Parlays

The difference so far in the series between the Pistons and Cavaliers might just be Cade Cunningham. Detroit’s point guard played the entire 4th quarter of Game 2, making plays for the Pistons down the stretch and finishing the game with 25 points and 10 assists. That ties Pistons great Isiah Thomas for most 25 and 10 games in the postseason, Cleveland just hasn’t had an answer for the size and physicality of Cunningham at the point guard position. Going into Game 3 there’s very little pressure on the Pistons, they’ve done their part by protecting home court and if they can get anything out of the next two games it’ll be a bonus for them. Their last 11 visits to Cleveland have seen them win just once though, so history isn’t on their side here.

As good as Cade has been for Detroit so far, James Harden has been the complete opposite for the Cavaliers. Whenever you have a point guard on your team accumulating more turnovers than field goals made, you will be in trouble. That’s exactly what’s happened to Harden in the first two games of this series, he’s got 11 TOs compared to just 9 FGs made. Evan Mobley is another huge disappointment so far in the series. He had just 1 (yes, one) rebound in Game 2, far too little for the former Defensive Player of the Year. Head coach Kenny Atkinson will have to come up with a completely new gameplan in the next two games, one that will get Mobley going offensively and defensively and one that’ll slow down the production of Cade Cunningham.

Cleveland is undefeated at home this postseason, which is something they’ll be counting on to continue in Game 3. It is a pivotal game for the home side, as they cannot afford to go down 3-0 here. Aside from Game 7 vs Toronto, this could be their 2nd most important game of the season and I expect them to bring their energy levels up and give it their best in what is almost an elimination game. Cleveland takes Game 3 and makes things interesting here.

Pistons vs Cavaliers Game 3 predictions: Cavaliers -4 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to secure a borderline insurmountable 3-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Lakers when these 2 teams tangle once again on Saturday, this time in L.A. Oklahoma City took the first 2 games at home by scores of 108-90 and 125-107. Yes, the Lakers are now playing in the friendly confines of Crypto.com Arena, but that may not matter as much as the oddsmakers suggest (they are +8.5 underdogs after being +15.5 and +16.5 ‘dogs in Game 1 and Game 2, respectively). Should there really be that much of a shift after Los Angeles got clobbered by 18 points in each of the first 2 contests? Probably not. Those results were nothing new, either. In the regular season, OKC swept L.A. by winning all 4 matchups — doing so by a combined 117 points. And it’s not like Luka Doncic (hamstring) is coming back to save the Lakers. He is out for Game 3 and is not expected to return during this series even if his team somehow takes it all the way to a seventh game. Those are among the reasons why my Thunder vs Lakers pick is for the visitors to win and cover — again.

Just like they were throughout last year’s playoffs en route to the NBA title, the Thunder are an absolute wagon. They are 6-0 in the playoffs so far (including a first-round sweep of Phoenix) and have won every game by at least 9 points. Jalen Williams (hamstring) remains on the shelf, but OKC is accustomed to playing without him this season and it has not exactly had a serious impact. Ajay Mitchell has been stepping up in Williams’ absence to the tune of at least 15 points scored in the past 5 games and at least 18 in the past 3. Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still getting plenty of help — a lot more than LeBron James and Austin Reaves are getting on the other side. Give me the Thunder to win and win big.

Thunder vs Lakers prediction: Oklahoma City -8.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks are one of the FOX games on Saturday night. The Mets won last night, 3-1, with some 10^th-inning drama. That win makes 4 in the last 5 games for the Mets. The Snakes, on the other hand, have fallen into a slump, losing 7 of their last 8. While I realize it seems like complete folly to take a ticket on the Mets, and they have already demonstrated this season that they are entirely untrustworthy, I am going to take the bait on Saturday anyway. Give me the Mets to win this game.

The pitching matchup should favor the Mets in a lopsided way. Clay Holmes has been nothing but quality for the Mets, even when they refuse to give him run support. He has given up 2 runs or less in every start this season. Merrill Kelly on the other hand, has been a mess. At 37 years old, we should not expect much, but it appears that the cliff has been steep this year. Kelly has allowed 19 runs in his last 3 starts, and he has pushed his ERA to almost 10.00. I’m not sure how we look at that and project anything but a Mets win. Let’s go with it.

Mets vs Diamondbacks Prediction: Mets ML (-120) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -140.

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The Washington National and Miami Marlins face off with an interesting matchup on the mound in Game 2 of the weekend series. Zack Littell (7.24 ERA, 1.61 WHIP) starts for the Nats while Janson Junk (2.82 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) gets the nod for the hosts. Frankly, Littell has been statistically one of the worst starting pitchers, if not the worst, in major league baseball in 2026; he posts a 8.37 xERA and is in the 10th percentile or worse in pitching run value, xERA, xBA, strikeout rate and practically every other relevant stat for a starting pitcher. 

