has won seven straight games and 10 of their last 11 games. They are also 7-2 ATS their last nine games. The Griz are also 14-4 ATS in their last 18 games as a underdog and 41-18 ATS their last 59 games overall. The Utah Jazz can go up or down in the standings since they are right in the middle of a three pack with Denver and Minnesota. The Jazz have not been hot, going 1-6 S/U and 0-7 ATS their last seven games. The Jazz are 15-33-3 ATS their last 51 games overall. They are also 5-16-1 ATS their last 22 games vs a team with a win percentage over 60%. These two usually play high scoring games and I expect we'll see plenty of action tonight too. I'll take the points with a very hot Memphis club.

As we come down to the finals games of the NBA regular season, Miami finds themselves sitting in 1st place in the East, 2-games against of the Boston Celtics and 2.5 games ahead of Milwaukee and Philly. While the Heat have clinched the SouthEast division, they would like to lock of that top spot in the East. Charlotte looks to hold one of the two Play-In berths in the East. The other currently held by Brooklyn. Charlotte is coming off a loss at Philly, 114-144, failing to cover the 5.5-point dog line. While Charlotte has been good at covering, they don't do well against very good teams. They are just 8-18-2 their last 28 games vs a team with a 60% or better winning mark. Miami had to endure a four-game losing streak in last March. However, they have rebounded and have won four straight both S/U and ATS. More good news tonight, star Jimmy Butler, who has been rested, is probable tonight. I like Miami here, they need to win to lock up that top East Spot.

The NCAA Men's Final comes down to two teams that are not strangers to the Big game, North Carolina and Kansas. North Carolina is 29-9 overall on the season and after losing in the ACC Tournament has won five straight in the NCAA's. They have covered all five also after they beat Duke in the Final Four, 81-77, as a 4.5-point dog. The Tarheels have the 18th ranked efficient offense according to the Kenpom rankings. They have averaged nearly 78 points per game and allowed 68 points. In the NCAA tournament they have averaged 82.2 ppg while allowing 68.2 ppg. They are 39th in defense. North Carolina is looking for its 7th National Title and first with HC Hubert Davis. The Kansas Jayhawks were the only No 1 seed team to make the Final Four this year. They have a 33-6 record and are coming off a blowout win over Villanova, 81-65. The Jayhawks won the Big 12 Tournament this year, just the first time in their last four years. Both of these teams peaked at just the right time and both are loaded with great coaches. The one area Kansas has trouble is foul shooting, where they are just 60% in the tournament. This could prove crucial down the stretch. In a close game like this, I'll take the points. Play North Carolina.

The New York Knicks have lost two straight games and dropped to 34-44 overall. Those losses have eliminated the Knicks from the playoffs as they sit 12th, six games back. The biggest loss though came a few days ago when they lost Julius Randle with a quad injury. Looks like Randle is done with the Knicks out of the playoffs. Orlando also wont' be going to the playoffs with their 20-58 record. And while they don't win often, they do better against the spread. They are 4-0 ATS their last four games as a dog. They are also 8-3 ATS their last 11 games with one day of rest. The Magic have also covered four of the last five in this series with the Knicks. Neither team going anywhere, but with Randle now out the Knicks shouldn't be laying these kind of points on the road. I'll take the points with the Magic and they might even win a rare game straight up here today.

Early game here on Sunday has the Washington Wizards taking on the Boston Celtics in a NBA Eastern conference clash. Washington was eliminated from the playoffs as they sit 11th, 5.5 games back of 10th place Brooklyn. The Celtics are 3rd in the East and can improve or fall back. They are a half game back of 2nd place Milwaukee and two back of 1st place Miami. The Wizards are just 3-7 ATS their last 10 games as a road dog. They are also 6-16 ATS their last 22 games on one day of rest. The Celtics snapped a two game losing streak with a win over Indiana, 128-123, though they failed to cover the 15-point favorite line. Still, the Celtics are 6-3 ATS their last nine games. The Celtics have also gone 12-4-1 ATS their last 17 games against the Pacers at Boston. I'll lay the big number here today with a Boston team that can still change their playoff position.

Eastern Conference clash here today has the 8th place Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks both tied in the standings. The Nets, Hornets and Hawks are all holding those last three playoff spots in the East and all three are two games back of Cleveland. All three will make the playoffs, but the question is in which position. That makes this game huge here today for both clubs. The Nets are coming off a loss to Milwaukee in OT, 119-120, as a 2-point favorite. The Nets are 2-3 S/U and 1-4 ATS their last five games. The Nets have not done well as favorites, evidenced by their 9-25 ATM mark their last 34 games in that role. The Atlanta Hawks have been hot, winning and covering their last four games. They are also 9-3 S/U their last 12 games. Atlanta is also 8-0 ATS in their last eight home games vs a team with a winning road record. The Hawks are also 14-6 ATS their last 20 home games. I'll take the home dog Hawks here today.

