After the Kings upset the Oilers in the series opener, 4-3, the Oilers came back with a vengeance destroying LA, 6-0, two days ago.

Now the scene shifts to LA. The Kings were manhandled in that Game 2 loss. They won't be at home.

I'm looking for a physical, Stanley Cup type of intense, defensive game. The change in venue also is a factor.

The Under has cashed in five of the Oilers' past six road games. The Under is 4-0-1 in the Kings' last five home contests.

The Suns have been shooting out of their minds. The result is Phoenix is 2-0 SU and ATS in this series and the combined final scores have added up 235 and 238 points. 

But now the series shifts to Dallas. The Zig/Zag can work on totals, too. I see that happening here in this Game 3 where the oddsmaker has now set the highest total of the series. 

I don't see the Suns continuing to make 57 percent of their field goals, which is their shooting percentage for the series so far. Dallas is no defensive slouch. The Mavericks ranked second in the league defensively holding foes to 104.7 points. Dallas held the Jazz to only 99 points per game in winning that first-round series. 

The Under has cashed 71 percent of the time during the Mavericks' last 69 home games. 

The Suns are strong defensively, too, ranking third in the league in defensive field goal percentage. Aside from Luka Doncic, none of the Mavericks are having a good scoring series. Besides Doncic, none of the other Dallas players can be trusted to produce strong offensive performances as the Mavericks last Phoenix's star power.  

Shane McClanahan and lefty Robbie Ray are big strikeout pitchers. But this total is too low especially with the bullpens expected to pitch at least one-third of the way.

The Rays have a top-10 offense. They have scored 19 runs in their last three games. The Over is 7-1-1 the last nine times the Rays have faced a lefty starter.

The Mariners scored just two runs in getting swept three games by the Astros.

Seattle, though, was hitting into tough luck. The Mariners hitters were working the count well to set up positive situations, but a number of their hard hit balls against the Astros were right at fielder's. I expect their luck to change for the better here.

I have this one marked much higher. I don't believe the oddsmaker is giving the Rockies and their starting pitcher, Antonio Senzatela, enough respect here.

The right-handed Senzatela has proven he can pitch well at Coors Field. Colorado is 10-3 during the last 13 games he's pitched there. He has a 3.12 ERA in this span. The Nationals have lost 25 of the last 36 games they've gone against a righty starter.

Washington starter Aaron Sanchez hasn't been good for years - and he's not good this season with a 6.75 ERA.

The Rockies' strength is beating bad teams at home. That was proven again this past weekend when Colorado swept three games from the Reds. Now the Rockies get another bad team, the Nationals, and get to face a horrible starting pitcher - Erick Fedde.

Colorado starter German Marquez is due for a good game. The same can't be said for Fedde, who shouldn't be in a big league rotation. Fedde had a 5.47 ERA last season and he's been even worse this year with a 6.00 ERA.

Fedde is 0-2 career-wise against the Rockies with a 9.00 ERA in four appearances, including three starts. He hasn't gone more than five innings during any of his four starts this season so a bad Washington bullpen also figures to be involved.

Washington defeated the Giants in their last game this past Sunday. Prior to that, however, the Nationals had dropped nine of their last 10 games.

Credit to the Bucks for upsetting the Celtics in Game, 101-89, this past Sunday. 

Dallas has a tremendous track record in these situations. The Mavericks are the No. 2 defensive team in the NBA. Discounting a 126-118 victory, the Mavericks held the Jazz to 95.2 points in five games while winning their series in six games against Utah. The Jazz averaged only one point fewer per game than the Suns did during the regular season.

So I believe the Mavericks can hang within two possessions of Phoenix.

Both teams have been idle since Thursday. They each are at full strength, too.

This isn't a fade on Phoenix, but a bet-on Dallas.

The Mavericks are 42-16-1 ATS during their last 59 road games against a home team with a winning percentage better than .600. Dallas has covered 10 of its last 14 road games when getting points and also is 21-8 ATS the past 29 times when playing an above .500 opponent.

After playing six games in Florida, the Mariners remain on the road crisscrossing to Houston. 

I don't like the Mariners' chances against the Astros. The price is short enough for me to back Houston.

I'm not enamored with Houston's veteran starter Jake Odorizzi. But I am interested in fading Seattle lefty starter Marco Gonzales at homer-friendly Minute Maid Park. Gonzalez surrendered 29 homers last season. He's given up four so far this season. Houston is 7-2 versus southpaw starters this year.

Jose Altuve is expected to come off the IL and start for the Astros. 

