In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

There were plenty of predictions to go around yesterday across the NBA, NHL, and MLB, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions and making it a 3-star Play. That prediction went 0-1 overall, and you can see how each of the models performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 1-1

Over/Under Predictions: 2-0

Spread Predictions: 1-1

3-star Predictions: 0-1

Money Line Predictions: 1-1

Over/Under Predictions: 1-1

Puck Line Predictions: 1-1

3-star Predictions: 0-0

Money Line Predictions: 6-6

Over/Under Predictions: 6-6

Run Line Predictions: 3-9

3-star Predictions: 0-0

Today we have two more NBA games set to take place. The Miami Heat will go to the Big Apple to take on the Knicks and attempt to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Los Angeles Lakers will look to end the series on the road against the defending NBA Champs.

Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors

Model Predicts- Warriors ML, OVER 226, Warriors -6.5

The Los Angeles lakers will travel north to the Bay Area looking to close out the series against the Warriors on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles was down for much of Game 4, but a fourth quarter spark form Lonnie Walker pushed the Lake Show over the top in a 104-101 victory.

If it wasn’t for a late collapse by Golden State in Game 4 this series would likely be tied 2-2, but as it stands the Warriors are down 3-1 and in desperate need of a win. Will the defending champs rise to the challenge and keep their season alive, or will LeBron James and the Lakers close out the series on the road? Let’s dive into the matchup and make a betting pick for Game 5 of the Lakers vs Warriors series.

Los Angeles Lakers

What the Los Angeles Lakers have done in the postseason is nothing short of remarkable. This team looked dead as the All-Star break rolled around, going 27-32 in their first 59 regular season games. However, LA went 16-7 post All-Star break, the second best record in the NBA, and is now 7-3 overall in the postseason.

The biggest key for Los Angeles has come on the defensive end. Per NBA.com the Lakers own a 105.3 Defensive Rating in ten postseason games, the best rating among the 16 playoff teams by exactly two points.

That rating is a result of opponents shooting 41.8% overall and 33.8% from behind the arc against the Lakers. Golden State is shooting slightly better than those splits (44.2% overall, 37.2% from three), but overall Los Angeles has carried the stellar defensive play into Round 2.

However, just like many other teams the Lakers tend to do most of their damage at home and while on the road play an entirely different brand of basketball. That has been no exception in the postseason, where LA’s Defensive Rating spikes to 114.0. That is complimented with a 107.6 Offensive Rating, giving the Lakers the second worst Road Net Rating (-6.4) amongst the remaining playoff teams.

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors find themselves in a very tough spot, down 3-1 the series. Only 13 teams in NBA history have ever come back from being down 3-1, but one of those teams was the Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals.

Of course, that same Warriors team blew a 3-1 lead to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, so they have plenty of experience on both ends of the spectrum.

The key for Golden State in Game 5, like it has been in every game for the last eight or nine years, is going to be the three-pointer. The Warriors shot an abysmal 29.4% during the last two games in Los Angeles, but Golden State is shooting 44.2% at home in this series and 38.9% in five home playoff games this season. There is a certainly level of comfortability for every team at home, and this team is the epitome of that.

The Warriors have also run into some bad luck when it comes to free throws. Los Angeles owns an incredible +52 free throw attempt margin in four games, yet LA’s point differential in the series sits at +11. The free throws have done just enough to get the Lakers in the win column, but the chances of the whistle remaining that favorable is unlikely.

What’s the Play?

The free throw attempt margin should be a concern, as the favorable whistle for the Lakers has proven to be the difference make in two of their three wins in the series.

However, we are willing to bet that is likely to come back down to Earth or at least balance out. That will certainly help Golden State stay attached, and when you consider its significant advantage from behind the arc we think the Warriors will extend the series and simultaneously cover the spread.

