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 Thursday, May 4:
TOP PLAY
The play: NBA Western Conference semifinals, Lakers +6.5 over Warriors
The odds: -110
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Our take: Well, bucking the public helped us on Wednesday, and has been our go-to when trying to stop a down streak. We’re going to the well once again.
Unlike Wednesday when Aunt Mabel figured the Sixers were great in Game 1 without Joel Embiid, so they surely would cover the eight-point spread at Boston in Game 2, she thinks just the opposite with the Lakers’ chances in a critical second game Thursday night in San Francisco.
Don’t be fooled: The Golden State team is not the same one that won it all last year. And quite frankly, I haven’t given the Lakers enough credit this year.
Not only do I think the Lakers keep this tight and make the Warriors sweat until the finish, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they win this one outright (not bad value at +220ish).
They are playing with as much confidence as any other in the NBA, and if they take a 2-0 lead, they could even win this one in four or five games.
LEBRON AS COLD AS ICE
The play: Player prop, LeBron James to make fewer than 2.5 3-point field goals
The odds: -170
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Our take: James has been fantastic in the playoffs, especially in the Lakers’ victories, but he has been anything but great from beyond the arc. He has made two or fewer 3-pointers in six straight games after making three or more in six in a row.
In fact, in the six games in which he has made six total 3s, he is 6-of-41 from back there, which could see him try fewer long shots.
HOW WE’VE FARED
NBA playoffs: Celtics -8 over Sixers (WON)
PGA, Wells Fargo Open: Xander Schauffele to finish in the top 20 (PENDING)
Tuesday’s record: 1-0, 1 pending
Total for the week: 4-1, 1 pending
Total for May: 4-1, 1 pending
Total for 2023: 92-106, 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).