Do you trust the Maple Leafs now that it's Stanley Cup time? I sure don't.

The last time Toronto won a first-round series was 2004. They were upset in the first round by the Canadiens last season, blowing a 3-1 series lead. 
Tampa Bay has proven it knows how to step up having won the Stanley Cup each of the last two seasons. 

The teams just met on April 21. Tampa Bay blasted Toronto, 8-1, at home. The Maple Leafs were without Auston Matthews and No. 1 goalie Jack Campbell. Still, this was a 7-goal win for the Lightning. 

Tampa Bay has defeated the Maple Leafs seven of the last 10 times in Toronto. 

The Lightning hold a monster edge in net with Andrei Vasilevskiv against Campbell. 

The Grizzlies tangled with the Timberwolves for six games before eliminating them. Minnesota blew leads of 13 or more points in all but one of those games.

The Warriors have deep playoff experience. They aren't blowing any late leads like Minnesota. The Warriors also know how to win and put away opponents, unlike the Timberwolves.

The Grizzlies are still on Cloud 9 after winning their first playoff series in seven years. The Warriors didn't toy with the Nuggets putting them away in five games.

Stephen Curry is back to his pre-injury superstar form averaging 28 points against the Nuggets. Klay Thompson also is back to pre-injury form averaging 22 points. But it's Jordan Poole and his 21-point playoff average that makes Golden State special.

The Jets are finishing the season playing great defense giving only two goals in their last three games. The Under has cashed in each of Winnipeg's last five games.

Seattle ranks 30th in scoring. The Kraken are defensive-minded. This is the final game of the regular season, a make-up from an April 13 game that was postponed due to a snowstorm.

So I doubt either team is too psyched up for this meaningless matchup. I believe the attitude will be let's just get this finished, not get anyone hurt and go on summer vacation.

The Brewers' Eric Lauer may be the least appreciated starting pitcher in baseball. Lauer came on strong last season and he's continued tough this season with a 1-0 mark, 2.20 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.

Lauer has a great bullpen behind him, including a rested Josh Hader.

Milwaukee's bats have started to awaken, too. The Brewers are averaging 7.2 runs in their last four games.

The Cubs and their starter, Justin Steele, shouldn't stand in the way of another Brewer victory. Steele has a 5.40 ERA and 1.73 WHIP. It's questionable if he should even be in a big league rotation.

Both teams are young and talented. The Timberwolves are down 3-2 in the series, but certainly have not been outclassed. Minnesota actually should be leading the series instead of Memphis having blown leads of 13 points or more in four of the five games.

This includes a last second two-point road loss to the Grizzlies this past Tuesday in Game 5.

The Timberwolves are 15-7-1 ATS in their last 23 games following a defeat. They've learned enough lessons and have enough confidence to bounce back at home and defeat the Grizzlies to set up a Game 7.

Karl-Anthony Towns is the best big man on the floor. The Grizzlies will be down one fewer defender against Towns with Steven Adams ruled out because of safety/health protocols.

The pitching matchup is Cincinnati rookie Hunter Greene versus Antonio Sezatela. Green has a 5.27 ERA. I don't think he's fully ready yet for the majors. But this is an action play for me with the major handicap being a fade on the Reds.

Cincinnati is the worst team in baseball right now with a 3-16 record. The Reds are 6-21 in their last 27 road games, including 2-9 this year.

The Rockies are a much better team when playing at Coors Field where once again they own a winning record.

The Rockies should take care of business at home against a Reds squad that has the worst run-differential by a wide margin at minus 14. The Reds have scored the third-fewest runs in the league and are last in ERA at 5.83.

Cincinnati is a total mess. This is an easy lay number to fade the Reds.

Slowly but surely the Raptors' coaching edge of Nick Nurse against Doc Rivers is exerting itself negating the 76ers' superior talent.

This is a toss-up game. I believe the safest play is Under the total. 

The Raptors won Game 5, 103-88. Toronto has successfully slowed down both James Harden and Tyrese Maxey. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid is dealing with torn ligaments in his right thumb. 

Toronto has frustrated the 76ers by slowing pace. That's not going to change here. The 76ers know they have to gut out a victory. So their intensity and defensive concentration is going to be way up, too. 

The major part of this handicap is a letdown factor from Carolina. The Hurricanes have been playing extremely well winning five in a row. The latest victory, 4-3 against the Rangers two days ago, clinched the Metropolitan Division for the Hurricanes.

So that sense of urgency is gone now for the Hurricanes. They accomplished what they wanted to do. Now, playing for the fourth time in six days, I don't see the Hurricanes too motivated for this matchup against the lowly Devils.

