Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are our best bets for Sunday, April 30:
TOP PLAY
The play: NBA Playoffs, Miami Heat at New York Knicks OVER 207.5 total points
The odds: -110
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 1 p.m. (ABC)
Our take: NBA teams are seemingly scoring points for fun in these playoffs. We’ve seen over/under totals of 238.5 points bypassed, which should tell you everything you need to know.
The Miami Heat averaged 124 points per game in their 4-1 series win over the Milwaukee Bucks. While the New York Knicks averaged significantly less (99.6 points per game) against the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was just one 90-point performance that brought the average way down.
The point in all of this is to say that an over/under of 207.5 total points in front of a ruckus crowd at Madison Square Garden for Game 1 is quite surprising.
These two teams have a history of smashing this pre-set over, as well. Three of the four times they’ve met this season, they’ve combined for over 210+ points, with two of those games going over 240. Expect them to at least combine for 208 this afternoon.
A STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS PARLAY
The play: NHL Playoffs, Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins money line
The odds: +111
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: FLA at BOS at 6:30 p.m.; SEA at COL at 9:30 p.m. (Both on TNT)
Our take: The Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche charged into the NHL Playoffs as the two betting favorites to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup when the season was all said and done.
The Bruins set all-time league records this year for the most wins and points in a single season, as well as other things. Boston was far and away the best team in the NHL from start to finish. Meanwhile, the Avalanche kept up the momentum that helped them win the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals as they looked to defend the franchise’s third title.
Despite all of these giants’ success in recent months, the Bruins and Avalanche have struggled mightily to put away their first round opponents.
It’s now do-or-die for both squads as they face Game 7s against the Florida Panthers and Seattle Kraken respectively. Boston and Colorado are back at home for this decisive last game of the series, we’ll back both hosts to boost the betting odds.
HOW WE’VE FARED
NBA playoffs: Nuggets -2½ over Suns (WON)
PGA: Jaeger to have a better third round than Cook and Grillo (LOST)
Saturday’s record: 1-1
Total for the week: 2-7, 1 pending
Total for April: 22-33, 1 pending
Total for 2023: 87-103, 1 pending
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
