In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter…

Yesterday was a day off for SportSense, meaning there were no model predictions for yesterday’s slate of games.

Money Line Predictions: 0-0

Over/Under Predictions: 0-0

Spread Predictions: 0-0

3-star Predictions: 0-0

Money Line Predictions: 0-0

Over/Under Predictions: 0-0

Puck Line Predictions: 0-0

3-star Predictions: 0-0

Money Line Predictions: 0-0

Over/Under Predictions: 0-0

Run Line Predictions: 0-0

3-star Predictions: 0-0

Today we have two more NBA games on our hands. The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Boston Celtics in Boston with the series tied 2-2, and the Phoenix Suns will head back to the Mile High City to take on the Nuggets. That series is tied at 2-2 as well.

Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics

Model Predicts- Celtics ML, OVER 213.5, Celtics -7

The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics will make their way back to Boston to continue the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Both the 76ers and Celtics have each won a game at home and on the road, making the series tied at two games apiece entering Game 5. Each team is essentially at full strength as well, setting up what will likely be another great matchup.

Boston has had the upper hand on Philadelphia all season, and even when it was down nearly 20 points in Game 4 Boston came back and almost stole a second game on the road. Can Philly clean some things up and get over the hump, or will Boston continue its dominance on its home court? Let's take a look at the matchup and make a betting pick for Game 5 of the 76ers vs Celtics series.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers may have tied the series at 2-2, but getting to this point has been far from easy for the Eastern Conference's No.3 seed.

The issues tend to start on the defensive end of the floor. Per NBA.com Philly owns a 123.7 Defensive Rating through the first four games of this series, the lowest of the remaining playoff teams by 5.1 points.

A big reason why that rating is so high is due to Philadelphia's interior defense. Boston scored 24 more points in the paint in Game 1 than Philadelphia, although Embiid was not healthy for that game. However, the Celtics still own a +6 paint points margin in Games 2 through 4 with Embiid on the floor.

Additionally, the 76ers are allowing the Celtics to shoot 38% from three in the series. Three-point shooting was perhaps Philly's largest asset during the regular season and in Round 1, but the 76ers have shot almost 3.0% worse from behind the arc against Boston when compared to its performance against Brooklyn.

The 76ers are getting beat from three and in the paint, a bad combination in a best-of-seven series.

Boston Celtics

Boston has some significant advantages in this matchup, but perhaps the largest is its bench production.

The Celtics bench didn't appear to have a significant advantage over Philadelphia during the 82-game regular season. According to StatMuse Boston ranked 20th in bench points per game with 32.4, and Philadelphia was right on its heels at 32.3.

However, through the first four games of this series Boston's bench has outscored Philadelphia 124-82, showing that gap in bench production has been much wider than the regular season numbers suggest.

Malcolm Brogdon is a big reason for that 42-point gap. He is averaging 19.25 points per game in the series, with most of his production coming from three where he is shooting 53.3%. Both Philly and Boston only go three or four guys deep, but no one on Philadelphia's bench has been able to match the production of Brogdon.

What’s the Play?

The inconsistency of Philadelphia's offense has often held them back in the past, and I think that is going to be its biggest hurdle moving forward.

We saw James Harden score 45 points in Game 1, a game where every point was necessary. He then fell off in Games 2 and 3 and scored 28 points combined in those two matchups before erupting for 42 in Game 4. However, even with Harden crossing the 40 point mark two times in this series, the 76ers have won by a combined five points in those matchups, even with Embiid scoring 34 points in Game 4.

Being able to match Philadelphia from three is crucial to beating the 76ers and the Celtics have been able to do that. Combine the three-point shooting with Boston's bench advantage and we think Boston takes care of business at home on Tuesday night.

3-star play: Celtics -7 (-110)

Money Line Trends

• Philadelphia 76ers- 6-2 overall in postseason, 3-1 as the away team

• Boston Celtics- 6-4 overall in postseason, 3-2 as the home team

• Phoenix Suns- 6-3 overall in postseason, 2-2 as the away team

• Denver Nuggets- 6-3 overall in postseason, 5-0 as the home team

Over/Under Trends

• Philadelphia 76ers- Over is 4-4 in postseason, 3-1 in Round 2 after going 1-3 in Round 1

• Boston Celtics- Over is 7-3 in postseason, 2-3 as the home team

• Phoenix Suns- Under is 2-6-1 in postseason, 2-2 as the away team

• Denver Nuggets- Under is 3-6 in postseason, 3-2 as the home team

Spread Trends

• Philadelphia 76ers- 5-2-1 against the spread (ATS) in postseason, 3-1 ATS as the away team

• Boston Celtics- 6-4 ATS in postseason, 3-0 ATS coming off a loss in postseason

• Phoenix Suns- 4-5 ATS in postseason, 1-3 ATS as the away team

• Denver Nuggets- 5-4 ATS in postseason, 4-1 ATS as the home team

Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics

• Philadelphia 76ers

  • Joel Embiid (Game Time Decision)

• Boston Celtics

  • Danilo Gallinari (OUT)

Phoenix Suns @ Denver Nuggets

• Phoenix Suns

  • Chris Paul (OUT)

• Denver Nuggets

  • Collin Gillespie (OUT)

🔔 Philadelphia survives a thriller. The Philadelphia 76ers survived an overtime scare against the Celtics on Sunday, winning Game 4 116-115 to tie the series at two games apiece. Philly was up by nearly 20 points in the third quarter but scored just 15 points in the final 12 minutes to let Boston back in the game. James Harden put together another solid performance after disappearing in Games 2 and 3, ending the game with 42 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists while also hitting the game-winning three in OT. Game 5 is tonight in Boston.

