Points Galore

Jose Soriano has piled up 19 Ks in 15 IP over three starts ...

Sweeps Happen

Too Much D In Dallas

Will the Sixers tie the series vs. the Knicks? ...

There's some rumblings of internal strife within the Lakers locker room, and in Game 3 I saw a team that looks ready for the offseason. Credit to Anthony Davis and LeBron James for how they've played in this series, but their supporting cast simply isn't there. Nuggets close this series out and move on. I expect Denver to record a near double-digit win in this one.

Tyler Herro had a huge game 2 and led the Heat to a victory while splitting the series before heading back to Miami. This was a gutsy performance but I believe they caught Boston napping and I believe the Celtics will be motivated in game 3. Boston knows the key to stopping Miami is slowing down Herro and this is simply a big number for the combo guard.

So the new me ... when I see things going sideways and upsets galore I'm just gonna pass and take the day off. That said, Braves only -170 at home? Think a have-to situation.

This has not been a particularly high-scoring series but still would have cleared this 5.5 "total" in two of the first three games. Will see if Jim Montgomery continues his goalie rotation on the Boston side, though that would mean sitting Jeremy Swayman, who won Games 1 and 3 and has allowed only seven goals in his last 15 periods vs. Toronto. Linus Ullmark has comparable overall numbers, so Montgomery might well stick to his pattern, but there is too much firepower on the ice for these teams to play another 3-2 game. Auston Matthews and the Leafs have scored only six goals, and with some real urgency tonight look for Toronto to push this scoreline to six or more. Play Bruins-Leafs "Over"

Curiously, Boston continues to have its struggles at home in the playoffs, losing Game 2 at TD Garden vs. the underdog Heat, and now has to go on the road to regain home edge against the no-Jimmy Butler Miami. One wonders, however, if the Celtics' recent inconsistencies (which surfaced late in the regular season) might suggest Boston has simply gone flat, Before going there, however, will note that both previous games in this series cleared 204, and each side has been trending hard to the "over" in recent weeks (Celtics "over" 14-5 last 19; Heat "over" 11-3 last 14). Play Celtics-Heat "Over"

The Lakers display in game three featured poor play from their guards Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell. Russell did not score and Reaves padded his stats thanks to several late field goals. Expect the Lakers to tinker with their lineup, which should leave some opportunities for Rui Hachimura. Hachimura has been quiet in the series averaging nine points less than he did in the regular season. Take his over tonight as he finally has a decent game from the field.

The Dodgers have won seven of nine against the Blue Jays and their red hot coming in with the five-game win streak, their bat started heating up. They exploded for 12 runs yesterday. Tyler Glasnow has been almost perfect, four wins one loss, and he comes off his best outing with seven shutout innings in a 10-nothing win over the Mets. I'm on the Dodgers to win.

Oakland's starting pitcher, JP Sears, has a 4.25 FIP and a 30.4% ground-ball rate. He prefers to pitch to contact, with only 16 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched and is coming off a season-high seven strikeouts against the Yankees. The Orioles offense is expected to perform well, as they rank third in OPS (.800) against left-handed pitchers. Baltimore ranks 12th in the fewest strikeouts per game.

The Mariners have been red-hot with eight wins in their last 10, but they're still the only MLB team to strike out more than 10 times per game. Slade Cecconi has just a 6.3 K/9 rate in the majors, which is why this line is so low, but that's based on just 33 innings. He's a 9.2 K/9 rate pitcher in 10 times the innings at the minor-league level, including recording at least five Ks in all four Triple-A starts this year. I like a value play on his Over in the best matchup possible at the MLB level.

We're not asking Derrick White to do anything he hasn't already. White has eclipsed this number in both games against Miami. I understand the books adjusting for a road game, but Miami actually plays worse defense at home and allows 2% high 3-point percentage. He's had three recent single digit games which I think is adjusting this line, but before that was on a nine game streak to this over. White historically doesn't have issues on the road and I don't anticipate it beginning tonight.