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Saturday’s Best Bets: UFC 287, NBA, MLB & NHL Picks (4/8)

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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.

UFC 287 Picks

Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya

Make no mistake, Adesanya could very well get caught again late here. If it should get there, which I don't think it does, I do expect a world-class fighter in Izzy to have learned from his mistakes and draw this one into a constant clinch.

Best Bet: Israel Adesanya (-135)

  • Johnny Perun

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NBA Picks

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs' season is long over. They've been firmly entrenched as Victor Wembanyama hopefuls since the onset of the season, and secured top draft lottery odds some time ago. In contrast, the Wolves are fighting every game for postseason positioning, and have a sliver of a chance of escaping the play-in were they to win their final two games of the season. Nevertheless, the circumstances/ importance of this game for Minnesota does not necessarily give them an edge on the court.

Minnesota is no doubt the better team, and they are generally worthy of being double-digit favorites. However, the thing about the Wolves is that they tend to play to the level of their competition.

Chris Finch's squad has some noteworthy wins on their recent resume (at Golden State and at Sacramento stand out of late), but they also own some of the worst losses in the NBA on their card. Look no further than this past Sunday: the Timberwolves hosted Portland as -19.5 point favorites, a crucial game for the home team, and lost the game outright. The team has also dropped games to Houston and Orlando, as well as Washington, Charlotte, and Detroit each twice- Oh, and versus these same Spurs way back in October.

I don't mean for the basis of my argument to simply be Minnesota's record against lesser teams, but their resume against such teams is compelling. At this point, and especially so after their most recent loss to Portland, it is an undisputed fact that the Wolves keep their foot off of the gas when they know they should win. Perhaps them knowing how crucial each waning win is lights a fire in them but, in that same vein, they may be looking ahead to a far more crucial game against New Orleans on Sunday.

Let's also talk about the Spurs for a moment. San Antonio will be without some of their best players in Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan, but they've been without them for some time now, and their replacements have been adequate enough. The team still has strong enough depth to keep things frisky as a big underdog, as exhibited clearly by their outright win in Sacramento as +16 point underdogs last week.

This is far form my favorite play of the season, but this number is far too steep given the damning reputation of the Wolves. Back the Spurs to at least keep it a game in their home finale, and hope that Minnesota is looking ahead to a crucial battle with the Pelicans.

Bet: Timberwolves +13.5 (-110)

  • Jason Radowitz

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MLB Best Bets

Boston Red Sox (-130) vs. Detroit Tigers (+110) | O/U 8.5 (+100/-120)

The Red Sox and Tigers had a built-in day off Friday after Boston spoiled Detroit's home opener Thursday afternoon. The Sox will go for their second straight victory today when they turn to Tanner Houck to handle the starting pitching responsibilities. The Tigers counter with Joey Wentz in this American League showdown set for 4:10 p.m. ET from Comerica Park in Detroit.

I'm riding with the Red Sox on the moneyline in this one. For starters, they've been excellent offensively this season, ranking fifth in runs scored (41) and 11th in both team batting average (.256) and OPS (.782). Furthermore, they get even better against left-handed pitching, where they're sixth in average (.319) and eighth in OPS (.841). Boston's running into the southpaw Wentz, who is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.

Ultimately, these offenses are on completely different tracks, as Detroit is 29th in team batting average (.201) and 30th in OPS (.558). With the Red Sox having an edge both offensively and in pitching, they should be able to take care of business on the road in this one.

Bet: Boston Red Sox Moneyline (-130)

  • Trenton Pruitt

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NHL Best Bets

Colorado Avalanche (-130) vs. Los Angeles Kings (+110) | O/U 6 (-120/+110)

The Kings' talented offense has dipped in the last couple of games. The absence of Kevin Fiala and Gabriel Vilardi has hurt their puck movement, and they've scored three goals in the previous two games. They will have to rely more on their defense that's allowing just 28.1 shots.

The Avalanche are also dealing with injuries, and Artturi Lehkonen and Cal Makar will be sidelined for this game. What kept this team in contention is that the available players have stepped up. This team will contend as long as they have Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the ice.

The Kings have two wins against the Avalanche this year, but missing some of your best forwards has recently made an impact and will again. The Avs have been playing with injuries all season and have played well.

Pick: Avalanche moneyline (-130)

  • John Supwitz

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