😳 Things get chippy in Phoenix. Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is mostly known for his stellar play on the court, but there have been some instances in which his emotions got the best of him. Video surfaced from Game 4 on Sunday night where it appears that Jokic shoves Suns owner Mat Ishbia after the ball went into the crowd, resulting in a technical for the two-time MVP. Despite the loss, the interaction didn’t phase Jokic as he ended the night with 53 points, but he was hit with a $25k fine. We personally believe Ishbia flopped, but we’ll let everyone else decide for themselves.

🔥 Miami goes up 3-1 against New York. The Miami Heat find themselves just one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals after a 109-101 win over the Knicks on Monday night. Last night’s game marked the third time in the series that the Knicks were held to 101 points or less, a concerning trend now that New York’s season is on the line. Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 27 points, six rebounds, and ten assists.

💪 Lakers fourth quarter comeback gives LA a 3-1 lead. It appeared that the Golden State Warriors were going to run away with Game 4 after being up nearly double digits in the third quarter, but LeBron James and Co. stormed back late to win 104-101. Los Angeles outscored Golden State 27-17 in the final 12 minutes, led by Lonnie Walker’s 15 points in the final frame, while LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Austin Reaves all scored 20+ points in the victory. The series now heads back to the Bay Area with Golden State down 3-1. Could we see the Warriors get revenge after blowing a 3-1 lead to LeBron and the Cavs in 2016?

Today we have two NHL games scheduled. The Carolina Hurricanes will look to bounce back after an 8-4 loss to New Jersey in Game 3, and the Stars will look to even the series after a 7-2 loss to Seattle in Game 3.

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

Money Line Trends

• Carolina Hurricanes- 6-3 overall in postseason, 2-2 as the away team

• New Jersey Devils- 5-5 overall in postseason, 3-2 as the home team, 3-0 in last three home games

• Dallas Stars- 5-4 overall in postseason, 2-2 as the away team

• Seattle Kraken- 6-4 overall in postseason, 2-2 as the home team

Over/Under Trends

• Carolina Hurricanes- Over is 6-3 in postseason, 3-1 as the away team, 3-0 in the last three games with average total of 8.33

• New Jersey Devils- Over is 6-4 in postseason, 3-2 as the home team with average total of 6.40

• Dallas Stars- Over is 5-4 in postseason, 3-0 in current series with average total of 8.00

• Seattle Kraken- Over is 4-6 in postseason, 2-2 as home team with average total of 7.25

Puck Line Trends

• Carolina Hurricanes- Puck line is 4-5 in postseason, 2-2 as the away team

• New Jersey Devils- Puck line is 5-5 in postseason, 3-2 as the home team, 3-0 in last three home games

• Dallas Stars- Puck line is 4-5 in postseason, 1-3 as the away team

• Seattle Kraken- Puck line is 7-3 in postseason, 2-2 as the home team

Carolina Hurricanes @ New Jersey Devils

• Carolina Hurricanes

  • Teuvo Teravainen (OUT), Andrei Svechnikov (OUT)

• New Jersey Devils

  • Jonathan Bernier (OUT), Ryan Graves (Day-to-Day)

Dallas Stars @Seattle Kraken

• Dallas Stars

  • Miro Heiskanen (Day-to-Day)

• Seattle Kraken

  • Andre Burakovsky (OUT), Daniel Sprong (Day-to-Day), Jared McCann (Day-to-Day)

🐆 The Florida Panthers can’t be stopped. The last team to make the postseason was the same team that many had making a first round exit. However, the Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins in Round 1 and now own a 3-0 series lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Florida is currently in the midst of a six-game win streak, looking to to make seven tonight in a close-out game at home.

🥊 Golden Knights CRUSH Oilers in Game 3. The Vegas Golden Knights stole Game 3 on the road after a dominant 5-1 win over the Oilers on Monday night. Vegas went down 1-0 just three minutes into the first period, but quickly roared back with five unanswered goals. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference is now up 2-1 against its Pacific Division rival and 6-2 overall in the postseason.