The Basketball Classic Championship here tonight between Fresno State and Coastal Carolina. Fresno State lost three of their last four games to close out their season. They have hit the NIT running though, beating Eastern Washington, Youngstown State and then last game over Southern Utah, 67-48 as a 7-point favorite. Fresno not the best offensive team, as they rank just 148 in the Kenpom offensive efficiency rankings. They do better in defense though, ranking 32nd overall. The Dogs haven't done well covering against winning teams, evidenced by their 3-9 ATS mark their last 12 games. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have just 19 wins on the season. Though six of those have come in the last seven games. They lost in their conference championship game to Georgia Southern and have since won three straight in this tournament. The last coming over South Alabama, 69-68, as a 1-point dog. Carolina just out of the top 100 in both. Carolina is 6-1 ATS their last seven games. Have to figure Carolina with chance to win today, so I'll take the points with them.

The Basketball Classic Championship here tonight between Fresno State and Coastal Carolina. Fresno State lost three of their last four games to close out their season. They have hit the NIT running though, beating Eastern Washington, Youngstown State and then last game over Southern Utah, 67-48 as a 7-point favorite. Fresno not the best offensive team, as they rank just 148 in the Kenpom offensive efficiency rankings. They do better in defense though, ranking 32nd overall. The Dogs haven't done well covering against winning teams, evidenced by their 3-9 ATS mark their last 12 games. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have just 19 wins on the season. Though six of those have come in the last seven games. They lost in their conference championship game to Georgia Southern and have since won three straight in this tournament. The last coming over South Alabama, 69-68, as a 1-point dog. Carolina just out of the top 100 in both. Carolina is 6-1 ATS their last seven games. Have to figure Carolina with chance to win today, so I'll take the points with them.

The NBA comes down to the wire as teams jockey for playoff position. The Cleveland Cavaliers are in 7th right now, two games ahead of the Nets and three games ahead of the Hawks. The Hawks are holding down that last playoff spot at number 10 and should make the playoffs as they lead 11th place New York by 5.5 games. The Hawks can greatly improve their lot though as they are just a half game back of 9th place Charlotte, one game back of 8th place Brooklyn and three games back of 7th place Cleveland. Cleveland comes in off a loss to Dallas, 112-120, as a 1.5-point dog. The Cavs are just 1-4 S/U their last five games and 0-6 ATS their last six. Atlanta has won three games in a row both S/U and ATS after their blowout win at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, 136-118. The Hawks can improve their playoff spot against a key leader here. I'll take Atlanta.

NIT Championship here today from Madison Sq Garden in NY, NY. The Xavier Musketeers take on the Texas A&M Aggies. Xavier had a rough road to this final, having to beat Cleveland State, Florida, Vanderbilt and St Bonnies. The Muskateers have a very good offense, ranked 39th in the Kenpom adjusted efficiency rankings. The defense isn't bad either, ranked 79th. Xavier is now 35-14-2 ATS in their last 51 games on a neutral site as a dog. Texas A&M still smarting by being passed over for the NCAA now has 27 wins on the season. The Aggies have won four straight at the NIT over Alcorn State, Oregon, Wake Forest and Washington State. They covered three of those four. The A&M Defense is very good, ranked 27th in Kenpom. The offense, not quite as good, ranked 68th. One Achilles heal is that they are not a good offensive rebounding team, 340th in the nation. That doesn't translate into a lot of second chance points. Two very good teams here tonight but for me I like to take the points with a team I know can win outright too. Play Xavier.      

The Memphis Grizzlies have clinched a playoff spot as they sit in 2nd in the NBA West. While 1st place Phoenix is too far away (8.5 games ahead), they do have just a 5-game lead over 3rd place Golden State. However, it's looks like a solid 2nd place spot in the West for the Grizzlies. Memphis has been excellent of late, going 5-0 both S/U and ATS their last five games. They are also 12-3 S/U their last 15 games. The Grizzlies are also 23-8 ATS in their last 31 games as a favorite. They have also played well on the road, going 22-9 ATS in their last 31 away games. The San Antonio Spurs are tied for the last playoff spot in the West with the Lakers. Both teams sit one game back of 9th place New Orleans. The Spurs have won their last four games, covering three of those. However, they are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight overall games and 1-4 ATS in their last five games as a dog and 1-8 ATS in their last nine games as a home dog. The Grizzlies look too tough for the Spurs here on Wednesday. Play Memphis.

The Miami Heat have not only clinched their Division, but they have the best record in the NBA Eastern Conference, a half game ahead of Philly and one game back of today's opponent, Boston. The Heat snapped a four game losing streak with a win over Sacramento, 123-100, last game as a 13.5-point favorite. The Heat have not been good at covering spreads, going 1-7 ATS their last eight games. A win tonight by Boston and they will be tied with the Heat. The Celtics had their six game win streak snapped in their last game at Toronto, losing 112-115, but covering the 8.5-point dog line. They have now covered three straight and six of their last seven games. I'll lay the points here tonight with Boston.

