Parlays

The Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves finish their series on Thursday afternoon, with the Tigers looking to avoid a sweep. The Braves won the first 2 games 5-2 and 4-3, persevering through the heart of the Tigers’ starting rotation. Detroit will hope that Framber Valdez can salvage a win this week, while Atlanta counters with Bryce Elder.

Valdez had 1 blowup outing this season when he gave up 8 earned runs over 5 innings against the Minnesota Twins. Outside of that poor outing, the righty has been stellar for Detroit, allowing 2 or fewer earned runs in each of his 5 other starts. One concern is that Valdez doesn’t go deep into games, and the Tigers’ bullpen has struggled this season with a 4.52 collective ERA, putting them in the bottom half of the league.

Elder had a hot start to the season for the Braves, pitching 3 shutout outings in his first 4 starts. His ERA was as low as 0.77 entering his 5th start, but 2 straight games of 3 earned runs have him coming back down to earth. Elder’s xERA over the past few seasons showed he was never as bad as a 5+ ERA suggested, but in 2026, he is outperforming the numbers, and it is coming back around.

The Tigers find a way to get the win off Elder in this game, with Valdez pitching deep enough into the game to hold on for the victory.

Tigers vs Braves prediction: Detroit Tigers ML (+110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +105.

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The Pirates are looking to avoid a 4-game sweep at the hands of the Cardinals when they meet in the series finale on Thursday afternoon at PNC Park. The Pirates should feel good about their chances, as they will send reigning Cy Young winner Paul Skenes to the mound. It’s safe to say that the former LSU Tiger and No. 1 overall pick has righted the ship following his rough Opening Day outing against the Mets. In 5 starts in April, Skenes owns a stellar 0.95 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a measly .106 batting average. He’s also racked up 29 strikeouts with just 5 walks over 28.1 innings of work. With the way he is rolling right now, the Cardinals will have their hands full with Skenes in this one.

On the other side, right-hander Hunter Dobbins will toe the rubber for the visitors. Dobbins will be making his first MLB appearance of the season after starting the season on the IL. He pitched to a 4.13 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 13 appearances with Boston last season. The Pittsburgh offense isn’t exactly setting the world on fire right now, but they’ve still managed to score 13 total runs in the first 3 games of this series. Pittsburgh is 4-2 this season when Skenes pitches, and those 4 wins have come by differences of 6, 11, 6, and 5 runs. Look for Skenes to lead the Pirates to a multi-run victory in this one.

Cardinals vs Pirates prediction: Pittsburgh Pirates -1.5 (+105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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It is getaway day on Thursday, so the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers have an afternoon dish. These teams have split the first 2 games in the series, with Milwaukee’s offense exploding on Tuesday, followed by several Arizona homers on Wednesday. With a couple of veteran arms on the mound Thursday, we should expect the offenses to be held in check a bit more. I think the wrong team is favored in this spot, so I am happy to take the Diamondbacks to win this game.

Brandon Woodruff and Michael Soroka will toe the slab on Thursday afternoon. Both guys are looking for redemption seasons, and both have started well through the first month. What moves the needle for me in this game, though, is the offenses vs right-handed pitching. The Diamondbacks, with all their switch hitters, can stack the top half of the lineups with lefties, and they have a top-10 slugging percentage vs RHP. The Brewers, on the other hand, are in the bottom 10. I think the Snakes have a much better opportunity to hit for damage than the Brewers, especially with the current construction of the Milwaukee lineup that is missing several key bats to injury. Give me the D-Backs.

Diamondbacks vs Brewers prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks ML (+105) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Dallas Stars are facing elimination on Thursday night when they meet the Minnesota Wild in Game 6 at Grand Casino Arena. The Stars have leaned on their power play significantly so far in this series. In fact, 9 of the 13 goals Dallas has scored in Games 1-5 have come on the man advantage. While it’s certainly a strong sign to see the power play operating at such a high clip, Dallas may be leaning too much on the man advantage. The Stars have not been able to find any offensive momentum playing at even strength, which is a big reason why they find themselves in a 3-2 hole. Without strong 5-on-5 scoring prowess, it’s tough to trust the Dallas offensive attack to light the lamp at a high rate in Game 6.

Instead, look for Dallas to lean on a strong defensive game plan to limit the scoring chances from Kirill Kaprizov and company. That is a tough task, but after an embarrassing defensive showing in Game 1, the Stars have bounced back nicely and made things much more difficult for the Wild. Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger is also in fine form, as he owns a solid .916 save percentage since that Game 1 dud. These elimination games tend to result in more conservative play on both ends of the ice, and this Game 6 matchups has the makings of a low-scoring affair. Look to the under.

Stars vs Wild Game 6 prediction: Under 5.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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The Edmonton Oilers seemed like they were finished before Game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks, facing a 3-1 series hole with the best player in the world, Connor McDavid, on the injury report. Luckily for the Oilers, McDavid did dress in the game, and Edmonton rallied off 3 straight goals in the first 10 minutes of the first period to take the Ducks out of the game early.