New Jersey is capable of pulling off a huge upset on the road. The Devils have done that twice during the last 3 1/2 weeks beating the Golden Knights and Stars at better than plus $2.00 in each game.

The Devils nearly upset the Hurricanes when they hosted them five days ago, losing 3-2 in overtime. The Hurricanes forced the overtime by scoring with less than two minutes left.

The Nuggets gained a measure of respect by beating the Warriors, 126-121, at home this past Sunday. That kept the Warriors from sweeping Denver. 

The Mets do not have a good history when facing southpaws on the road losing 42 of the past 60 times in that role. New York is facing lefty Steven Matz.

Matz was bombed by the Pirates in his opening start. Since then, though, he has been excellent in two starts, holding the Brewers and Reds to a combined one earned run in 10 2/3 innings with a 12-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Mets starter Carlos Carrasco has looked good in his first three starts. However, two of those outings were against the Diamondbacks and Nationals.

The Cardinals are 22-9 the past 31 times when going against a righty starter.

Maybe this total seems right since there were 237 points scored in the last game when the Timberwolves edged the Grizzlies, 119-118, this past Saturday. 

But two statistical anomalies stand out from that game. The two teams combined to shoot nearly 49 percent from 3-point range making 33 of 68 from beyond the arc while also combining to make 50 of 65 (77 percent) free throw attempts.  

The series is tied 2-2. This is pivotal Game 5. I'm not expecting either team to be so hot from 3-point range, nor to get to the free throw nearly as often as they did in Game 4. 

This is playoff basketball. There is going to be defensive intensity even from these two teams. The pace isn't going to be as fast it was during the regular season. There were only 199 points scored in Game 3. 

Ja Morant has been struggling because of lingering soreness from that knee injury that kept him out for 12 games toward the end of the regular season. 

Considering that Joel Embiid may not play, or will be limited if he does, this is getting a lot of points in a do-or-die spot for the Raptors.

Toronto isn't ready to roll over after staving off playoff elimination by defeating the 76ers, 110-102, in Game 4 this past Saturday. If the Raptors wouldn't have lost in overtime in Game 3 this series would be tied 2-2 instead of the 76ers leading 3-1. The Raptors never trailed in Game 3 until overtime. 

Embiid is dealing with a torn ligament in his right thumb. 

The Raptors have covered 69 percent of the time during the past 39 times they've played an above .500 opponent. The 76ers were a better road team than home team during the regular season. 

The Astros have dominated the Rangers winning 40 of the past 59 times. I expect that domination to continue this season. This price still is low enough to back Houston in a pitching matchup of Framber Valdez versus Dane Dunning.

Valdez had his way with the Rangers last season going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA. 

Dunning isn't going to be able to slow down a strong Houston lineup especially with a weak bullpen behind him. Dunning is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA in two career appearances against Houston. He has a 5.68 ERA this season. 

Once again a team played great in the first game after losing a star player. That pattern fit the Suns in Game 3 of their series against the Pelicans when they won, 114-111, on the road minus superstar Devin Booker this past Friday. 

That gave the Suns a 2-1 series lead. Booker remains out with a hamstring injury. The Pelicans won't be feeling sorry for the Suns. This is the season for New Orleans. 
The Pelicans have the two best scorers on the court with Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum now that Booker is out. The Suns beat the Pelicans in the paint during Game 3 outscoring them, 64-40. 

New Orleans center Jonas Valanciunas had an off-game and underrated forward Jaxson Hayes was ejected in the second quarter. Larry Nance Jr. also didn't play well. I expect those three to at least hold their own in this pivotal Game 4. A loss here at home by the Pelicans puts them down 3-1 in the series with the next game in Phoenix. 

I believe the Pelicans will make this a tough series on the Suns - and that requires a victory here. Phoenix has failed to cover six of the last eight times it has been favored. The Suns were far less effective during the regular season when they were missing Booker. This time it catches up to them. 

After losing by a combined 36 points in the first two games of this series, the Nuggets came out hard at home in Game 3. Denver stepped up and Golden State regressed. Yet the Warriors still won, 118-113.

The Nuggets remain without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, their second and third-best players. The Warriors are peaking.

I rode the Warriors in Game 3 and I'm sticking with them to close out the series here. The Nuggets comprehend that no team in NBA playoff history has come back from a 3-0 deficit and they certainly aren't going to be the first.

Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson have been unstoppable. They're averaging a combined 76 points a game in the series. Draymond Green is an elite defender and he's been a bother to Nikola Jokic, who doesn't have enough help around him with Murray and Porter unable to play.