As previously mentioned the Warriors have shot 44.2% from three at home in this series, but the Lakers have shot just 27.1% from deep as the visiting team in the Western Conference semifinals. LA has a +24 free throw attempt margin in those two matchups, yet the point differential belongs to Golden State in a landslide (+22).

The Lakers were in this same spot in Round 1 against Memphis and failed to close the series in Game 5, losing by 17 points. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Golden State win by double digits here, but since our model only likes the spread to roughly 7.5 we would avoid taking anything above it.

3-star play: Warriors -6.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends

• Miami Heat- 7-2 overall in postseason, 3-2 as the away team

• New York Knicks- 5-4 overall in postseason, 3-1 as the home team

• Los Angeles Lakers- 7-3 overall in postseason, 2-3 as the away team

• Golden State Warriors- 5-6 overall in postseason, 3-2 as the home team

Over/Under Trends

• Miami Heat- Over is 7-2 in postseason, 4-1 as the away team with average total of 237.2

• New York Knicks- Over is 2-7 overall in postseason, 1-3 as the home team with average total of 199.5

• Los Angeles Lakers- Over is 4-6 in postseason, 3-2 as the away team with average total of 221.4

• Golden State Warriors- Over is 5-6 in postseason, 3-2 as the home team with average total of 227

Spread Trends

• Miami Heat- 8-1 against the spread (ATS) in postseason, 4-1 ATS as the away team

• New York Knicks- 4-5 ATS in postseason, 2-2 ATS as the home team

• Los Angeles Lakers- 7-3 ATS in postseason, 2-3 ATS as the away team

• Golden State Warriors- 4-7 ATS in postseason, 2-3 ATS as the home team

Miami Heat @ New York Knicks

• Miami Heat

  • Jimmy Butler (Game Time Decision), Caleb Martin (Game Time Decision), Haywood Highsmith (Game Time Decision), Tyler Herro (OUT), Victor Oladipo (OUT)

• New York Knicks

  • Immanuel Quickly (Game Time Decision), Jericho Sims (OUT)

Los Angeles Lakers @ Golden State Warriors

• Los Angeles Lakers

  • LeBron James (Game Time Decision), Anthony Davis (Game Time Decision), Mo Bamba (Game Time Decision)

• Golden State Warriors

  • Andre Iguodala (OUT), Patrick Baldwin (Game Time Decision), Ryan Rollins (OUT)

👀 Philadelphia steals another win in Boston. The Philadelphia 76ers were not messing around on Tuesday night, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back. The 76ers would go on to beat Boston 115-103 in Game 5, giving Philly a 3-2 series lead. Philly will look to close out the series on Thursday at home, which could mark the first time the 76ers made the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001. Coincidentally, the 76ers had the MVP on their team that season as well (Allen Iverson).

✋ All-Defensive Teams have been announced. The NBA announced which players would receive the honor of being considered All-Defense for the 2022-23 season yesterday. The All-Defensive First Team consists on Jrue Holiday, Alex Caruso, Evan Mobley, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brook Lopez. Jackson Jr. was this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, beating out Mobley and Lopez for the top spot.

🏔 Nuggets win Game 5. The Denver Nuggets jumped out to an early 2-0 series lead, but as we saw in the regular season Denver just can’t find ways to win on the road and that allowed Phoenix to get back in the series. However, after a 118-102 win last night Denver now owns a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close things out in Game 6. Nikola Jokic was the catalyst for the Nuggets, tallying 29 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists on his way to yet another playoff triple-double. Denver had four other players reach double figures.

Today we have two more NHL matchups set to take place. The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers, a team that has had quite the cinderella story this postseason. The other matchup features the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, a series where Vegas is up 2-1 after a 5-1 victory on Monday night.

There are no 3-star plays in the NHL today.