🎰 Chicago wins the draft lottery. The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL Draft Lottery last night, giving the franchise the No.1 overall pick in the upcoming June 28th draft. Chicago had the third-highest odds for the No.1 pick at 11.5%, beating out teams with better odds such as the Anaheim Ducks (25.0%) and Columbus Blue Jackets (13.5%). The Blackhawks have only picked first overall once in franchise history, and that came in 2007 when they drafted Patrick Kane, who was coincidentally traded earlier this season to the New York Rangers. Conor Bedard is expected to be selected first overall. Sorry, Ducks fans.

There are 15 MLB games scheduled to take place this evening. However, due to some gaps in the early-season data our models have produced predictions for 12 of today’s matchups.

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

Money Line Trends

• Tampa Bay Rays- 29-7 overall this season, 8-3 against division opponents (Play AL East rival Baltimore today)

• Los Angeles Angels- 10-7 as the home team this season, 6-1 when Shohei Ohtani is the starting pitcher

Over/Under Trends

• Cleveland Guardians- Under is 22-12-1 this season, 11-5 as the home team

• Oakland Athletics- Over is 22-12-1 this season, 13-4-1 as the away team

Run Line Trends

• Tampa Bay Rays- Run line is23-13 overall this season, 9-4 as an away favorite

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

👏 Mitch Keller throws complete game, ends Pirates losing streak. The Pittsburgh Pirates were in the midst of a brutal seven-game losing streak heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Rockies. However, Mitch Keller DOMINATED on the mound and finally got Pittsburgh back in the win column with a stellar night on the mound. Keller pitched all nine innings, allowing four hits, zero runs, and tallying eight strikeouts in a game that took just 1 hour and 55 minutes.

🎉 Cardinals win in Contreras’ homecoming. The St. Louis Cardinals grabbed their 12th win of the season last night in a 3-1 victory over the Cubs. It was the first time that catcher Wilson Contreras returned to Wrigley Field since signing a 5-year, $87.5 million contract in the offseason to join St. Louis. Contreras has had his name in the news recently as the Cardinals announced he would no longer the team’s catcher, instead playing outfield or being the designated hitter.

👍 Justin Fields looking good early on. Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is garnering some praise from the Bears coaching staff. Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy stated that Fields is “light years ahead” of where he was last season, giving the franchise a tremendous amount of hope that its young QB can get the organization back to its winning ways. The Bears currently own the second most wins in NFL history with 786, but have won only nine games combined in the last two seasons while going above .500 three times since 2010.

👀 Bronny James is going to college. Bronny James, son of LeBron James, announced his commitment to USC late last week. James’ final three schools were USC, Oregon, and Ohio State, but he ultimately decided to join the Trojans and stay close to home. The Trojans were a No.10 seed in this year’s March Madness tournament and lost to Michigan State in Round 1, but will now add three top-40 recruits, including No.1 overall recruit Isaiah Collier, to the roster.

🏈 Andy Dalton named starter for Carolina. The start of the NFL season is still several months away, but as of right now No.1 overall pick Bryce Young is not the starting QB for the Panthers. Carolina GM Scott Fitterer announced that Andy Dalton is currently the starting signal caller, saying that the organization will “wait until the time is right” to give the reigns to Young. Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy and threw 80 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his time with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

🎓 Ray Allen graduates college. Former University of Connecticut and NBA star Ray Allen graduated college over the weekend, nearly 25 years after leaving the Huskies program for the NBA. Allen went back to school to finish his degree after a terrific NBA career, receiving his degree inGeneral Studies at the age of 47.

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. The Dallas Cowboys have been known as “America’s Team” for several decades now, likely stemming from Dallas having 20 consecutive winning seasons beginning in 1966. However, the Cowboys have not had nearly as much success in recent years, bringing that nickname into question. When was the last time Dallas won an NFC Championship?

2. Roger Bannister is most known for being the first person to ever run a mile in under four minutes, running 3:59.40 on May 6th, 1954. At the time that was a World Record, but what is World Record for the mile today?

3. Back in the day golf balls were actually smooth. It wasn’t until someone realized that the older, more beat up golf balls were the balls traveling further that the idea of creating dimples on the ball came to life. How many dimple are on the average golf ball?

4. In today’s NBA there is a franchise named the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming an official NBA team in 2008. However, the Thunder were located in an entirely different city and had a different name prior to 2008. What was the original team name?

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

On May 9th…

1961- Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles collects nine RBI’s in one game, eight of which came from grand slams. Gentile was a three-time All-Star in his career, with 1961 being his best season as he tallied 46 home runs and 141 EBI’s in 148 games.

2009- American Basketball Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly passes awy from pancreatic cancer at the age of 78. Daly was best known for his time as head coach with the Detroit Pistons, where he won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990, but he was also on the coaching staff for the 76ers, Cavaliers, Nets, and Magic in his career.

2010- Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden throws a perfect game in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Braden became the 19th pitcher in MLB history to accomplish the feat, and at just 26 years old was the youngest pitcher since Mike Witt (1984) to throw a perfect game. To make the accomplishment even cooler, Braden claims that he was hungover for the game after going out the night before the game.

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1. 1996

2. 3:43.13

3. 336

4. Seattle Supersonics