The Grizzlies have rallied to go up 2-1 in this series. But I don't see a significant talent gap between these two teams. The Timberwolves, in fact, have three of the four best players on the court in Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell.

The strength of Memphis is its depth. But that's not such a factor here early in the postseason.

This series has a certain Zig-Zag feel to it. The Timberwolves should be the more fired-up team after letting a 26-point lead slip away in Game 3 and trying to protect home-court. That was Minnesota's playoff inexperience showing in blowing that lead. The Timberwolves should learn from that to maintain their intensity.

Towns had a monster Game 1. He's been quiet the past two games. He's the best big man on the court by far and is due for another huge performance.

This line would be quite different if the Raptors didn't blow a 17-point lead and lose, 104-101, in overtime to the 76ers at home this past Wednesday. That put Toronto down 3-0 in the series.

So obviously the Raptors are in must-win mode being on the verge of elimination. The 76ers never led in regulation during Game 3. It was a tough beat for those taking plus two like myself because the 76ers won by three when Joel Embiid made a 3-pointer with less than a second left.

I have confidence in Nick Nurse, though. I trust his Raptors will come out and play hard while the 76ers have to be feeling very fat after stealing Game 3.

There's a good chance the Raptors get star rookie Scottie Barnes back for this matchup. He's missed the last two games with an ankle injury.

Embiid, meanwhile, is dealing with a sore right thumb. He's expected to play, but he was wearing a brace on his right hand and thumb during Friday's practice. He might have a torn ligament in his thumb.

There's two ways of looking at Devin Booker's hamstring injury, an injury that will keep out of this game.

The Suns lose their top scorer and emerging superstar, who was at the top of his game.

But with that injury, the pressure now falls completely on the Pelicans to win this home game. I don't believe the Pelicans are ready for that against this elite foe that had the best record in the NBA. The Pelicans have failed to cover six of the last eight times they've played an above .500 opponent.

The Suns have excellent backcourt depth to fill-in for Booker. Phoenix's intensity is sure to be sky-high after being upset in Game 2 and losing Booker. I don't see the youthful Pelicans matching that especially with their lack of big-game, playoff basketball experience.

Chris Paul is going to control the tempo. The Suns will tighten ranks in this first game without Booker to pull out the victory.

The Bucks lost more than a game when they were upset at home by the Bulls, 114-110, this past Wednesday. Khris Middleton suffered a sprained knee injury and is out.

But the Bucks know how to survive and win without key players. They did it last season when Giannis Antetokounmpo was hurt. Milwaukee is a deep team with various interchangeable parts. The Bulls got the Bucks' full attention with that victory.

The Bucks will win here. Jrue Holiday is overdue for a better performance in this series and Milwaukee has a much deeper bench than Chicago.

Milwaukee has covered nine of the last 11 times it has been road chalk. The Bucks almost always cover in Chicago, too, going 11-1 ATS in their last 12 road games against the Bulls.

Healthy now, this is the year of Michael Kopech. I really believe that. I drafted him way ahead of his average draft position in my Rotisserie baseball league and so far Kopech is living up to his high ceiling with a 1.00 ERA through two starts.

Kopech has given up just three hits - only one extra base hit - in nine innings. Opponents are batting .107 against him. Look for Kopech to continue his hot hand against the Twins. He's 1-0 lifetime against Minnesota with a 1.29 ERA.

The Twins are going with Bailey Ober, who has a 3.27 ERA. Ober has potential, too, but he's not the prospect Kopech is. Ober has a 4.76 lifetime ERA against the White Sox in five starts.

This isn't a good situational spot either for the Twins returning home after concluding a seven-game road trip yesterday.

Bad energy, low morale and injuries to their second and third-best players. That's what the out-gunned Nuggets are going through.

The Warriors, on the other hand, are peaking at just the right time with Jordan Poole looking like a superstar alongside fellow superstar Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

The results have been Golden State blowout victories by 16 and 20 points in the first two games of this series.

Yeah, this Game 3 figures to be closer with the Nuggets coming home. But asking the Nuggets to end their six-game playoff losing streak, which began last season, is asking too much.

Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. aren't suddenly going to appear and change the Nuggets' fortunates. Nikola Jokic is great, but he can't do it alone. And now the Warriors figure to have ace defender Andre Iguodala back for this matchup after he missed Game 2.

The Warriors are rolling. I don't expect them to lose here so laying a short money line price makes sense.

Two losing teams who lack defense playing a meaningless late season game. That's a nice recipe for an Over especially when those teams are the Blackhawks and Coyotes.

