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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL, MLB, and EPL Previews and Odds - 04/15/2024

The Monday sports card features NHL, MLB, and EPL action. The National Hockey League has eight games on its slate. Five NHL games drop the puck at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Detroit Red Wings host the Montreal Canadiens as a -205 money-line favorite, with the total set at 6.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The New York Islanders travel to New Jersey to play the Devils as a -112 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6. The Pittsburgh Penguins play at home against the Nashville Predators as a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 6. The Tampa Bay Lightning are at home against the Buffalo Sabres as a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. The Boston Bruins play in Washington against the Capitals as a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 5.5.    The New York Rangers host the Ottawa Senators at 7:37 p.m. ET as a -238 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. Two more games conclude the NHL card at 9:37 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Kings play at home against the Minnesota Wild on ESPN as a -170 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. The Edmonton Oilers are at home against the San Jose Sharks as a -455 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6. The Monday card in Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. The Boston Red Sox host the Cleveland Guardians at 11:10 a.m. ET as a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Minnesota Twins at 6:35 p.m. ET as a -155 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Philadelphia Phillies are at home against the Colorado Rockies as a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The San Francisco Giants are in Miami to play the Marlins as a -120 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Texas Rangers visit Detroit to play the Tigers as a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The Tampa Bay Rays host the Los Angeles Angels at 6:50 p.m. ET as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against the New York Yankees at 7:07 p.m. ET as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The New York Mets are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates at 7:10 p.m. ET as a -125 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two more MLB games start at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Kansas City Royals play in Chicago against the White Sox as a -192 money-line road favorite with a total of 9. The San Diego Padres are in Milwaukee to play the Brewers as a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5.  The Atlanta Braves travel to Houston to play the Astros at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -165 money-line road favorite at BetMGM with a total of 9.5. Two MLB games begin at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Chicago Cubs as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The St. Louis Cardinals play in Oakland against the A’s as a -175 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Cincinnati Reds at 9:42 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers are at home against the Washington Nationals at 10:10 p.m. ET as a -360 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5.Matchweek 33 in the English Premier League concludes with one match. Chelsea hosts Everton on the USA Network at 3:00 p.m. ET as a -0.5 goal-line favorite at BetMGM with an over/under of 3.

NBA "Last Home Game" System of the Week

Today is the final day of what has been an exciting NBA season.  Although we know which 20 teams are still left in contention, we don't yet know which teams will be in the Play-In games, nor which team will earn the #1 seed in the Western Conference.  I love handicapping the final days of the regular season because there are generally some very good situations that pop up.  And many of those involve taking teams in their final home game of the season.  For our NBA System of the Week, we're going to look at certain teams playing their final home game of the season.  What we want to do is play on any revenge-minded team, if it was favored by more than 5 points, and was playing its final home game.  Dating back to 1990, our trusty system has gone 95-58-6 (62.0% ATS), including 1-1 ATS earlier this week, with a win on the Denver Nuggets -7.5 over Minnesota, and a loss on the Phoenix Suns -9.5 over the LA Clippers.Today, we have three plays out of this angle (and possibly a fourth).  The three certain plays are all double-digit favorites:  Philadelphia over Brooklyn, Cleveland over Charlotte, and Sacramento over Portland.  And, then, one play is possible, depending on the closing number.  Orlando is currently favored by 4.5 points over Milwaukee.  So, if it moves a point higher, it would qualify.  Each of our home teams plays with revenge from a road defeat, so look for some 'home cooking' in their final home game of the season.[Editor's Note:  Orlando did close at -5.5, and qualified as a play.]Good luck, as always....Al McMordie