His counterpart Junk is on the opposite side of the spectrum; the Marlins’ RHP has surrendered only 1 earned run over his last 16.1 innings of work. The Marlins haven’t been on the best stretch of offensive production here lately, but still sit 12th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ mark against right-handed pitchers like Littell. I’m taking the bullpens out of this one and fading Littell at all costs due to his recent lack of production; I’ve got the Marlins covering the first 5 innings run line.

Nationals vs Marlins prediction: Marlins First 5 innings -0.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable up to -120.

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I favor the over on the posted game total in Saturday’s matchup between the Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs. The side seems correctly priced with Chicago favored from -135 to -140 in the market at the time of publishing. Their offense should find success in this spot as they take on Jack Leiter of the Rangers. Leiter enters play with a 5.45 ERA in his first 38 innings of work. His 4.87 xERA and 4.45 FIP are better, but still undesirable marks. He ranks just 25th percentile in hard-hit rate and 8th percentile in barrel rate this season. Chicago enters Saturday sitting 5th in wOBA with a 118 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this season.

Edward Cabrera is set to start this game for the Cubs. He is my preferred starter in this game, but I am still not overly fond of his form. Cabrera has allowed 5 home runs across his last 3 starts. They have combined for just 9 earned runs, but that now makes 5 consecutive starts with exactly 3 earned runs allowed for the right-hander. Texas also has a 103 wRC+ against righties this season and I expect them to contribute towards the over.

Chicago Cubs vs Texas Rangers prediction: Over 8.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable to -110.

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The Carolina Hurricanes will be trying to finish off a sweep of their Eastern Conference semifinal series when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Aside from Game 2, this matchup has been all ‘Canes all the time. They won both Game 1 and Game 3 by 3 goals to go along with their 3-2 overtime victory in Game 2. Even on the road, Carolina was especially dominant on Thursday. It out-shot Philadelphia 31 to 19 and watched the home team rack up 38 penalty minutes compared to 20 for the visitors. Philly has been out-shot in every game during this series and by 22 overall. Such dominance is nothing new for the Hurricanes, either. They swept Ottawa in round 1, winning 3 of the 4 contests in regulation — this after recording an Eastern Conference-best 113 points during the regular season. With the top seed showing no signs of slowing down, my Hurricanes vs Flyers pick is for the visitors on the 3-way money line.

Philadelphia did extremely well just to make the playoffs and did even better to beat Pittsburgh in round 1. However, it could be the end of the road in 2025-26 for this team on Saturday. The Flyers may still be without Owen Tippett, who has missed the first 3 games with an undisclosed injury. Tippett (28 goals, 23 assists) is one of the leaders of this team both in the locker room and in terms of point production. It’s hard enough to beat Carolina even at full strength; it’s almost impossible for an undermanned squad. In the first round, Flyers mascot Gritty was launching stuffed animal Penguins off the upper deck. Well, the Penguins ain’t walkin’ through that door. These are the Hurricanes — and they are a wagon. Gritty might be tempted to launch himself off the upper deck this weekend. Give me Carolina to once again prevail in regulation and ease into the conference finals.

Hurricanes vs Flyers prediction: Carolina 3-way ML (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -130.

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The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild continue their second-round series in the NHL Playoffs. The Presidents’ Trophy winner in Colorado has now won all six of their playoff games so far, and will look to make it seven as this series hits the road. Meanwhile, this is already a must-win for Minnesota, who is down 0-2. To get you set for all of the action, here is our expert Avalanche vs. Wild prediction.

The absence of Joel Eriksson-Ek and Jonas Brodin have proven to be major issues for Minnesota. Veteran defender Zach Bogosian is returning to the lineup after a Game 2 absence, but the team needs a lot more firepower. The Wild are also facing some goaltending adversity, as both Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt have posted save percentages below .820 in each of their appearances in this series. There is much chaos forming in Minnesota, with home ice advantage in the next two games unlikely to help. Colorado’s foot is fully pressed on the gas as they are absolutely running through the playoffs so far. They are incredibly deep, mature, talented, and their play has been impeccable, outscoring opponents 27-13 and winning 5/6 games in regulation. 16 of 20 players who have suited up in these playoffs have accumulated 2+ points, with 14 finding the back of the net at least once. This has been a full team effort, and clearly look the part of a Stanley Cup winner. This won’t get any easier for Minnesota, and we expect Colorado to continue their winning ways on Saturday.

Avalanche vs. Wild prediction: Avalanche ML (-130) available at time of publication. Playable to -150.

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