Andrew Wilsher

After the Bulls smashed the Wizards by 31 in the same range 2 days ago as a 5.5-point favorite at tip-off, it feels as if the oddsmakers are daring the market to double down on Chicago again pricing the Wizards in the same range. The Bulls look way too easy here.

Everything went right for Chicago to generate this result. The Wizards had an offensive meltdown despite Chicago’s defense being typically generous and the Bulls could not miss hitting 49% of their field goals. Add in the tempo and added possessions, the margin gets created when things like this transpire. We are daring the Bulls to do that again because as we wrote previously, when Chicago’s rhythm is flowing they can light it up. However, if they have enhanced possessions and start throwing up bricks, they can actually be on the opposite end of the result they produced on Tuesday. If their drubbing of Washington was anything to sink one’s teeth into, the Bulls would actually be favored by more here. Instead, the line is baiting backers to get behind the Bulls at what appears to be a beatable number.

I am taking the Wizards to cover, but again, even after Tuesday, I will not be shocked if an upset happens in D.C.

Bulls vs Wizards prediction: Washington Wizards +6.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +6.

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The Boston Celtics are looking to lock up the Eastern Conference’s #2 seed as they prepare to visit the New York Knicks inside Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. Boston holds a 3-game lead over third-place New York, but the Knicks would own the head-to-head tiebreaker with a victory in this matchup — so both teams should still be playing hard. Exactly who will be on the floor for the Celtics, however, remains to be seen. They are starting a back-to-back situation that continues on Friday against New Orleans, so several guys may sit out at least 1 of the legs. As a result, 4 of Boston’s 5 starters (Jayson Tatum being the only exception) are currently listed as questionable for Thursday. Therefore, the C’s are too risky for me to back; my Celtics vs Knicks prediction is for the home team to win and cover.

There is no denying that the Celtics are hot at the right time, owners of a 4-game winning streak and 11 victories in their last 13 contests. Of course, that means they pretty much know they are going to win at least 1 of their last 3 games regardless of Thursday’s result. If they rest their guys on Thursday, an absolute blowout of New Orleans on Friday is almost certainly in the cards. Meanwhile, New York has followed up a 3-game losing streak with a current 3-game winning streak. The Knicks do not want to throw away this momentum with the playoffs approaching — especially not in front of the home crowd. I would avoid making a play until the status of Boston’s lineup is confirmed, but right now New York looks like the better choice.

Celtics vs Knicks prediction: New York Knicks -3.5 (-110) at the time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The 76ers didn’t do themselves any favors by losing their game in San Antonio the other day, despite facing a Wemby-less Spurs side in the 2nd half of that game. If there is a silver lining for them from that game, it’s the fact that Joel Embiid scored 34 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and looked a lot healthier than in previous weeks. Another tall task awaits the Sixers on Thursday as they head to Houston for a date with the red-hot Rockets, looking to sweep the regular season series. The first meeting played back in January went into OT, but the Sixers ultimately prevailed thanks to big games from Maxey, Embiid and Kelly Oubre. It’s pretty much the same team this time around, but I’d argue Paul George is in better form, averaging 24.4 ppg in his last 7 outings.

This 7-game win streak couldn’t happen at a better time for the Rockets, who are now tied with the Lakers at 50-29. However, due to losing the head-to-head regular season series, they are still in 5th place. They just have to post a better record over these remaining regular season games to guarantee themselves home court in that matchup, and with the shape that the Lakers are in right now, that seems very likely. Beating this Philly team will be difficult though, despite all the solid numbers the Rockets have posted in these last 7 games. This is one of the rare games in which they’ll see just how much they miss Steven Adams. Without his physicality down low, I just don’t think the Rockets will have enough to contain Embiid close to the basket.

Both teams still have everything left to play for, but I’d argue that the sense of urgency to win is slightly higher for Philadelphia, as they don’t want to slip further down in the standings. Houston is safe in the 5th seed and even if they don’t win here, I still see them winning their last 2 games. Combined with the Lakers losing 2 of their last 3, that should be enough for KD and co. to grab the 4th seed. Philadelphia has won 9 of 12 meetings and has covered in 5 of 6 at Toyota Center. I’ll back Philly here.

76ers vs Rockets prediction: Philadelphia 76ers +4 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number or better.

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The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to take on the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night at KeyBank Center. The Blue Jackets held a playoff spot not too long ago, but a 3-6-1 stretch over their last 10 games now has them on the outside looking in. Columbus is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over Detroit on Tuesday, but the Red Wings are also spiraling. Going on the road to face the Sabres presents a much tougher challenge for Rick Bowness’ squad. The Sabres are a strong 25-10-4 at home this season, and now that a playoff spot is secured, the fans in Buffalo are sure to create a raucous environment for this contest.

The Blue Jackets have scored just 2 power play goals over their last 10 games, which doesn’t create a whole lot of confidence in their ability to take advantage of their chances on the man advantage. The Sabres seem to have the advantage on the power play, as their conversion rate of 24.% at home this season is good for 7th in the NHL. The Blue Jackets have won the previous 2 matchups between these teams this season, but the last meeting came back on January 3. The Sabres have reached another gear and are much-improved since then, while the Blue Jackets are trending in the wrong direction. Playing on home ice, look for the Sabres to find the win column in this one.