Big Al's NBA, NHL, MLB and EPL Previews and Odds - 04/14/2024

The Sunday sports card features NBA, NHL, MLB, and EPL action.The National Basketball Association has 15 games on its docket for the last day of its regular season. Seven NBA games tip off at 1:10 p.m. ET. The Boston Celtics host the Washington Wizards as a 9.5-point favorite, with the total set at 223.5 (all odds from DraftKings unless indicated otherwise). The Cleveland Cavaliers play at home against the Charlotte Hornets as a 13-point favorite with an over/under of 207.5. The Indiana Pacers are at home against the Atlanta Hawks as a 14-point favorite with a total of 237.5. The Miami Heat host the Toronto Raptors as a 15.5-point favorite with an over/under of 220.5. The New York Knicks play at home against the Chicago Bulls on ESPN as a 15-point favorite with a total of 215. The Orlando Magic are at home against the Milwaukee Bucks as a 4.5-point favorite with an over/under of 214.5. The Philadelphia 76ers host the Brooklyn Nets as a 15.5-point favorite with a total of 213. Eight games conclude the NBA regular season at 3:40 p.m. ET. The Denver Nuggets travel to Memphis to play the Grizzlies as a 13.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 220. The Minnesota Timberwolves play at home against the Phoenix Suns as a 2-point favorite with a total of 217.5. The New Orleans Pelicans are at home against the Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN as a 3.5-point favorite with an over/under of 228.5. The Oklahoma City Thunder are a 19-point favorite with a total of 223.5. The San Antonio Spurs host the Detroit Pistons as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under of 213. The Golden State Warriors play at home against the Utah Jazz as an 8-point favorite with a total of 222.5. The Houston Rockets play in Los Angeles against the Clippers as a 2-point road favorite with an over/under of 220. The Sacramento Kings are at home against the Portland Trail Blazers as a 16.5-point favorite with a total of 212.5. The National Hockey League has four games on its slate. The St. Louis Blues host the Seattle Kraken on TNT at 1:07 p.m. ET as a -130 money-line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Vegas Golden Knights play at home against the Colorado Avalanche on TNT at 3:37 p.m. ET as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Carolina Hurricanes are in Chicago to play the Blackhawks at 6:07 p.m. ET as a -345 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Calgary Flames are at home against the Arizona Coyotes at 8:07 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 6.The Sunday card in Major League Baseball has 15 games on its schedule. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. ET. The Boston Red Sox host the Los Angeles Angels as a -130 money-line favor with an over/under of 9.5. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Milwaukee Brewers as a -192 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Philadelphia Phillies are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates as a -185 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Toronto Blue Jays host the Colorado Rockies at 1:37 p.m. ET as a -250 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Five MLB games begin at 1:40 p.m. ET. The Detroit Tigers play at home against the Minnesota Twins as a -112 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Kansas City Royals visit New York to play the Mets as a -130 money-line road favorite with a total of 8. The San Francisco Giants play in Tampa Bay against the Rays as a -130 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Atlanta Braves are in Miami against the Marlins as a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. The New York Yankees travel to Cleveland to play the Guardians as a -130 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Two MLB games start at 2:10 p.m. ET. The Houston Astros are at home against the Texas Rangers as a -120 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Cincinnati Reds play in Chicago against the White Sox as a -166 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 9. The Oakland A’s host the Washington Nationals at 4:07 p.m. ET as a -130 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Two more MLB games throw out the first pitch at 4:10 p.m. ET. The Seattle Mariners play at home against the Chicago Cubs as a -135 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Arizona Diamondbacks are at home against the St. Louis Cardinals as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN has the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Dodgers are a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Matchweek 33 in the English Premier League continues with three matches. Two EPL matches start at 9 a.m. ET. Liverpool plays at home against Crystal Palace on the USA Network as a -2 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.5 (all soccer odds from BetMGM). Fulham visits West Ham United in a pick ‘em match with an over/under of 3. Arsenal is at home against Aston Villa on the USA Network at 11:30 a.m. ET as a -1.5 goal-line favorite with a total of 3.

Atlanta Braves vs Houston Astros Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/16/2024

Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/16/2024

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/16/2024

Los Angeles Lakers vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/16/2024

Golden State Warriors vs Sacramento Kings Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/16/2024

Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/17/2024