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: 0-1

Over/Under Predictions: 0-1

Spread Predictions: 0-1

3-star Predictions: 0-1

Money Line Predictions: 0-1

Over/Under Predictions: 0-1

Puck Line Predictions: 1-0

3-star Predictions: 0-0

Money Line Predictions: 4-2

Over/Under Predictions: 6-0

Run Line Predictions: 4-2

3-star Predictions: 0-0

There is one NBA game scheduled to take place with evening, with that matchup being Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami currently leads the series 3-0 and is one win away from returning to the NBA Finals.

Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat

Model Predicts- Celtics ML, OVER 216 , Celtics +1.5

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat will face off in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night, with Miami being one win away from making its second NBA Finals appearance since 2020.

Miami has taken control of this series, stealing both games in Boston and winning by 26 points on its home court in Game 3. Will we see the Heat continue to play at this elite level, or will Boston figure things out and keep its season alive?

Boston Celtics

The No.2 overall seed in the Eastern Conference looked poised to return to the NBA Finals for a second year in a row after defeating Atlanta in Round 1 and Philadelphia in Round 2. However, the Boston is now on the ropes after dropping the first three games in this series.

Boston’s play on the defensive end appears to be the main problem at the moment. According to NBA.com Boston owns a horrific 124.4 Defensive Rating in its series with Miami, 13.4 points higher than its combined rating in Rounds 1 and 2.

That spike can be attributed to Boston’s inability to defend the perimeter, allowing Miami to shoot a blazing 47.8% from behind the arc in the series. That has been combatted by the Celtics shooting just 29.8% from behind the arc, a percentage that clearly isn’t good enough to keep things close against any NBA team.

One area that Boston does have the advantage is on the offensive glass. Boston owns a +17 offensive rebound margin in the series, which included out-rebounding Miami 21 to 1 in Game 3. That has led to a +17 second chance points margin for Boston as well.

It may not look like it, but Boston is doing some things right. It just needs to the three-pointer to start falling in order to get back in the win column.

Miami Heat

Nothing but great things can be said about the Miami Heat. A few weeks ago this team was on the verge of being bounced from the Play-In Tournament, but now finds itself one win away from the NBA Finals.

The success has come through tons of adversity too, making what Miami has done even more impressive. Victor Oladipo went down with a knee injury in Miami’s series against Milwaukee, the same series that Tyler Herro broke his hand in.

Despite being without two players in its backcourt, the Heat have managed to not only tread water, but become the best offensive team in the postseason.

In 82 regular season games the Heat posted a 112.3 Offensive Rating, good enough to be ranked 25th in the NBA. Miami averaged just 109.6 points per game in that time, showing that this team had some tremendous struggles on the offensive end.

However, in 14 postseason games that rating has risen to 117.5, the second best among playoff teams. As previously mentioned it is largely due to Miami’s three-point shooting, which continues to rise even with Herro sidelined.

What’s the Play?

Miami has been spectacular, but this line has now shifted six points from its closing value of 4.5 in Game 3. We’d be a little hesitant to back the model’s prediction of Celtics money line, but we do agree that there is some value on Boston’s spread as an underdog.

The Heat have been unconscious from three in the series, but the level in which Miami is shooting from deep is simply unsustainable. Matching its 47.8% three-point percentage in the series is going to be a tall task, and we think its likely that the Heat start to regress back towards their postseason average of 38.8%.

We get it. It’s hard to trust Boston right now. However, the current line of Heat -1.5 seems to be a slight overcorrection from what it has been the rest of the series, and according to TeamRankings the Heat are just 14-25-2 against the spread as a home favorite this season. As a result, we’ll take the Celtics on the spread like our model says.