Chicago has gone Over in its last five games. The Blackhawks have permitted 4.8 goals during this span.

Arizona has been even worse giving up an average of 6.1 goals during its last seven games. The Blackhawks have enough scoring talent and offensive-minded defensemen who can take advantage.

The youth-minded Coyotes should be excited to play the Blackhawks knowing this a winnable game for them and they can open their attack instead of trying to keep from being embarrassed.

Even though they are down 2-0 in their series against the 76ers, I see no panic from the Raptors and their coach, Nick Nurse.

I like Nurse a lot. Enough to feel confident backing the Raptors to beat the 76ers in Game 3 now that they are back in Toronto after losing the first two games in Philadelphia. 

Even though the Raptors are more banged-up than the 76ers, I don't see a talent gap between the two teams. 

Toronto actually outscored the 76ers by nine points during the fourth quarter of Game 2. Nurse is known for making shrewd adjustments and the Raptors should be super intense while the 76ers can't help but subconsciously let up. 

The 76ers failed to cover in their last five regular season road games. They also are 1-5 ATS during their last six visits to Toronto. 

Fatigue, an overworked bullpen and playing on a grass surface all work against the Rays in this matchup. So does facing Marcus Stroman.

This is enough to put me on the Cubs.

Tampa Bay hasn't been sharp with a 6-6 record. This will be the Rays' 13tht straight day of playing. Their first off day comes Thursday. Their best reliever, Andrew Kittredge, had to work two innings to get a save on Tuesday.

The Rays are 2-6 in their last eight games on grass, which is an off-surface for them. Stroman is solid. I prefer him at home against Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen.

Still fresh from their play-in game victory against the Clippers, the Timberwolves ambushed the rusty Grizzlies in Game 1. Memphis hadn't played in six days before losing, 130-117, this past Saturday to Minnesota.

I don't expect the Grizzlies to go down 0-2 in the series losing both games at home.

The Timberwolves are much improved. But the Grizzlies did win the second-most games in the NBA. They are 17-5 ATS in their last 22 home games even with that first game loss. Minnesota was 2-8 ATS the past 10 times as a road 'dog before surprising Memphis.

The Timberwolves pulled down 11 more rebounds and were more physical than the Grizzlies in Game 1. Memphis isn't going to be intimidated at home. Grizzlies big man Steven Adams is a much better defender than he showed in Game 1.

I see a physical, intense all-out effort from the Grizzlies to even this series while the Timberwolves, in the playoffs for only the second time in the last 18 years, are fat and happy having accomplished getting a split in Memphis.

There hasn't been a hotter scoring team than the Blues during the last 29 years in the NHL. St. Louis has scored at least four goals in each of its last 12 games. That's the longest NHL stretch since the 1992-93 season.

The Blues are averaging 5.1 goals during their past dozen games.

The Bruins are a strong defensive team. But the Blues can't be ignored especially playing at home and with Boston minus injured defenseman Hampus Lindholm and starting goalie Linus Ullmark. Boston has given up eight goals in its last two games.

The Bruins fire off the second-most shots in the NHL. The Over has cashed nine of the last 12 times the teams have played in St. Louis.

The Wild are in danger of suffering a letdown after clinching a playoff spot this past Sunday during their last game. All of Minnesota's last three games have been decided by one goal. The Wild would be 0-4 in their last four road games if laying 1 1/2 goals.

Montreal shouldn't lack motivation and effort after an embarrassing, 8-4, home loss to the Capitals in their last game this past Saturday.

The Canadiens have not been playing well, but they are capable of getting up for big games. They upset the Lightning as larger underdogs than this earlier this month.

Arizona has become an auto-fade on the puck line. The combination of injuries, inexperience and just wanting to get their season finished have rendered the Coyotes noncompetitive.

The Coyotes are 2-13 in their last 15 games with their only victories during this time frame coming against non-playoff teams the Blackhawks and Sharks.

Arizona has lost six in a row. All of these defeats have been by at least four goals! In fact, 12 of the Coyotes' last 13 losses have occurred by multiple goals.

The Hurricanes can't afford to sleep against the Coyotes being in a tight race with the Rangers for the Metropolitan Division title. Carolina has beaten the Coyotes during seven of their last nine visits.

Yu Darvish can mix in a clinker with gems. But he's worth this short price at home against the Braves, who are going with Byrce Elder, their No. 6 starter. 

The price is cheap enough to back the Rockies at home against a bad Cubs team.