Money Line Trends

• Toronto Maple Leafs- 4-5 overall in postseason, 0-3 in last three games

• Florida Panthers- 7-3 overall in postseason, 2-2 as the home team, and 6-0 in last six games

• Vegas Golden Knights- 6-2 overall in postseason, 3-0 as the away team

• Edmonton Oilers- 5-4 overall in postseason, 2-2 as the home team

Over/Under Trends

• Toronto Maple Leafs- Over is 5-4 in postseason, 5-0 in last five games with average total of 4.80

• Florida Panthers- Over is 5-5 in postseason, 3-0 in Round 2

• Vegas Golden Knights- Under is 3-5 in postseason, 3-1 in last four games

• Edmonton Oilers- Under is 4-5 in postseason, 2-2 as the home team

Puck Line Trends

• Toronto Maple Leafs- Puck line is 2-7 in postseason, 1-3 as the away team

• Florida Panthers- Puck line is 7-3 in postseason, 2-2 as the home team, 6-0 in last six games

• Vegas Golden Knights- Puck line is 6-2 in postseason, 3-0 as the away team

• Edmonton Oilers- Puck line is 3-6 in postseason, 2-2 as the home team

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Florida Panthers

• Toronto Maple Leafs

  • Ilya Samsonov (OUT), Matthew Knies (OUT)

• Florida Panthers

  • Ryan Lomberg (OUT)

Vegas Golden Knights @ Edmonton Oilers

• Vegas Golden Knights

  • Laurent Brossoit (Day-to-Day)

• Edmonton Oilers

  • Mattias Janmark (Day-to-Day)

🌧 Hurricanes blow out Devils for third time in series. The blowouts continue to pile up in the NHL postseason. Carolina bounced back form a 8-4 loss in Game 3 with a 6-1 victory over New Jersey in Game 4. All six of Carolina’s goals came in a span of roughly 22 minutes from the end of the first period through the second period, showing just home dominant the Hurricanes’ scoring attack can be. The win marked the third time this series in which Carolina held New Jersey to one goal.

🥅 Goalie troubles in Toronto and Vegas. Goalies are dropping like flies for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights. Toronto’s main goaltender, Ilya Samsonov, will be out for tonight’s elimination game with an upper body injury, leaving Joseph Woll as the starter. Vegas has three of its goalies listed on the injury report after Laurent Brossoit left the game early on Monday against Edmonton, leaving Adin Hill as the only healthy option in net.

🤕 Gabriel Landeskog to miss entire 2023-24 season. Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog is set to undergo a cartilage transplant on his knee this week, leaving him unlikely to play to in the 2023-24 season. Landeskog has a history of knee issues, with his most recent one causing him to miss all of the 2022-23 season. He has been a stud while on the ice, but it appears that he will not lace up the skates for two consecutive seasons after helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup in the 2021-22 season.

15 MLB matchups are scheduled to take place today. However, due to some gaps in early-season data our model has predictions for 11 of today’s matchups.

There are no 3-star plays in the MLB today.

Money Line Trends

• Texas Rangers- 21-14 overall this season, 7-5 as an away underdog

• Chicago Cubs- 17-19 overall, 5-2 with Justin Steele as the starting pitcher

Over/Under Trends

• Oakland Athletics- Over is 23-12-2 overall, 14-4-1 as the away team

• Cleveland Guardians- Under is 23-12-1 this season, 7-1 in the month of May with an average total of 4.88

• Chicago Cubs- Under is 20-15-1 this season, 11-9-1 as the home team

Run Line Trends

• New York Yankees- Run line is 19-18 overall this season, 10-9 as a home favorite, 2-0 in last two games

Various injuries around the league. See full injury report at MLB.com

👏 More history for Shohei Ohtani. Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani continues to etch his name in history. Last night against the Astros Ohtani passed Babe Ruth for the most strikeouts by a two-way player, ending the night with seven K’s. However, last night did mark the first time in Ohtani’s career where he surrendered at least three runs in three consecutive starts, signs of some struggles on the mound.