3-star play: Celtics +1.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends

• Boston Celtics- 8-8 overall in postseason, 4-3 as the away team

• Miami Heat- 11-3 overall in postseason, 6-0 as the home team

Over/Under Trends

• Boston Celtics- Over is 11-5 in postseason, 6-1 as the away team with average total of 229.71

• Miami Heat- Over is 11-3 overall in postseason, 4-2 as the home team with average total of 212.0

Spread Trends

• Boston Celtics- 8-8 against the spread (ATS) in postseason, 4-3 ATS as the away team

• Miami Heat- 11-3 ATS in postseason, 5-1 ATS as the home team

Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat

• Boston Celtics

  • Danilo Gallinari (OUT)

• Miami Heat

  • Kevin Love (Game Time Decision), Victor Oladipo (OUT), Tyler Herro (OUT)

🧹Lakers collapse in second half, get swept by Nuggets. After two rounds of postseason play it looked like LeBron James and the Lakers had a chance to return to the NBA Finals. However, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets had other plans, finishing off the Lakers in only four games. Los Angeles went into halftime up 15 points thanks to a 31-point first half from LeBron James, but was outscored 55-38 in the second half by Denver. The Lakers scored 39 points in the second quarter alone, further showing the lack of offensive production coming out of the locker room. Denver awaits the winner of the Celtics/Heat series, and LeBron James had this to say after the game…

🎤 Raptors interview Steve Nash, still looking to replace Nick Nurse. The Toronto Raptors are in the hunt for a new head coach after parting ways with Nicks Nurse earlier in the offseason, and it appears that Steve Nash is a candidate for the position. Nash was most recently the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, but left his position as bench boss after Brooklyn opened the season with a 2-5 record. Toronto has also been tied to JJ Redick, Monty Williams, and WNBA head coach Becky Hammon in what has suddenly become a long list of coaching candidates.

There is one NHL game scheduled to take place today, with that matchup being Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars. Vegas leads the series 2-0 after two overtime victories in Games 1 and 2.

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

Money Line Trends

• Vegas Golden Knights- 10-3 overall in postseason, 4-1 as the away team

• Dallas Stars- 8-7 overall in postseason, 5-2 as the home team

Over/Under Trends

• Vegas Golden Knights- Over is 8-5 in postseason, 4-1 as the away team

• Dallas Stars- Over is 9-6 in postseason, 4-3 as the home team

Puck Line Trends

• Vegas Golden Knights- Puck line is 8-5 overall in postseason, 4-1 as the away team

• Dallas Stars- Puck line is 8-7 overall in postseason, 4-3 as the home team

Vegas Golden Knights @ Dallas Stars

• Vegas Golden Knights

  • Laurent Brossoit (OUT)

• Dallas Stars

  • Jani Hakanpaa (Day-to-Day)

🐆 Panthers win Game 3, have chance to sweep Carolina. The Florida Panther continue to defy the odds, beating Carolina 1-0 in regulation last night to go up 3-0 in the series. Florida’s improbably run started back in Round 1, defeating Boston in seven games after being down 3-1 in the series. That momentum allowed the Panthers to beat Toronto in five games, and now the Panthers are winners of nine of their last ten. Game 4 will be played on Wednesday, where will one more win will send Florida to the Stanley Cup Final.

🎤 Penguins will speak to Kyle Dubas. The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking for new additions to the front office after parting ways with Ron Hextall and Brian Burke in April, and former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has thrown his hat into the ring. Dubas was just let go by Toronto last Friday, making this an unprecedented turnaround for a front office position. However, the 37-year-old has stated that he doesn’t see himself anywhere else, citing family as a big reason why.

There are 15 MLB games scheduled to take place today. However, due to some gaps in the early season data, our model has predictions for 12 of today’s matchups.

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

Money Line Trends

• Texas Rangers- 29-18 overall this season, 13-10 as the away team

• Tampa Bay Rays- 35-14 overall this season, 11-7 against division opponents (Play AL East rival Toronto today)

• Houston Astros- 28-19 overall this season, 8-0 in last eight games

Over/Under Trends

• Texas Rangers- Over is 29-16-2 this season, highest win percentage in MLB

• San Diego Padres- Under is 31-14-2 this season, best win percentage in MLB

• Washington Nationals- Under is 24-20-3 this season, 13-11-1 as the home team

• Oakland Athletics- Over is 28-19-2 this season, 16-7-1 as the away team

Run Line Trends

• Baltimore Orioles- Run line is 30-17 overall, 11-2 as a road underdog

• Washington Nationals- Run line is 30-17 overall this season, 28-17 as an underdog

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

💥 Yordan Alvarez has MASSIVE night at the plate. Yordan Alvarez could not be stopped last night, giving the Brewers pitching staff headaches every time he stepped up to the plate. Alvarez went 3-4 in the game with two home runs, one being a grand slam, and five RBI’s, with the home runs coming in the fifth and sixth innings. It was the third time in his career that Alvarez has hit home runs in back-to-back innings, and the Astros are now winners of eight straight games.

