Parlays

The Orlando Magic have pushed the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons to the brink of elimination, with three chances to move on to the second round, starting with Game 5 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday night. If Orlando is able to pull off the upset, the Pistons would become the seventh No. 1 seed to lose in the first round. It hasn’t been too long since the last one, as the Miami Heat upset the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023. Orlando won Game 1 in Detroit by a 112-101 count, setting the tone for this series. The Magic have used timely shooting and a lockdown defense to send the Pistons to the brink.

Orlando has won and covered three of four games, each as an underdog, and it is 4-1 against the spread in the past 5 postseason games, including the Play-In round, while the Under is 5-1 in 6 playoffs or play-in games. If you’re looking for Same Game Parlay advice, going low on the total is nice, but the better play is taking Orlando catching 10 points. The Magic won outright as an 8.5-point underdog in Game 1. In addition, Orlando went 2-1 ATS in 3 games as a double-digit underdog, covering the past two such instances, with the last cover coming in a wild 136-131 loss in Cleveland on March 24.

Magic vs Pistons Game 5 prediction: Magic +10 (-110) at time of publishing. Playable to +8.5.

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The Toronto Raptors played their way back into the series with a pair of victories at Scotiabank Arena at home in Games 3 and 4. As such, we have a pivotal Game 5 on tap at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, with the winner pushing the loser to the brink of elimination. The home team is 4-0 straight up and against the spread in this series, and Cleveland covered the first two games at Rocket Arena as a favorite of 8.5 or more points. But, as we get deeper into the series, teams tend to tighten up, and the Cavaliers are the favorite, so they might be feeling a lot more pressure, especially back in front of the home fans.

Toronto has failed to cover the past four games on the road, including the final 2 games of the regular season against playoff teams. If the Raptors want to advance, they’ll need to figure out a way to win on the road. They’re also 2-6 ATS in the past 8 road games, too. However, while all of the trends seem to point toward playing the home team, more than four buckets is an awfully large spread for such a pressure-packed game. Take Toronto catching the points, but don’t get carried away with a money line sprinkle.

Raptors vs Cavs Game 5 prediction: Raptors +8.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to +7.5.

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The Los Angeles Lakers will have another chance to close out the Houston Rockets in their Western Conference first-round series when Game 5 is played on Wednesday night in L.A. Los Angeles had a chance to sweep, but Houston stayed alive with a 115-96 romp on Sunday. Still, the Lakers have been the superior side in this series and it looks like their injury situation is in better shape compared to that of the Rockets. As such, my Rockets vs Lakers pick is on the home team to win and cover. Neither squad, of course, is 100 percent. L.A. has been without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves throughout the series, while Kevin Durant has played in only 1 game for Houston. Durant is expected to be sidelined again on Wednesday with a bone bruise on his ankle, whereas Reaves has a good chance to return from his oblique injury.

With or without Doncic and Reaves, the Lakers have proven that they are the better side — especially when you take Durant’s absence into account. It is true that the Lakers probably should have lost Game 3 (trailed by 6 points with under 30 seconds left) before winning in overtime, but also don’t forget that they won the first 2 contests at home in relatively routine fashion. Although LeBron James did not do much on Sunday, he scored 28 and 29 points in Game 2 and Game 3, respectively. The 41-year-old can still put his team on his back when it matters most and when Doncic and Reaves are missing. The Rockets did well to avoid getting swept when they won Game 4, but this is probably the end of the road.

Rockets vs Lakers Game 5 prediction: Los Angeles -4 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -5.5. 

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The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning will contest a crucial Game 5 in their Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday night in Tampa. With all to play for at 2-2, my Canadiens vs Lighting pick is Under 5.5. To say that this has been a defensive-minded series would be an understatement. There have not been any shutouts — not even close — but there also haven’t been any scoring binges. Three consecutive matchups have ended with 3-2 scorelines, including 2 that went into overtime at 2-2. Only Game 1 produced more than 5 goals, and the 7 scored in Montreal’s 4-3 series-opening win were largely due to powerplays. A whopping 5 came with the man advantage. In fact, just 13 goals have been scored at 5-on-5 through 4 games; that’s 3.25 per game. If the 2 sides can stay out of the sin bin, another low-scoring affair should be in the cards.

Montreal’s defense has been outstanding in front of goalie Jakub Dobes. Only once has the 24-year-old Czech seen more than 23 shots, and Tampa Bay has put a total of just 37 shots on net over the past 2 contests. Similarly, the Canadiens’ attack has been reduced to fewer than 20 shots on 2 of the 4 occasions. Bolts veteran goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been stellar, which is nothing new for him in the playoffs. The 2-time Stanley Cup winner has allowed just 6 regulation goals over the last 3 games. This comes on the heels of a regular season in which Vasilevskiy went 39-15-4 with a 2.31 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He is a big reason why Habs star Cole Caufield, who was responsible for 51 goals and 37 points this season, has been held to only 1 goal in this series and just 2 total points in the past 3 outings.

Canadiens vs Lightning Game 5 prediction: Under 5.5 (+100) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers continue a hard-fought first round series in the NHL. After taking a commanding 3-0 series lead, the Flyers have now dropped two-straight games, allowing the Penguins right back into it. How will a dramatic Game 6 play out? Here is our Penguins vs. Flyers prediction.