🌀Mets continue to spiral. The New York Mets have not had the season many expected through 36 games. After last night’s loss to the Reds, New York now owns a 17-19 record, the third best in the NL East. Last night’s loss was also the 12th in the last 15 games for the the Mets, a concerning trend for a team that has World Series aspirations.

🏟 Could baseball be coming to Orlando? Former Orlando Magic executive Pat Williams is attempting to bring a professional baseball team to central Florida. Williams proposed a plan to build a domed stadium in Orlando, with the hopes of attracting an expansion team or the Tampa Bay Rays to the area. The stadium will reportedly cost $1.7 billion, and Williams envisions the team that will call it home will be called the Dreamers.

🎰 Gambling Gate at Iowa and Iowa State. Sports betting became legal in Iowa in 2019, and athletes at both the University of Iowa and Iowa State have made wagers in the past. It is being reported that 26 athletes at Iowa and 15 at Iowa State are suspected of betting on sports, which violates NCAA rules as collegiate athletes, coaches, and staff are barred from placing bets on any amateur or professional sports that conducts a championship. It is still unknown whether or not any of the athletes bet on a game that they were a participant in.

💪 DJ Rodman set to transfer to USC. DJ Rodman, son of NBA Champion Dennis Rodman, is set to join the Trojans next basketball season. Rodman has spent the last four seasons at Washington State, where he averaged 9.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in his career. USC finished with an overall record of 22-11 last season and was a first round exit in March Madness, but now it appears the program is starting to retool with transfers and the signings of No.1 recruit Isaiah Collier and Bronny James.

🟥👕 Hendon Hooker to have “redshirt year”. There is no such thing as a redshirt season in professional sports, but the Detroit Lions have indicated that third round draft pick Hendon Hooker will likely not see the field this season. The decision comes mainly as a result of Hooker tearing his ACL back in November, but Detroit also has high hopes for Jared Goff, who thre for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions last season as the Lions’ signal caller.

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.

1. In 1971 Apollo 14 landed on the moon, the third US mission to do so. One of the astronauts on board, Alan Shepard, is known for more than simply setting foot on the moon though. What sport did Shepard play on the moon after Apollo 14 landed?

2. The NFL is know for producing some of the largest humans in the world, especially along the offensive line. However, no player has been larger than Aaron Gibson, former first round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 1999 NFL Draft. How heavy (in pounds) was Gibson at his peak?

3. Michael Jordan is known for accomplishing many things on the basketball court, and his iconic No.23 is still a symbol of his greatness today. However, there was one instance in which Jordan’s jersey was stolen before a game, forcing him to wear another number. What number did Jordan wear for that game?

4. Shooting under par is no easy task on the gold course, whether it’s on one hole or for a full round. Going one under par is known as a birdie, two under is an eagle, and three under is an albatross. What is it called when a player shoots four under par on a hole?

Anyone know what has happened on May 10th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On May 10th…

1973- The 27th NBA Championship takes place, a series in which the New York Knicks would beat the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1. Willis Reed was the MVP of the series, one that featured 10 future NBA Hall of Fame Players, including Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West for the Lakers.

1993- Former NBA player and current sports broadcaster Bill Walton is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Walton would play for the Trail Blazers, Clippers, and Celtics over his 15-year NBA career, averaging 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds while winning two championships and a regular season and Finals MVP.

2002- The Anaheim Angels string together a dominant performance against the White Sox, defeating Chicago by a score of 19-0. The Angels became the fourth team in MLB history to beat two teams by at least 19 runs in the same season, with the first time coming just 11 days earlier when Anaheim beat Cleveland 21-2.

2022- Tom Brady agrees to a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports to become a lead analyst after he retires from the NFL. The contract is a record deal for a football analyst, and it surpasses the $333 million that Brady made in salary during his NFL career. Brady is set to begin his first season in the booth this fall.

Our referral program is currently being migrated over from our old provider. You will eventually see your referral count here along with your unique code.

1. Golf

2. 410 pounds

3. 12

4. Condor