In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter presented by SportSense Premium…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

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There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NBA, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 0-1 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 1-0

Over/Under Predictions: 1-0

Spread Predictions: 0-1

Featured Matchup: 0-1

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Two NBA games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for both matchups can be found below.

Dallas Mavericks @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Model Predicts- Thunder ML, OVER 218.5, Mavericks +5

The Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder will square off once again on Thursday night in what is Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Oklahoma City continued its postseason dominance in Game 1, defending home court with a 117-95 win. The victory was the fifth straight for the Thunder in the postseason, giving OKC a perfect 5-0 record, while the loss dropped Dallas’ postseason record to 4-3.

Our model was all over the Thunder in Game 1 of this series, but it now projects that tonight’s spread is just a tad bit high and likes the Mavericks to stay within the number. Let’s dive into why that is.

Dallas Mavericks

• Struggled offensively in Game 1

  • Scored 95 points- fewest point total in seven postseason games

  • Shot 39% overall and 34% from floor. Posted 100.0 Offensive Rating

• Same story in Game 1 in Round 1, but flipped script in Game 2

  • Lost 109-97 to Clippers in Game 1. Shot 39% overall and 30% from three. Scored eight points in second quarter

  • Won outright in Game 2- Scored 96 points, but shot 42% overall and 42% from three

• Injuries- Luka Doncic and Olivier-Maxence Prosper are questionable. Maxi Kleber and Greg Brown are OUT

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Dominated in every facet in Game 1

  • Only shot 45% overall, but shot 46% from three

  • Won battle inside as well- outscored Dallas 40-32 in paint

• Play on defensive end and scoring depth have been story of playoffs

  • Own 94.8 Defensive Rating in postseason- 1st in NBA by 5.2 points. Have held opponents to under 100 points in all five games

  • Five players averaging 10.2 points per game or more, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (27.6) and Jalen Williams (20.6)

• Injuries- Olivier Sarr is OUT

What’s the Play?

Oklahoma City didn’t face many problems in Game 1 and is now 4-1 against Dallas this season, but we agree with our model that the Mavericks can keep the deficit manageable in Game 2.

If there is one thing that Dallas has proven to do well in the postseason, it’s being able to adjust following a loss. Both losses that the Mavericks faced in Round 1 were followed up by a win, one of which came on the road, posting a combined +33 point differential in those games. Additionally, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving each posted one of their lowest scoring outputs of the postseason with 19 and 20 points in Game 1, respectively, which is far below their combined postseason average of 53.9 points per game. We expect both to bounce back in this one, which will certainly lead to a tighter game.

The Thunder are far stronger defensively and have more scoring depth, but Doncic and Irving have risen to the challenge in these spots on several occasions and we believe that will be the case again. Back Dalls on the spread here.

The Play: Mavericks +5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Boston Celtics- 69-19 overall this season, 5-1 in postseason

• Oklahoma City Thunder- 62-25 overall this season, 5-0 in postseason

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Oklahoma City Thunder- Over is 45-39-3 this season, 21-21-2 as the home team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Dallas Mavericks- 52-37 against the spread (ATS) this season, 29-16 ATS as the away team, 4-3 ATS in the postseason

🏆 Nikola Jokic makes history with third MVP award. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic took home another MVP award on Wednesday, outshining first-time MVP nominees Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic. Jokic has achieved a remarkable feat by winning his third NBA MVP award, making him only the ninth player in league history to do so. Jokic joins an elite group of players with three or more MVP wins, including legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James, solidifying his place among the NBA's greatest.

💪 Knicks beat Pacers in Game 2 despite injuries to star players. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby both suffered injuries in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, yet the New York Knicks managed to beat the Pacers 130-121. Brunson missed most of the first half before returning in the third quarter, while Anunoby was absent for most of the second half. The absences gave Indiana a boost early on, outscoring New York 73-63 in the first half, but a +19 point differential in the second half enabled the Knicks to go up 2-0 in the series.

Today’s trivia requires you to dig into multiple pockets of your brain, testing your knowledge of recent events as well as those that happened decades ago.

See how many of the below questions you can get correct. Answers are provided at the end of the newsletter.

Question #1- Only one player selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft has been named an All-Star. Who is that player?

Question #2- Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Spring played on what current AL West team prior to joining the Blue Jays?

Question #3- Who led the NFL in rushing yards during the 2009 season, recording 2,006 in total?

Anyone know what has happened on May 9th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On May 9th…

1965- NHL legend Steve Yzerman is born in Cranbrook, British Columbia. Yzerman entered the NHL at the age of 18 when he was selected with the No.4 overall pick in the 1983 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, the only team he would play for in his career. Yzerman would go on to record 1,514 points before retiring in 2006, which currently ranks seventh on the NHL’s all-time list.

2010- South African golfer Tim Clark wins the PGA Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. The victory was the first for Clark in his PGA Tour career, one made possible by a final round 67. Australian golfer Robert Allenby was the runner-up, finishing one stroke behind Clark.

2010- Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden throws a perfect game. The performance came in a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, and it took Braden 109 pitches to record 27 outs. It was the 19th perfect game in MLB history, and only the third to be thrown since the year 2000.

1. Scottie Barnes

2. Houston Astros

3. Chris Johnson