McDavid didn’t have a point on the first 2 goals, but looked like his old self in getting 2 assists on the team’s final 2 goals from Leon Draisaitl. Kris Knoblauch, like all the coaches that came before him, returned to having the pair play together with the season on the line. After the dominant win, Knoblauch might stick with the same lines, but not having last change in Anaheim could force him to be a bit more creative.

The young Ducks haven’t been in a position to close out a playoff series yet, and they are quickly finding out that it is one of the hardest things to do in sports — especially when playing the back-to-back Stanley Cup runner-ups and 2 of the best players in the world. The Ducks’ goaltending advantage over the Oilers will make you nervous, but it’s hard to bet against McDavid and Draisaitl getting the job done again and sending the series to Game 7.

Oilers vs Ducks Game 6 prediction: Edmonton ML (-130) available at time of publishing. Playable to -150.

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The New York Knicks head to Atlanta for Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead over the Atlanta Hawks after a dominant 126-97 win in Game 5. Jalen Brunson led the way with 39 points on efficient shooting, while New York imposed its physicality throughout — controlling the glass and overwhelming Atlanta in the paint. Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby provided a strong interior presence and defensive versatility, exposing mismatches that the Hawks struggled to counter. The Knicks dictated tempo, limited second-chance opportunities for Atlanta, and turned the game into a one-sided affair early — showcasing the consistency and toughness that has defined their success in this series.

However, Game 6 presents a much different scenario as the series shifts back to Atlanta with the Hawks facing elimination. Teams in this position will elevate their urgency, and it’s difficult to expect a repeat of Atlanta’s struggles — particularly their inefficient shooting and lack of transition scoring. The Hawks have been at their best when playing fast and creating perimeter looks, and a bounce back effort from key contributors should be expected at home. While New York has clearly been the more consistent and physical team, closing out a series on the road is never straightforward, especially against a desperate opponent. The combination of home court energy, expected offensive regression and situational urgency suggests this game will be far more competitive than Game 5. Atlanta has shown enough resilience throughout the series to push back in this spot, and while New York may still control stretches, the Hawks have a strong chance to keep this within reach and force a Game 7 back at Madison Square Garden.

Knicks vs Hawks Game 6 prediction: Atlanta Hawks +2.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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This series has not followed the script many expected, and that’s exactly where the opportunity lies. Boston may hold the edge on paper, but Philadelphia has already proven—twice—that it can control the terms of this matchup. Most recently, the Sixers walked into Boston facing elimination and delivered a convincing 16-point win as a double-digit underdog. That result wasn’t driven by unsustainable shooting or variance, it came from execution, discipline and defense. That’s can be easily recreated here.

That’s the key to this handicap. When Philadelphia has won in this series, they held Boston under 100 points both times. That is not accidental, it’s a repeatable formula rooted in physicality, defensive rotations and slowing the game down. Boston is comfortable playing that same style, which actually works in Philadelphia’s favor. When both teams lean into defense and half-court execution, the margin between them shrinks. The total sitting around 212 reinforces that expectation.

This projects as a methodical, possession-by-possession game in which scoring runs are limited and outcomes tighten. In that type of environment, home underdogs carry real value, especially with elimination looming if they falter. Philadelphia doesn’t need to outgun Boston, they just need to replicate their defensive approach. If they do, they’ll be within striking distance late. At a near 2:1 price, that’s more than enough to justify backing the Sixers to force Game 7.

Celtics vs 76ers Game 6 prediction: Philadelphia 76ers ML (+200) available at time of publishing. Playable to +175.

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Arguably the most fascinating first round series in these NBA playoffs comes in the Western Conference between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. We’ve seen these teams trade haymakers for 5 games now, and we’ve seen the momentum in their matchups go back and forth, often within the same game. Injuries have obviously played a major role in this series as well, and even though Minnesota was able to thrive without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo in Game 4, the Nuggets punched back in a major way with a dominant Game 5 victory at home to extend the series a bit longer. Given the Timberwolves are going to be without their starting backcourt on Thursday (and for the remainder of this series), Denver is now favored to come back from down 3-1 and advance to play the Spurs in the conference semifinals. However, this game is clearly Minnesota’s best chance to end the series, and I don’t think the Timberwolves will go down easy in front of their home fans.

There is an argument to be made that Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets offense is in a great position to succeed now that they finally broke out in a major way in Game 5. The 3-time MVP appeared to figure out some of what he was struggling with against Rudy Gobert in the previous 3 games, and the supporting cast finally stepped up and knocked down some key shots when they were called upon. With that said, it’s hard to expect Cam Johnson and Spencer Jones to knock down a combined 6 threes in a hostile road environment, and the Timberwolves’ excellent defense can be expected to make adjustments following a disappointing Game 5 performance. Finally, from a market perspective, this line is a bit inflated. Oddsmakers are giving Edwards’ injury a ton of importance in terms of their 5-point adjustments from the numbers we saw in the previous games in Minnesota, and that’s simply too much given Denver’s own injury concerns and Edwards’ health already being a question mark earlier in the series. Look for the hosts to give an all-out effort in hopes of closing out the series.

Nuggets vs Timberwolves Game 6 prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves +6 available at time of publishing. Playable to 5.5.

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