This has been a relatively low-scoring series, averaging just 5.4 goals per game, and seeing the over hit in two of five games. I expect us to see a high-scoring affair in Game 6. In net, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar has certainly cooled off. He has been great overall, but during this two-game skid, he has posted back-to-back .857 save percentages. It looks like he is coming back to Earth, allowing Pittsburgh to stay hot. Multiple key players (Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, Kris Letang) had early-series offensive droughts, but over the past few games, we have seen increased levels of production. This increased confidence now bolsters a Penguins group that scored 3.54 goals per game this season, which was third-best. As for the Flyers, their impress run to end the season and early in the series has shown that they are not to be taken lightly, and their team is sneakily filled with offensive skill and chemistry. Penguins goaltender Arturs Silvos has been excellent since entering the series in Game 4, but I don’t yet trust him to fully stop what will be a hungry Flyers squad. This will be a fun one, and we are taking the over 5.5 for our Penguins vs. Flyers prediction.

Penguins vs Flyers Game 5 prediction: Over 5.5 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that total to -140.

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The Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights hit the ice for Game 5 in their first-round NHL series. This has been a back and forth series where both teams have shown promise, but Game 5 is all-important where one may be able to finally take control of the series. It is time for our Mammoth vs. Golden Knights prediction to get you prepared.

Vegas is coming off a massive overtime road win in a very tough building to avoid a 3-1 series deficit. Now, they return to their home ice and are riding a ton of momentum after that emotional victory. Some key players in Vegas had a very slow start to the series, but as it progresses, more begin to make their mark and find themselves on the scoresheet. Vegas is a veteran group led by a veteran coach, and as the young and high-flying Mammoth now hit the road for a crucial game, I believe some pressure will now be felt within the dressing room. Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka is coming off a poor game, posting a .861 save percentage. The jury is still out on Vejmelka, as this is his first playoff series of his career, and Vegas has only taken 4 high-danger shots, which is the second-least amount in the entire playoffs. His play is a major factor in this game, and against an accelerating Vegas team, he could be in for yet another tough challenge. On home ice, I expect Vegas to get the job done. Side with them on the money line for our Mammoth vs. Golden Knights prediction.

Mammoth vs Golden Knights Game 5 prediction: Golden Knights ML (-165) available at time of publishing. Playable to -180.

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The Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox finish a series on Wednesday afternoon with an early getaway day game. We might expect some sluggish bats, especially after these two teams have battled late into the night the past two evenings. On Monday, they waited several hours through a rain delay on top of it all. The White Sox have won both games so far, surprising me in both cases. As we look to the Wednesday game, I think the Angels should even the series, despite their 5-game losing streak. Give me the Angels on the Money Line to break that streak.

The pitching matchup is gross for both sides as Yusei Kikuchi faces Erik Fedde. Both pitchers are getting up there in years, and neither have been good so far this year. Kikuchi, in particular, has been a significant liability for the Halos. Still, I like the LA bats a bit better, and I think they will muster enough offense to salvage the final game of the series before heading back home. Give me Neto and Trout to lead the Angels to a win.

Angels vs White Sox prediction: Angels ML (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

Janson Junk and the Miami Marlins bullpen shut down the Dodgers to pick up a 2-1 win last night. Miami also nearly took the first game of the series before Los Angeles rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 5-4 victory. Now, looking to secure a much-needed series win, the Miami Marlins will turn to Sandy Alcantara who is 3-2 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP through six starts this season. For the Dodgers, they’ll counter with Tyler Glasnow who is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP through five starts. 

Over their last 10 games, Miami owns a .669 OPS while averaging 3.9 runs per game. Los Angeles has been stronger offensively during that stretch, averaging 5.0 runs per game with a .705 OPS. On the pitching side, the Dodgers also hold the edge, posting a 3.31 ERA over their last 10 games compared to the Marlins 3.80. While the Marlins may have a slight bullpen advantage, the starting pitching matchup leans towards the Dodgers. Glasnow has been excellent recently, going 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA over his last three starts, while Alcantara is 1-2 with a 6.88 ERA during that same span. With the better lineup and the more dominant starter on the mound this afternoon, I expect the Dodgers to respond in a big way after last night’s loss and take control of this matchup early on. Look for Los Angeles to come out swinging and win big. 

Marlins vs Dodgers prediction: Dodgers -1.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Chicago Cubs bounced back against the San Diego Padres last night, helped by a 3-run homer from Pete Crow-Armstrong in the 7th inning that gave Chicago an 8-3 lead. Now the Cubs will look to secure a series win on the road as they send Jameson Taillon to the mound who has struggled slightly this season, entering at 1-1 with a 4.55 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP through five starts. For the Padres, they’ll hand the ball over to Matt Waldron who has struggled even more, going 0-1 with a 12.46 ERA and a  2.31 WHIP through 2 starts. 

The two teams Waldron has faced this season are the Rockies and the Angels, and neither lineup compared to the Cubs offensively. Over their last 14 games, Chicago leads the league with a .295 batting average and averaging 6.5 runs per game. As for the Padres, they’re batting .252 and averaging 4.7 runs per game over their last 13 games. While Taillon hasn’t been sharp this season, I trust him more to limit damage in this matchup than Waldron. Waldron has yet to show enough to back confidently, and with the Cubs swinging hot bats right now, Chicago is the much stronger team heading into this afternoon matchup. 

Cubs vs Padres prediction: Cubs ML (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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