🎧 Oakland A’s broadcaster will not return to the booth. Long time Oakland Athletics broadcaster Glen Kuiper will not be returning to the booth following the use of a racial slur live on-air. Kuiper was discussing how him and his partner, Dallas Braden, had recently visited the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum when he said the slur. Here is what Kuiper had to say about his dismissal.

🏟 San Francisco to host Super Bowl 60. The NFL announced that the Super Bowl will be returning to the Bay Area in 2026, with the game set to be played in Levi’s Stadium. Levi’s Stadium is currently the home of the San Francisco 49ers, last hosting a Super Bowl in 2016 when the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers. The 49ers will look to become the third team in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl at their home stadium after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship last season.

💰 Tom Brady set to become part owner of the Raiders. Tom Brady intends to take his talents from the gridiron to the front office, signing a deal to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. The deal is not yet official, but will be if 24 of the league’s owners vote to accept the deal. The deal will make Brady a minority of owner of yet another Las Vegas sports team after joining the Las Vegas Aces ownership group in March.

🔍 NFL investigating more gambling violations. The NFL is cracking down on sports betting within the league. If you recall, five players were suspended last month for violating the NFL’s gambling policies, joining Calvin Ridley as recent players to be suspended for betting on sports. Ridley was reinstated in March and is set to suit up for the 2023 season, but it appears that several more names could receive a ban for the same violations.

🏆 Brooks Kopeka wins the PGA Championship. We’re a day late on this one, but current LIV golfer Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship on Sunday evening, besting PGA golfers Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland by two strokes. The win was Koepka’s fifth major win of his career, becoming the 20th golfer to win at least five majors. It was also his third time winning the PGA Championship and the first time a LIV golfer won a major.

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. Dansby Swanson, current shortstop of the Chicago Cubs, was selected with the No.1 overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, Swanson was also drafted a few years prior in the 38th round before deciding to play baseball at Vanderbilt University. What team originally drafted Swanson?

2. The NFL is no stranger to scandals. From Deflate Gate to players using PED’s, some teams have gone to great lengths to win football games. What NFL franchise is known for “Bounty Gate”, where it placed bounties on opposing offensive players and paid its defensive players more money for injuring those opponents?

3. The 2015 Dallas Cowboys were a mess, winning just four games all season long. The main reason why was because Tony Romo broke his collarbone twice that season, resulting in Dallas going 1-11 overall without their signal caller on the field. As a result, the Cowboys drafted a quarterback in the 106 NFL Draft that would eventually replace Romo. Who was the player?

Anyone know what has happened on May 23rd throughout history? We didn’t have a clue either, but that’s because it was never too exciting of a day.

On May 23rd…

1984- The Detroit Tigers win their 16th straight road game, tying the American League record. The 1984 Tigers were considered by many to be one of the greatest teams in MLB history, going on to finish the 1984 season with 104 wins. That was 15 more wins than any other team in the American League, and Detroit would go on to win the ALCS and eventually the World Series too.

1991- NFL football player Aaron Donals is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Donald would play collegiate football close to home at the University of Pittsburgh before being selected 13th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. He would win Rookie of the Year later that season, the start of a career that would see him become a Super Bowl champion, nine-time Pro Bowl selection, and three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner.

2021- Phil Mickelson becomes the oldest person to win a major tournament with his victory at the PGA Championship. Mickelson ended the weekend six shots under par, two strokes better than Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka. The win marked the sixth major victory for Mickelson, with it being his second PGA Championship and first major win since the Open Championship in 2013.

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1. Colorado Rockies

2. New Orleans Saints

3. Dak Prescott