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Friday’s Best MLB, NBA & NHL Bets (4/28)

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No matter your sport of choice, there's always sports betting action to be had. We'll have you covered each and every day with our daily best bets. Here are all of our best bets across each major sport in action today.

Today's Best Bets

Here are today's best bets.

MLB Best Bets

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Seattle Mariners NRFI (-110 @ Caesars)

Friday will feature some really great pitching matchups, and I think that this game takes the cake for the best one, with Luis Castillo facing off against Alek Manoah.

Manoah has admittedly struggled to begin the 2023 season, but I think most of that can be accounted for by his adjustments to the new pace of play regulations. Manoah's last start was his best one by far, tossing seven innings of shutout ball in only 85 pitches against the Yankees, allowing only two hits and one walk. That outing was much more representative of the fringe Cy Young candidate that we saw last season when he ranked above the 70th percentile in average exit velo, hard hit%, barrel%, xERA, xSLG, and BB%. I expect Manoah to round into form as he becomes more comfortable with the new rules. I love his matchup today against a slightly underwhelming Mariners lineup that ranks 20th or worse in baseball in BA, OPS, SLG, OBP, and HR.

On the other side, Luis Castillo has continued to be one of the best pitchers that the MLB has to offer. He boasts a stellar 1.52 ERA (2.72 xERA isn't too shabby, either) with a 0.81 WHIP, with nearly all of his metrics rating off the charts. He ranks in the 70th percentile or better in xBA, xSLG, xERA, barrel%, whiff%, chase rate, K%, and BB%. The Blue Jays do have a pretty formidable top of the batting order, but I like the fact that Castillo is right-handed to help neutralize some of those sluggers. I foresee a fantastic pitching matchup between two top-of-the-rotation arms, and I think the names in each respective lineup are offering some extra value at this price.

-Austin MacMillan

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NBA Playoffs Best Bets

Memphis Grizzlies at Los Angeles Lakers

Playing at home, in an elimination game, as a 4.5-point favorite, the Lakers should take care of business tonight. But don't count out the two-seed with some fight left.

Tillman hasn't exactly been great this series, with one 22-point effort but otherwise staying in the shadows. He averaged 10-plus points a game over the final two months of the season, so he should regress back to that, and 8.5 points for his prop is simply too low.

I feel similarly about Jackson Jr. and see his minutes get a small boost, especially if this game is close late. He's a consistent double-figure scorer, so I feel solid about his ability to reach 18 points.

And how can you not bet a LeBron James prop in this game, right? I will be putting one unit on each play.

-Cameron Lynch

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NHL Playoffs Best Bets

Carolina Hurricanes (+100) at New York Islanders (-120) | Total 5.5

    • Leg 1: Carolina +100
    • Leg 2: Under 5.5 goals
    • Leg 3: Brent Burns anytime goalscorer
    • Odds: +1100

The Islanders brought the series back home in a 3-2 victory in Raleigh in Game 5. But it's safe to say New York was a little fortunate to keep the series alive. Isles fans won't complain, though, as they'd argue their team was probably due for some good fortune in this series.

That being said, Carolina pretty much dominated at 5-on-5 play, holding 63% of possession, doubling New York in scoring chances and out-shooting the Islanders 36-22. The difference came down to special teams and goaltending. The Canes went 0-for-4 on the power play, and Ilya Sorokin stood on his head in the win. Sorokin let in two goals on 36 shots, despite being expected to give up 3.95 goals, according to MoneyPuck.com.

Game 5 was an example of the difference an elite goaltender can make in an already tight series. Sorokin could easily steal another game and send this series to a seventh game. But I suspect Carolina will be able to drive play and convert on more chances in Game 6.

This series has been tight the whole way, so another 3-2 game feels on the horizon. For my goal scorer prop, I'll go a little bolder and take Brent Burns, who hasn't scored a goal despite leading the team with 22 shots in the series. Carolina will need to pepper pucks on Sorokin, and it starts with Burns shooting from the point.

-Matt Barbato

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