The Minnesota T'wolves are in 7th place in the NBA Western Conference, a good six games ahead of 8th place LA Clippers. They are just two games back of 5th and 6th place Utah and Denver. The Wolves are coming off a loss at Boston, 112-134, as a 6-point dog. That makes them 1-3 S/U over their last four games. They are also just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games as a dog. Toronto is in 6th place in the East, one game ahead of Cleveland and just a half game back of Chicago. Toronto has won three straight games and nine of their last 11 games. They are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games. The Raptors are 23-8 ATS in their last 31 games vs a team with a winning record. The Raptors have covered five of the last six meetings in this series. I'll take Toronto here tonight.

NIT Semifinals here tonight from Madison Square Garden in NY, NY has Washington State taking on Texas A&M for the right to go to the NIT Finals. Washington State has had a very good run, starting in the PAC-12 tournament where they beat Oregon State, Oregon and Cal before losing to UCLA, 65-75. They then have won three straight in the NIT, beating Santa Clara, SMU and BYU, covering all three games. The Cougars are decent offensive team, ranked 77th in the Kenpom adjusted offensive efficiency rankings. They are a better defensive team, ranking 26th. Offensively they are one of the worst 2-point shooting teams in the nation, ranking 313th with a 46.2%. Texas A&M has been equally impressive as Washington State in their recent run. They beat three very good SEC teams in their tournament against Florida, Auburn and Arkansas, before losing to Tennessee in the finals. They opened NIT with a win over Alorn State, then beat Oregon and lastly Wake Forest. They have covered nine of their last 11 games. They have also won 10 of their last 11 games. The Aggies also have a very good defense, ranked 32nd in the Kenpom rankings and a slightly better offense, ranked 72nd. A&M has been a very streaky team, losing eight in a row mid-season and then closing with a nice win streak. I like A&M here tonight.

The Chicago Bulls look to rebound from their loss on Monday to the Knicks, 104-109, as a 3.5-point favorite. The Bulls are currently 5th in the East, tied with the Raptors. They are one game ahead of the Cavaliers and four games up on Brooklyn. They can improve their lot in the playoffs, but they are one 3.5-games back of Philly, Boston and Milwaukee. Washington has won two-straight games including a win last game over Golden State, 123-115. The Wizards are now 32-42 overall and 29-42-3 vs the spread. They are also 3-7 ATS their last 10 games as a home dog. The Wizards are 12th in the East and 5.5-games back of Atlanta for that final playoff spot. Even though the Bulls are slumping of late, they have covered eight of the last 11 meetings with Washington. I'll take the Bulls here tonight.

St Bonnys and Xavier meet here tonight in Madison Sq Garden for the right to advance to the NIT Finals. St Bonnies is 23-9 overall on the season after winning three straight in the NIT over Colorado, Oklahoma and last game over Virginia, 52-51, as a 2.5-point Dog. They covered all three games and are now 10-3 ATS their last 13 games. The Bonnies are a very well balanced team, ranking 73rd offense and 78th defense in the Kenpom efficiency rankings. The Xavier Musketeers are 21-13 overall on the season and have beaten Cleveland State, Florida and last game over Vandy, 75-73 in their three NIT Games. They are just 1-3 ATS their last four games. They are also 5-15 ATS their last 20 games. Have a hard time backing a poor covering team like Xavier. I'll lay the small line here tonight with St Bonnies.

The Basketball Classic Semifinals tonight have Fresno State hosting Southern Utah. Winner moves on to the tournament finals. The Southern Utah Thunderbirds are 23-11 overall after winning three straight in this tournament. They opened with a win over Kent State, 83-79, then beat UTEP, 82-69 and last game beat Portland, 77-66, covering all three games. In addition So Utah is 7-2 ATS their last nine games. So Utah has the nation's 87th most efficient offense according to Kenpom. They are 34th in 2-point FG%. This would account for why the team has scored 71 points or more in 10 of the last 12 games. Fresno State also has 23 wins on the season after winning both of their TBC tourney games. They beat Eastern Washington, 83-74, to open the tourney and then beat Youngstown State, 80-71, last game. They have failed to cover both games as a favorite. The Bulldogs are 0-7 ATS in their last seven home games and 2-9 their last 11 games vs a team with a winning record. I'm taking the generous points here today with Southern Utah.

The Orlando Magic have dropped two games in a row and now sit last in the SouthEast Division at 20-55 S/U and 33-41-1 ATS. They are coming off a loss to the Kings, 110-114 as a 2.5-point favorite. The Magic are now 1-5 ATS their last six games. Cleveland looks to snap a 3-game losing streak here tonight. The Cavs have dropped to 41-33 overall after their most recent loss to Chicago, 94-98 as a 1.5-point home favorite. The Cavs are now 7th in the Eastern conference playoff picture, 4 games ahead of 10th place Atlanta and 5.5 back of first place Boston. Lots of movement possible for the Cavs so wins are important this time of year. I'll take Cleveland tonight.