In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Additional Model Predictions ⬇️

NHL Model Predictions- Click Here

MLB Model Predictions- Click Here

There were plenty of model predictions to go around yesterday across the NHL, 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: 2-1

Over/Under Predictions: 0-2-1

Puck Line Predictions: 1-2

Featured Matchup: 0-1

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

New Orleans Pelicans @ Sacramento Kings

Model Predicts- Pelicans ML, OVER 217.5, Pelicans +1

The New Orleans Pelicans will continue their four-game road trip on Thursday, with the next stop coming in Sacramento, California to take on the Kings.

New Orleans began its final road trip of the season with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, giving the Pelicans their second consecutive win in the process. On the other hand, Sacramento blew a comfortable lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder last time out, giving the Kings their third loss in the last four games.

These teams are trending in opposite directions as we hit the final week of the regular season, and our model expects that to continue after predicting the Pelicans to win tonight’s matchup. Let’s dive into why that is.

New Orleans Pelicans

• Fresh off win against Portland Trail Blazers

  • Won game 110-100

  • Free throws were big reason for win- shot 27/29 from the free throw line compared to Portland shooting 7/8

• Have had tons of success against Sacramento this season

  • Own 4-0 record and +84 point differential

  • Posted 128.1 Offensive Rating and 107.4 Defensive Rating in those four games (NBA.com)

• Injuries- Brandon Ingram and Naji Marshall are questionable

Sacramento Kings

• Enter tonight off loss to Thunder

  • Lost game 112-105. Outscored 67-41 in second half after winning by 19 at halftime

• Struggling to find rhythm offensively this month

  • Own 109.3 Offensive Rating since April 1st- 20th in NBA

  • Averaging 106 points per game. Shooting an abysmal 41.1% from the floor (worst in NBA)

• Injuries- Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter are OUT

What’s the Play?

It’s a bit of a surprise to see New Orleans as the underdog tonight, but that means that our model spots some value on the Pelicans.

New Orleans has been an obvious mismatch for Sacramento all season long. The Pelicans have posted an incredible 20.7 Net Rating against the Kings this season, and have won by 33 or more points in two of four matchups this season. It’s been a nightmare on both ends of the floor for the Kings in these matchups, and that likely won’t change tonight.

Sacramento is struggling to score right now, and having two perimeter scorers in Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter sidelined only makes things more difficult. As a result we’ll back the Pelicans here.

The Play: Pelicans ML (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Boston Celtics- 62-17 overall this season, 35-3 as the home team

• New Orleans Pelicans- 47-32 overall this season, 4-0 against the Kings

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Utah Jazz- Over is 43-35-1 this season, 21-18-1 as the home team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Boston Celtics- 40-35-4 against the spread (ATS) this season, 21-16-1 ATS as the home team

• New Orleans Pelicans- 42-36-1 ATS this season, 12-5-1 ATS as a road underdog

💰 Jrue Holiday signs four-year extension with Celtics. The Boston Celtics are extending Jrue Holiday's contract for four years and $135 million, as confirmed by his agent Jason Glushon to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Holiday is turning down his $37.3 million player option for 2024-25 to sign this deal, keeping him with the team until 2027-28. This extension, which will save the Celtics money on the salary cap, is crucial for maintaining the core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White.

😬 Jontay Porter in danger of being expelled from NBA. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that Toronto's Jontay Porter could potentially be expelled from the league if allegations of gambling-related misconduct against him are substantiated. The investigation into Porter's case, regarding possible betting patterns related to his on-court performance, is ongoing, as confirmed by Silver after a meeting of the league's Board of Governors. Porter, who has not played since the league began looking into the matter, could face severe disciplinary action, including a ban from the game, which Silver described as the most extreme option available to him.

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- What university has won the most NCAA men’s basketball national championships?

Question #2- The Houston Oilers selected what quarterback with the third overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft?

Question #3- Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has won how many MVP awards since the 2014 season?

Anyone know what has happened on April 11th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On April 11th…

1989- Philadelphia Flyers goalie Rox Hextall becomes the first goalie to score in a playoff game. Hextall’s goal came in an 8-5 defeat of the Washington Capitals, as Hextall launched the puck down the ice and into an empty net to seal the win. Hextall would score a total of two goals in his NHL career, the second-most by a goalie in NHL history.

2021- Hideki Matsuyama wins the 85th US Masters Tournament at Augusta National. Matsuyama took down a loaded field to win the green jacket, holding off runner-up Will Zalatoris by one stroke to claim the victory. It was the first time that Matsuyama had won a major championship, and he simultaneously became the first Japanese male golfer to win a major.

2023- The Boston Bruins beat the Washington Capitals by a score of 5-2. The victory was a historic one for Boston, as it gave the Bruins their 133rd point of the season. That point total set a new NHL record, surpassing the previous record of 132 set by the Montreal Canadiens in 1977.

1. UCLA

2. Steve McNair

3. Three