Parlays

The Detroit Tigers face the Cincinnati Reds on Friday night to open a 3-game set. The Tigers had a dramatic battle with the Brewers on Thursday that ended with a Torkleson walk-off homer. As for the Reds, they continue to win games, and they somehow keep doing it without scoring runs. I don’t really love betting against the Reds right now, only because they keep finding improbable ways of winning games. However, this one feels like a Tigers win, so I am going to take Detroit on the money line.

The pitching matchup is Framber Valdez against Andrew Abbott. Valdez has pitched well so far in his new home. Meanwhile, Abbott, the 2025 all-star, has had a rough start to the season, pitching to a 5.24 ERA. Neither offense is particularly good against left-handed pitching, but the Tigers are just a hair better, and Valdez is the better of the two pitchers too. This game probably won’t have a lot of fireworks, but it sets up nicely for the Tigers to win. I’ll play it that way.

Tigers vs Reds Prediction: Detroit Tigers ML (-135) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

You can bet on our Tigers vs Reds pick at DraftKings Sportsbook, which has thousands of betting options available and a great new customer offer where you can get $300 in bonus bets INSTANTLY if your first $5 bet is a winner! Click here 👈🏼 to sign up for a DraftKings account now.

Both teams come into this contest fresh off series wins as they prepare to square off in what should be an exciting AL West matchup. The Athletics and Texas Rangers are currently tied for first place at 13-12, and the winner of this game will take sole possession of the division lead. Taking the mound for the A’s will be Luis Severino, who has struggled to start the season with an 0-2 record and a 6.20 ERA through 5 starts. For the Rangers, they’ll counter with Nathan Eovaldi, who hasn’t been much better at 2-3 with a 5.06 ERA. 

Offensively, these teams have been nearly identical on the season. The A’s are batting .240, averaging 4.2 runs per game, while the Rangers are hitting .241 and averaging 4.3 runs per game. The big difference in this matchup is the bullpen, and that’s going to be pivotal late in the game with both teams’ starters struggling this season. The Rangers hold a 3.09 ERA in their bullpen, while the A’s sit at 4.36.

This will be the 2nd time these starters have squared off against each other, and the last time these two faced off, Severino pitched 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. As for Eovaldi, he had his best start of the season against the A’s, when he threw 7 scoreless innings while striking out 7. When breaking down this matchup, I simply trust Texas more. Severino has been the more inconsistent starter, and the A’s bullpen hasn’t looked great. While the A’s are capable offensively, I expect the Rangers to get to Severino early and protect the lead late behind their bullpen. 

Athletics vs Rangers prediction: Texas Rangers ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable to -165.

If you’re looking for a new sportsbook, check out bet365, the world’s #1 sportsbook. They have an amazing sign-up offer where you can INSTANTLY receive $200 in bonus bets from a $10 wager, regardless of whether that bet wins or loses! There’s no catch, it’s really that simple. Join Bet365 right now ⏰ in time to fade or follow our experts’ Athletics vs Rangers predictions.

The New York Yankees and Houston Astros are 2 teams going in opposite directions early on in the 2026 MLB season. The Yankees enter Friday night’s matchup with an overall record of 16-9, and they are currently riding a 6-game winning streak. On the other side, the Astros are 10-16 overall and have dropped 5 of their last 7 games. Things won’t get any easier for Houston on Friday when they send Lance McCullers Jr. to the mound.

McCullers posted a 6.51 ERA across16 games and 55.1 innings last season, and he is off to a rough start this season. The 32-year-old right-hander owns a less-then-stellar 6.20 ERA through 4 starts and 20.1 innings of work. The Astros have lost 3 of his 4 starts, and going up against New York presents a tough challenge. New York starting pitcher Will Warren has been impressive early on in 2026, as he’s allowed 2 runs or fewer in all 4 of his starts and is holding his opponents to a .210 batting average. He racked up 11 strikeouts with no walks against the Royals in his last outing, and he should be able to keep the momentum going in this one. Fade the Astros and back the Yankees on the moneyline.