These teams have gone the opposite way. Atlanta is 26-14 in its last 40 games. The Cavaliers are 9-18 in their last 27 games, including 3-9 SU and ATS in their last dozen games.

I don't expect a sudden reversal of fortunes. The Hawks have covered seven of their last nine. They are 6-0 ATS the past six times as favorites.

Atlanta blew out Charlotte by 29 points in its opening postseason game this past Wednesday. The Cavaliers lost to the Nets by seven points in its opening play-in game.

The Hawks were strong as a playoff road team last season winning and covering 60 percent of their away matchups, including winning and covering their road opener in each of their series against the Knicks, 76ers and Bucks.

Atlanta and Cleveland have played four times this season. The Hawks have won and covered during the past three meetings with their average victory margin being 11.6 points.

This is a kill spot for the Avalanche.

Colorado is tied with Florida for the most points in the NHL at 110. The Avalanche have won six in a row. They've been idle since Saturday.

The Kings halted a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory against the hapless Blackhawks Tuesday night. The Kings' reward? They go into high altitude to face the rested and ready Avalanche.

Not only are the Kings playing without rest, but it's their third game in four days and they have a cluster injury problem on defense. One of the defensemen out for LA is Drew Doughty.

The Avalanche has dominated the Kings winning the past eight times against them.

We saw with last night's play-in game that the defensive intensity is increased during the postseason when the Clippers and Timberwolves went Under by 18 points.

Max Scherzer isn't slowing down on his way to the Hall of Fame. Aaron Nolan wasn't good last season. He wasn't good in his opening start this season. The Phillies are averaging two runs in their last three games.

So I'm happy to take a small plus price on the Mets.

Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, had a 2.46 ERA last season. This included a 3-0 mark with a 1.23 ERA in 22 innings against the Phillies. Career-wise, Scherzer is 14-4 versus Philadelphia with a 2.50 ERA in 25 career starts. The current projected Mets' starting lineup is batting a cumulative .140 against Scherzer.

I trust Scherzer far more than Nola. The Mets' bullpen has been solid, too, through the first five games with a 3.44 ERA.

Nola had a 4.63 ERA last year, way up from the 3.28 ERA he compiled in 2020. Nola has a 6.00 ERA in one start this season after giving up four runs - including two homers - in six innings against the A's, who are considered to be one of the worst teams in the majors.

 I like the way the Clippers are playing. LA has won five in a row beating the Bucks and Suns during this span. 

There will be times to play on the White Sox. This isn't one of them. 

The Jets don't deserve to be a road favorite against the Canadiens.

Winnipeg escaped lowly Ottawa winning, 4-3, on Sunday. Prior to that, the Jets had lost four in a row.

The Canadiens are 4-8 in their last 12 games. However, Montreal has been extremely competitive against upper level competition. The Canadiens lost in overtime to the Bruins and Stars. They also fell by one goal to the Maple Leafs and Panthers during this span.

Montreal has won five of the past six meetings against the Jets and is the more rested team. Winnipeg is playing for the third time in four days and fourth time in six days. The Jets had a tough one-goal home loss to the Avalanche in overtime this past Friday and then had another tough game against the Senators on Sunday.

The Jets also will be without Mark Scheifele, who is second on the team in goals and points. He suffered an upper body injury against the Senators.

Same old Orioles. 

Baltimore is 0-3 to begin this season getting swept by the Rays by a combined margin of 28-9. The Orioles struck out 37 times in their 3-game series against the Rays and were 2-for-24 with runners in scoring position. 

The Rays are an excellent team. So are the Brewers. 

Milwaukee got its confidence up nipping the Cubs, 5-4, Sunday after losing the first two games of the series. 

The pitching matchup is Adrian Houser versus Bruce Zimmermann. 

Houser is one of the more underrated backend starters. He went 10-6 with a 3.22 ERA last season. Houser had a 2.50 ERA in day games last season. He's backed by a deep and talented bullpen, one of the best in baseball. 

Zimmermann had a 5.04 ERA last season. That hideous ERA was even worse in day action last season at 6.23 ERA and was 5.33 in April. 

Baltimore remains a terrible home team at 28-58 during its past 86 home contests. 

The Over is 11-5-1 in Chicago's last 17 games. The Over has cashed seven of the past eight times in this series. 

