There was some drama in the NBA play-in tournament on Tuesday, with one thing missing: None of the teams playing could have their seasons end with a loss.
We have a couple loser leaves town matches in the NBA on Wednesday night. The losers of the two No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in games will have their seasons end, while the winners move on to face Tuesday night’s losing teams.
The first game features the Chicago Bulls at the Toronto Raptors. Then the action shifts all the way south as the Oklahoma City Thunder is at the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Bulls are a 5.5-point underdog at BetMGM against the Raptors. Both teams were playing fairly well down the stretch, and it should be a competitive game with both teams trying to stay alive to face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. The Bulls were a little inconsistent down the stretch but are capable of pulling off a road win. At very least they could keep the game within the spread.
Oklahoma City has been one of the best teams against the spread this season, going 45-34-3 against the number in the regular season, according to Covers.com. They meet a Pelicans team that played very well down the stretch to get a spot in the play-in tournament. The Pelicans won nine of their final 12 games. Over the last 12 games of the season the Pelicans had the second-best net rating in the NBA. This should be a high-level game for a No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup. The winner faces the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Here’s the first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:
Full day in MLB
There’s a full 15-game schedule for Major League Baseball on Wednesday including nine afternoon games.
The biggest headline is the Tampa Bay Rays, who are 11-0 to start the season and will go for their 12th straight to begin the season on Wednesday night against the Boston Red Sox. The Rays are a -130 favorite against Boston, which has Chris Sale on the mound.
During the afternoon, the best matchup is the San Diego Padres at the New York Mets. The teams split the first two games of the series, and on Wednesday it will be Blake Snell starting for the Padres against Tylor Megill of the Mets. Both teams are -110.
NHL has 3 games
As the NHL regular season winds down, there are three games on Wednesday. The most important game is the Montreal Canadiens at the New York Islanders (-375), with the Islanders needing point to clinch a playoff spot after the Pittsburgh Penguins somehow lost as a -550 favorite against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
What’s the best bet?
I’ll go with the Pelicans. It’s hard to bet against the Thunder, who were good to bettors in the regular season, but I’ll ride a hot Pelicans team at home.