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 MLB, with our model focusing in on one of those predictions in our Featured Matchup. That prediction went 1-0 overall, and you can see how the rest of the model performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 10-4

Over/Under Predictions: 8-6

Run Line Predictions: 5-9

Featured Matchup: 1-0

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

Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Model Predicts- Cavaliers ML, OVER 207.5, Magic +4.5

The Orlando Magic will make the journey north to Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday for what will be the official start of the NBA postseason.

Orlando enters this afternoon’s matchup fresh off one of its best regular season’s in a long time, posting a 47-35 record and notching the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Orlando’s opponent will be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who won just one more game than the Magic, ending the regular season with a 48-34 record.

Not much separated the Magic and Cavaliers in the regular season, and as a result our model believes the Magic have been given too many points in this game. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Orlando Magic

• Enter postseason on small losing skid

  • Lost four of final six regular season games

  • All losses came on the road (Hornets, Rockets, Bucks, 76ers)

• Playing on road has been issue for most of season

  • 18-23 on road this season with -3.5 Net Rating

  • For comparison, went 29-12 at home with +7.8 Net Rating (top-six in wins and Net Rating)

• Injuries- No players listed on injury report

Cleveland Cavaliers

• Ended regular season with solid numbers, but struggled down home stretch

  • Ranked 12th in Net Rating (+2.5), 7th in Defensive Rating (112.1)

  • Slow end to season- 3-4 record in last seven games

• Come into postseason with little momentum after collapsing post All-star break

  • Pre All-Star break- 36-17 record (.679), ranked 4th in Net Rating (+5.8)

  • Post All-Star break- 12-17 record (.414), ranked 22nd in Net Rating (-3.6)

• Injuries- Dean Wade, Craig Porter, and Ty Jerome are all OUT

What’s the Play?

The good news is that all the star players for both teams are healthy to begin what should be a great series. As a result, we think Orlando can keep things close this afternoon despite some struggles on the road this season.

Cleveland’s late season collapse is a big concern entering the postseason. Offensive struggles played the largest role in in the blunder, as the Cavaliers saw their Offensive Rating dip 4.2 points post All-star break, a 29-game stretch in which Cleveland averaged only 108.5 points per game (23rd in NBA). Meanwhile, Orlando got much stronger after the All-Star break, posting a 17-10 record and +4.7 Net Rating (8th in NBA).

The Magic may be younger and significantly less experienced in the postseason, but they are the healthier team and enter this series with much more momentum on their side. Our model believes Cleveland should only be about a one-point favorite here, so we’ll back Orlando on the spread.

The Play: Magic +4.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Minnesota Timberwolves- 56-26 overall this season, 30-11 as the home team

• New York Knicks- 50-32 overall this season, 27-14 as the home team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Philadelphia 76ers- Over is 44-39 this season, 22-19 as the away team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Orlando Magic- 51-31 against the spread (ATS) this season, 24-19 ATS as an underdog

• Philadelphia 76ers- 48-35 ATS this season, 24-17 as the away team

🔥 Heat blowout Bulls, will face Celtics in Round 1. The Miami Heat dominated the Chicago Bulls 112-91 in the play-in tournament, securing the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Tyler Herro nearly achieved a triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, setting up a playoff rematch with the Boston Celtics, marking the fourth meeting in the last five postseasons. Despite a strong start from Chicago, Miami's 19 unanswered points in the first quarter established a lead that the Bulls couldn't overcome, with DeMar DeRozan leading Chicago with 22 points in a losing effort.

💪 Pelicans take down Kings to secure final playoff spot in West. Despite missing Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans secured a playoff spot by defeating the Sacramento Kings 105-98 in a play-in tournament game. Brandon Ingram led with 24 points, while Jonas Valanciunas contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Pelicans displayed a balanced effort, with six players scoring in double digits, including key contributions from their bench, and will now face the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1.

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- Who is the Chicago Cubs franchise leader in home runs, hitting 545 in his Cubs career?

Question #2- Tony Parker played a majority of his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs, but what team did he play for from 2018-19 before his retirement?

Question #3- What current NBA franchise has the fewest playoff appearances?

Anyone know what has happened on April 20th throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but it appears that it has been a busy day.

On April 20th…

1988- The Baltimore Orioles begin the season 0-14. The losing streak set a new MLB record for the most losses to begin a season, with the Orioles being outscored 87-28 in that span. Baltimore would begin the season 0-21.

1996- The Chicago Bulls win 72 games in the regular season. The performance set a new NBA record for wins in a season, breaking the previous record of 69 held by the 1971-72 Lakers. Chicago’s record would stand until the 2015-16 season, the year the Golden State Warriors won 73 games.

2002- Fresno State quarterback David Carr is selected with the No.1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Carr was selected by the Houston Texans, a result of being named an All-American in 2001. Carr would play for the Texans until 2006, and would also suit up for the Panthers, Giants, and 49ers in his career.

1. Sammy Sosa

2. Charlotte Hornets

3. New Orleans Pelicans