This is my Max Unit Sunday Special. The Giants won a franchise-record 107 games last season. While I don't believe the Giants can match that mark this season they still rate a strong edge against the Marlins, who were 67-95 last year.  Miami has been terrible on the road going 14-42 in its last 56 away games.  The pitching matchup is southpaw Trevor Rogers versus Anthony Desclafani. The Giants were 27-20 against lefty starters in 2021.  Rogers has potential, but I like Desclafani better especially now that he's away from Cincinnati and throwing in a pitcher's park. Desclafani had a career season in his first season in San Francisco last season going 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA. He was at his best at home, too, going 8-3 with a 3.10 ERA. 

The Guardians have held the Royals to four runs during the first two games of this series. Yet Cleveland is 0-2.

The Royals are far from a power. So they shouldn't be favored when Cleveland has a starting pitched edge, which they do here.

I'll take righty Cal Quantrill against Kris Bubic. Quantrill was 8-3 with a 2.89 and 1.18 WHIP last year. Bubic was 6-7 with a 4.43 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.

The Royals were 48-64 against right-handed starters last season.

I'm expecting a loose game devoid of defense with the Kings playing the string out and the Clippers locked into the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

The Clippers are averaging 127.2 points per game during their last five games. Paul George is rounding into shape averaging 22.5 points in four games since returning from an elbow injury.

The Kings ranked 29th defensively giving up 115.8 points a game. They've been even worse during their past 10 games allowing 119.7 points during this span.

The Clippers have surrendered at least 115 points in six of their last eight games.

Both teams are in the postseason. But the Bulls should be playing with intensity as this is a get right game for them in their regular season home finale.

Chicago has dropped three in a row. Those losses, however, occurred to three Eastern Conference powers - the Heat, Bucks and Celtics. Now the Bulls are dropping way down in class.

Chicago has covered in its past five meetings against Charlotte, including both times this season.

Playoff seedings are at stake here. So the Cavaliers are going to be up for this game. That's enough reason for me to stay on the fade-the-Nets-as-chalk bandwagon.  How bad have the Nets been against the spread whey laying points at home? They are 1-20 ATS the last 21 as home favorites!  If taking more than eight points, the Cavaliers would have covered 73 percent of their last 22 games. 

The price is low enough to get involved with the White Sox especially facing lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.

The White Sox crush lefties with a lineup that leans heavily on right-handed batters. The White Sox have won 40 of their last 58 games when going against a southpaw starter.

Rodriguez is on the downside of his career. He had a 4.74 ERA last season.

The Tigers should be improved, but the White Sox are easily the class of the AL Central Division. Chicago is pitching its ace, Lucas Giolito.

The Nationals are a home 'dog to the Mets. That's not surprising considering New York has Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Neither of those two studs is pitching, though.

Instead the Mets are going with second-year Tylor Megill, who was 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA in 18 starts last year. 

I'm projecting a nice comeback season for Washington starter Patrick Corbin. 

So I'm going to take a plus price with Washington. Corbin was terrible last season. But the southpaw appears to have straightened things out looking great during his two spring training starts posting a 0.00 ERA. Corbin struck out 10 in nine innings while permitting just six hits. 

The Mets were 18-33 versus lefty starters last year.

The National League is using the DH now. The Nationals signed one of the best DH's in Nelson Cruz. 

The Nets have been far better on the road this season and they'll be taking the Knicks seriously in this matchup.

No way are the Sharks slowing down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. These two superstars are hot and so are the Oilers, who have scored 4 or more goals in 11 of their last 13 games and 5 or more goals in eight of their past 11 games. 

The Bucks dominate the Bulls when playing in Chicago covering 10 of the last 11 times. Look for that trend to hold up in this meeting.

Milwaukee is in circle-the-wagons mode having lost two in a row, both at home. The Bucks are at full strength and are at their best laying points on the road covering seven of the past nine times as road chalk. The Bulls are struggling defensively and are only 1-10 ATS the past 11 times when taking on foes with a winning percentage above .600. 

The Bulls have allowed an average of 128.5 points during their last two games. 

Milwaukee has beaten the Bulls in all three games this season, including 126-98 on March 22 during the past meeting. 

Not even against the Rockets can the Nets get away with trying to cover this large of a spread.

Brooklyn just isn't playing well right now. The Nets are 11-22 in their last 33 games. This includes going just 8-7 since superstar Kevin Durant returned from a knee injury.

The Nets are 17-21 at home. They are a dreadful 4-23 ATS as a home favorite. Kyrie Irving can play in home games now, but he's in a shooting slump making just 26.6 percent of his last 105 shots from the floor during the past five games.

The Rockets have been competitive lately going 2-4. Their four losses during this span have come by a combined 18 points for an average loss of six points.

