Wise n' Shine: What you need to know to bet better on Thursday, May 26

Good morning Pickswise Nation! The NBA and NHL Playoffs continue to entertain and we also have MLB, tennis and golf action to enjoy today. Let’s get straight to making your next bet better!

About Last Night

Second road win puts Celtics on brink of NBA Finals
The Celtics have turned things around in their series with the Heat, winning 93-80 on the road last night to go 3-2 ahead having trailed 2-1 earlier this week. Mark Zinno taking the Celtics -1.5 made it 3 straight wins for Pickswise on ML/spread plays in the playoffs. FanDuel Sportsbook now has the Celtics at +130 odds for the championship, behind the Warriors (-150), with the Heat out to +2300 and the Mavericks +4900.

Pickswise on a 5-1 run in the NHL
We’re 5-1 on NHL picks (ML/PL and totals) over the past 2 days after the Blues rallied from 3-0 down and 4-3 behind late in regulation to beat the Avs 5-4 in overtime. Colorado still leads 3-2 but the Blues showed plenty of fight to buy themselves another home game.

Dodgers shut out by Nationals
Some high-rolling teams suffered MLB setbacks on Wednesday, with the Dodgers shut out 1-0 by the Nationals, who ended a 9-game losing streak, while the Angels lost 7-2 to the Rangers and the Mets went down 9-3 to the Giants as rookie pitcher Thomas Szapucki struggled. JutPicks went 2-0 on MLB props on Wednesday to take his run to 9-2!

Today’s Slate

Warriors try to close it out again
The Mavericks denied the Warriors in their attempt to sweep them in the Western Conference Finals, but the Dubs have another chance to progress tonight (9:00 pm ET, TNT). Read today’s Mavericks vs Warriors game preview.

Big games in the NHL
The Rangers and Hurricanes are level at 2-2 in their series heading into Game 5 (7:00 pm ET, ESPN), but the Oilers have a chance to close out the Flames as they lead 3-1 (9:30 pm ET, ESPN). Get our picks for today’s NHL matchups.

Phillies vs Braves on ESPN+
The MLB slate is a little smaller today but we still have 11 games to enjoy, and Phillies vs Braves is live on ESPN+ at 7:20 pm ET. Read today’s MLB game previews.

There’s golf and tennis too
The PGA Tour field contest the Charles Schwab Challenge today and we also have tennis picks for today’s action at the French Open.

Best Bet of the Day

Over 6.5 goals in Edmonton Oilers vs Calgary Flames
9:30 pm ET, ESPN

Any game involving Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl has the ability to reach a double-digit total, as Game 1 of this series did. That game was in Calgary too, and ended with 15 goals. We may not reach quite that many tonight, but there should be few issues getting to 7 or more. Three of the 4 games in this series have had 8 or more, and the Flames should contribute at home. Check out our full preview for Oilers vs Flames.

Must-watch

Enhance your betting knowledge by watching our daily show Let’s Bet It, available at 10:00 am ET on our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/c/Pickswise.

Lauren Jbara, Jared Smith and Mark Zinno are your hosts today, and they’ll be discussing today’s games in the NBA and NHL playoffs, plus today’s MLB games and revealing their Plays of the Day.

You can also access the latest episodes of LBI at any time through Spotify and Apple Podcasts (search for Let’s Bet It Presented By Pickswise).

Must-read

Don’t miss our same game parlay (+2564 odds!)  and JutPicks’ top player prop for tonight’s big NBA game. NHL player props expert Mark Lammey has the smart plays for tonight’s games, and you can also read today’s MLB mega parlay.

You can also read golf expert Diane Knox Balas’ insight into the Charles Schwab Challenge.

There’s always plenty more great betting content on our Analysis tab.

Stat of the Day

The Warriors have won 10 straight home games.

Boost of the Day

New York Rangers and Calgary Flames both to win
Boosted from +280 to +35o odds at FanDuel Sportsbook

FanDuel Sportsbook has enhanced the odds of the Rangers (vs Hurricanes) and Flames (vs Oilers) both winning their NHL games tonight from +280 to +350.

Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news, and best bets. Check out our expert NHL picks, NBA picks, MLB picks and Soccer picks for the latest game picks.