Yankees vs Astros prediction: Yankees ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable to -155.

Celtics vs 76ers prediction: Philadelphia 76ers +7 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to the number.

You can bet on our Celtics vs Sixers pick with BetMGM, where right now new users can activate your new BetMGM account ⚡ and receive $150 in bonus bets INSTANTLY if your first $10+ wager is a winner!

The Houston Rockets find themselves in a must-win scenario when they head back to Houston Friday night to take on the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of their opening-round series. The Lakers took the first 2 games despite Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves sitting out with injuries. With a 41-year-old LeBron James taking over as their #1 scoring option, the Lakers have turned to their defense to win the opening games. In fact, the Lakers have held the Rockets under 100 points and under 40% shooting in each of the opening contests.

On offense, James has been great, but the real scoring threat that the Rockets haven’t been able to slow down is Luke Kennard, who has averaged 25 points on 65% shooting in the 2 games played in Los Angeles. The Lakers only hope his play will continue on the road.

To pick up the win Friday night, the Rockets will need their stars to shine much brighter than they did in Los Angeles. Alperen Sengun struggled in the opening games, averaging 19.5 points on only 38.5% shooting. Head coach Ime Udoka hoped Sengun would have a big advantage down low matching up against Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, but so far that has not been the case. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant returned to the floor for Game 2 and played 41 minutes. He shot an efficient 58% but only took 12 shots in the game. Durant is listed as questionable for Game 3 with an ankle injury, but I expect he plays this vital game. With no true point guard, this offense runs through Durant, and the Rockets will need Durant to be more aggressive offensively in Game 3 if they want a chance to advance.

I think the Rockets can win Game 3, but they have too many question marks to back them as double-digit favorites. Durant’s injury status and Sengun’s struggles are now just stacked on top of the team’s lack of a starting point guard and depth. The Lakers have all the momentum heading to Houston, and they have seen a lot of key players gain valuable playoff confidence.  They know they have the Rockets reeling right now, and I expect them to do enough to at least keep this game closer than oddsmakers project.

Lakers vs Rockets Game 4 prediction: LA Lakers +10 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +9.

Bet like a Caesar with this AMAZING new customer offer from Caesars Sportsbook, where you can receive DOUBLE YOUR WINNINGS on 10 straight wagers after making your first $1 bet! Become a Caesars member 👥 using the Caesars promo code PWCONTENT250BM, where you can bet on our Lakers vs Rockets picks.

After sustaining a hard fall in the 2nd quarter of Game 2, Victor Wembanyama is now in the concussion protocol and is likely to miss Friday’s Game 3 in Portland. That is undoubtedly a big blow for San Antonio, as they’ll have to come up with a completely different game plan without their best player. In 18 games without Wemby this year, the Spurs are 12-6 SU, but there was a noticeable drop-off in their defensive efficiency without him. The oddsmakers are well aware of that, too. Despite the first 2 games seeing just 209 points each, the projected total for Friday’s game is sitting at a relatively high 220.5 points.

Portland did exactly what they were supposed to do, getting the split in San Antonio, and now we have ourselves a series. They finally got a big game out of Scoot Henderson, who went off for 31 points, plus Jrue Holiday once again proved his value as the veteran leader of the team with 16 and 9 assists. You just know the crowd at Moda Center will be ecstatic as their team plays there for the first time this postseason, and the Trail Blazers have been very reliable in home games — winning 7 of the last 8.

Losing the best player to an injury can often rally the troops and bring the best out of a team. San Antonio actually led by as many as 14 points with 8 minutes remaining in the 4th before their collapse. Now, they’ve had 2 full days to come up with a gameplan for Game 3 that won’t involve their big man; I think that’s quite enough for a team that went 62-20 SU this season. I’ll back San Antonio even if they’re shorthanded.

Spurs vs Trail Blazers Game 4 predictions: San Antonio Spurs -2 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.

Now you can bet any of our Spurs vs Trail Blazers predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you can get up to $250 in bonus bets if your first $5 wager is a winner! Use this link 🔗 to join FanDuel right now and learn more.