NBA Play-In Tournament Best Bets, NHL Picks Tuesday April 15th

Variety is the spice of life, and for us, that means having your pucks and your buckets, too. So, let’s add a little spice to our daily best bets by talking a little hockey along with the NBA.

NBA Best Bets

Orlando -5 (-110)
Golden State -7 (-110)
Parlay Odds: +264

Atlanta likes to outscore opponents rather than play defense, but they’ll need to focus on defense somewhat against a solid Orlando Magic team. The Magic’s defense will keep the Atlanta offense in check, so if the Hawks do not figure out some way to stop Franz Wagner and/or Paolo Banchero from scoring, ATL will be in trouble.

I don’t think Atlanta is capable of stepping up its defense.

As for Golden State vs. Memphis, you have one team (the Warriors) stacked with veteran talent and a coach who knows how to win this time of year. In the other, you have a group still looking for an identity after losing their head coach midseason.

The only thing that can stop Steph Curry and the Warriors in this game will be Steph Curry and the Warriors. They’ll easily cover this spread.

A $100 wager will result in a $364 payday — your stake ($100) plus $264 in winnings.

Ja Morant to record 3+ made 3-pointers (+100)
I do believe the Warriors will beat the Grizzlies, but I don’t think Ja Morant will go down without a fight. He’s been deadly from 3-point range in April, hitting three or more in four of five games. He went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc when the Grizzlies played the Warriors on April 1.

He’ll get at least three in this game.

Trae Young UNDER 10.5 assists (-154)
Young led the league this season with 11.6 assists per game, but Orlando’s stifling defense will make it hard for him to dish to teammates in scoring position. In three previous games vs. Orlando, he had eight, six and 10. He’ll finish with under 10.5 in this game.

NHL Best Bets

Devils (-1.5) vs. Bruins (+120), o/u 5.5

New Jersey has its playoff spot locked up, but the Devils will want to get back on the right side of the scoreboard after losing their last three games. Boston has been playing decent hockey with wins in three of its last five, but the Bruins seldom win back-to-back games this year.

These teams played a week ago, and Boston dominated 7–2. But I think we’ll see a Devils team looking to get right before the playoffs get underway.

Our pick: Devils ML (-142)

Kings (-1.5) vs. Kraken (-105), o/u 5.5

The Kraken have already been eliminated from the playoffs, and the Kings have pretty much locked up their seed after a dominant 5–0 win over Edmonton on Monday night. So, I’d expect the Kings not to be too concerned with winning this game, choosing to rest key players instead.

Look for Seattle to take advantage of the situation and get a win over the playoff-bound Kings.

Our pick: Kraken ML (-105)