Realistically, the Cavaliers really don't have much to play for as they just about are locked in as one of the play-in tournament teams in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland isn't playing well with six losses in its last eight games. The Cavaliers continue to be missing their two best big men and keys to their defense with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley both out.

So taking this many points with the home 'dog Magic makes sense. Orlando is on a six-game losing skid, but is a more respectable 9-10 ATS in its last 19 games.

The Magic should be counted on to provide an all-out effort after being embarrassed by 30 points by the Knicks this past Sunday. The Magic are coached by Jamahl Mosley, who is a former Cavaliers assistant.

Cleveland has failed to cover the past four times when favored and is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games against Orlando.

Despite all the upsets, the NCAA Tournament championship game comes down to two familiar teams - North Carolina and Kansas.

No surprise the Jayhawks have reached the title game being the No. 1 Midwest seed.

Kansas deserves to be here. The Jayhawks rank in the top 30 in scoring and have the 20th best 3-point defense. They blew out Villanova in their semifinal game Saturday. The Jayhawks can be devastating both in the paint and from the perimeter.

North Carolina isn't as strong defensively and relies on its 3-point shooting. So this isn't a good matchup, nor spot, for the Tar Heels. North Carolina has way overachieved being a No. 8 seed. The Tar Heels reached their pinnacle with an upset semifinal victory against arch-rival Duke.

Each of the Tar Heels' last five defeats have come by nine or more points. So a Kansas blowout would not be a surprise.

Arizona is out of playoff contention. Yet the Coyotes still could be fat and happy having upset the Blackhawks, 3-2, in overtime on the road Sunday.

The Coyotes are without their top goal scorer and points leader, injured Clayton Keller.

Arizona is 2-7 in its last nine games. The Blues are an overtime loss to the Oilers away from being 4-0 in their last four games.

After clinching a playoff spot, the Mavericks met the Wizards this past Friday. It wasn't pretty. The Wizards buried the Mavericks, 135-103.

Expect a much more focused and far stronger defensive effort from the Mavericks, who give up the second-fewest points in the NBA at 104.7 and rank fourth in 3-point defense.

This is what Dallas coach Jason Kidd said after the embarrassing loss to the Wizards: ''We have to get back to the details of our defense, and that's what we're built on. When you clinch, there's a time to relax, and I think we relaxed. We didn't play very well. Luka (Doncic) scored the ball, but again defensively, we got to get back to the way things were.''

The Bucks sat out four of their top defenders in their last game. That was this past Friday. The Bucks paid the price losing, 153-119, to the Clippers. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez are all expected to return for this matchup. The Bucks should be playing with a huge chip on their shoulder after their humiliating 34-point loss to the Clippers.

Two things to note, too. The Mavericks have been playing at the second-slowest pace during the last 10 games. This also is an early start time, another plus for the Under.

Duke often is overvalued. I find that to be the case once again here. 

The Tar Heels knocked off Duke, 94-81, as 11-point road 'dogs on March 5 in Mike Krzyzewski's final home game. So I'm not buying into the Tar Heels being an underdog in New Orleans on a neutral court. If Duke were laying four or more points to North Carolina during the team's past 10 meetings, the Blue Devils would be 2-8 ATS. 

North Carolina has come on strong, winning 16 of its last 19 games. The Tar Heels have defeated many elite foes during this span, not just Duke. Among North Carolina's victories were wins against UCLA, Baylor, Virginia, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Marquette and surprising St. Peter's.

Duke ranks 13th in the nation in field goal percentage at 48.9 percent. Yet Duke has shot far better during its four NCAA Tournament games never dipping below 52 percent from the floor. The Blue Devils are shooting a combined 53.8 percent from the floor during their last four games. I can't see Duke sustaining that sizzling shooting especially given the tough shooting environment in the spacious New Orleans Superdome. 

The Tar Heels have stepped up their defense, too, holding their last two opponents - St. Peter's and UCLA - to a combined average of 57.5 points. 

The Nets have proven much stronger on the road than at home this season. I see the Nets bouncing back after a tough, 120-119, overtime home loss to the Bucks this past Thursday. 

Villanova has gone Under in eight of its last nine neutral site games. Look for that trend to continue with this game set for the spacious Louisiana Superdome. 

The Wildcats like to play slow. That strategy certainly isn't going to change facing Kansas, a top-30 scoring team, and with the Wildcats minus their second-leading scorer, Justin Moore. He suffered an Achilles tear in the Wildcats' 50-44 victory against Houston in Villanova's last game on March 26. 

Kansas has held seven of its last eight foes to 65 or fewer points. The Under has cashed in seven of the Jayhawks' last 10 games.