Blue Jackets vs Sabres prediction: Buffalo Sabres ML (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

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An intriguing matchup awaits on Thursday night when the Minnesota Wild face the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Both teams have cleared the 100-point mark on the season, as Minnesota enters this contest with 102 points and Dallas enters with 104. Plus, it’s already known that these teams will face each other in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. That should make for a thrilling series, but each team has to finish out the regular season first.

Both of these offenses are capable of lighting the lamp early and often, but both teams possess strong defensive units that are capable of providing some resistance. On the season, Dallas ranks 2nd in the NHL allowing 2.69 goals per game, while Minnesota isn’t far behind ranking 4th allowing 2.82 goals per game. Both penalty kills have been effective as well, and the Wild enter this matchup having allowed just a single power play goal over their last 6 games. On the other side, the Stars are killing off over 82% of opposing power plays over their last 10 games. Furthermore, with their playoff matchup already locked in, it would be a bit surprising to see extreme offensive urgency from either side in this one. With a total of 6, the under is the play.

Wild vs Stars prediction: Under 6 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Los Angeles Kings find themselves 1 point out of the second wildcard playoff spot with 5 games remaining when they head into action on Thursday night. They will welcome the dreadful Vancouver Canucks to town; a lay up in the schedule this late in the season should be seen as a blessing as every point is crucial for the Kings from here on out. The Kings are known to be a solid defensive team that can limit their opponents high-danger scoring opportunities. On the year, they average 2.95 goals against per game, which is 8th-best in the NHL. They should have an easy time shutting down the brutal offense of the Canucks that is averaging 2.56 goals per game, good for 2nd-worst in the league.

In what is Anze Kopitar’s final season, the Kings will be doing everything they can to have 1 last playoff run with him. Look for the veteran lineup to come out and have a dominant performance. They should be leading this game late into regulation time, which brings in the chance for an empty net goal if needed. Give me the Kings on the puck line.

Canucks vs. Kings prediction: LA Kings -1.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The value in this matchup starts and ends with Rhett Lowder because his early-season profile is exactly the kind bettors should be targeting at plus money. After missing all of 2025, Lowder has returned in outstanding form for the Cincinnati Reds and already looks like a difference-maker in this rotation. Through his first 2 outings of 2026, Lowder sits at 1-0 with a sparkling 1.64 ERA while striking out 9 batters across 11 innings. Just as impressive is who he’s done it against. These weren’t soft matchups against struggling offenses; he handled both Boston and Texas — teams that were either playoff-caliber or postseason contenders last year. Producing like that against quality competition carries weight.

Then there’s the WHIP, hovering just above 0.50. That’s elite territory and speaks to how little traffic he’s allowing on the bases. When a pitcher is limiting hits, avoiding walks and missing bats at this level, backing him as an underdog becomes a straightforward decision. The Miami Marlins remain a team that can struggle to create sustained offense, which only strengthens Lowder’s edge here. This is a premium pitching profile being offered at a discount. Take the plus money with Cincinnati.

Reds vs Marlins prediction: Cincinnati Reds ML (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +100.

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The New York Yankees and the Athletics will wrap up their series in the Bronx with a Thursday afternoon rubber match. The Yankees jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Wednesday’s matchup, but the offense failed to build on it, finishing with just 4 hits and striking out 15 times. New York will look to get their offense going as they’re set to face Jeffrey Springs, who is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA through 2 starts this season. For the Yankees, Ryan Weathers will look to pick up his first win, entering with a 0-0 record and a 4.50 ERA. 

Offensively, the Yankees rank 25th in the league with a .218 batting average, while the Athletics are slightly better, sitting in 18th batting .226. The bottom of this Yankees lineup has struggled to produce runs this season, and it won’t get any easier against Jeffrey Springs. New York is hitting just .161 against left-handed pitching this season, which plays right into Springs’ strengths. He does a great job mixing his pitches, featuring a low-90s fastball paired with a devastating changeup that can keep hitters off balance. However, there is some good news for Ryan Weathers and the Yankees. The Athletics have also struggled against lefties, batting just .200 as a team. Still, it’s difficult to trust Weathers given his recent struggles on the mound.

At the end of the day, this feels like a game in which the Athletics can keep things close, especially with the pitching edge with Springs and with the bottom of this Yankees lineup that has yet to find consistency.  

Athletics vs Yankees prediction: Athletics +1.5 (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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This matchup is much closer to a coin flip than the odds suggest, which immediately makes the plus money on the Minnesota Twins attractive. When pricing doesn’t properly reflect the true balance of a game, the academic betting move is to side with value and that points directly to Minnesota at home.

The Detroit Tigers are just 2-7 on the road with Jack Flaherty on the mound, his individual numbers offer little reassurance. A 7.56 ERA and 0-1 record paint the picture of a starter still searching for rhythm. That is not the profile you want to trust while laying a chalk on the highway. Yes, Minnesota counters with Mick Abel, whose own numbers are ugly at first glance: an 0-2 record paired with an ERA north of 11 certainly doesn’t inspire confidence. However, this handicap is less about loving Abel and more about questioning Detroit’s valuation. If the Tigers were truly the clearly superior side given these pitching comparisons, the market would reflect that with a steeper number. Instead, oddsmakers are dealing a near toss-up. In toss-up games, take plus money with the home team. Minnesota is the right side.

Tigers vs Twins prediction: Minnesota Twins ML (+115) available at time of publishing. Playable to +110.

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