Saturday’s Best MLB, NBA, NHL, Horse Racing & WNBA Bets (5/20)

by BettingPros Staff |
May 20, 2023

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

Kansas City Royals (+146) vs. Chicago White Sox (-174) | O/U 9.0 (-105/-115)

The White Sox didn't need much offense in last night's 2-0 win over the Royals thanks to a dominant 8.0-inning outing from Michael Kopech. The divisional foes are back at it this afternoon at 2:10 p.m. ET from Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, IL.

Today's pitching matchup pits journeyman Jordan Lyles against Chicago's Lucas Giolito. Lyles, who's on his eighth career team, hasn't had a memorable debut season with Kansas City. The right-hander is 0-7 with a 7.14 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over nine starts. The team is 0-9 in his outings this year, losing on the run line in eight of them. I'll take the slight plus-money payout that comes with the Sox to cover the 1.5 runs in this one.

In addition to his poor statistics, Lyles does not have quality numbers against the White Sox. The current roster is slashing .283/.339/.528 with six homers and eight doubles over 106 at-bats against him. We saw this exact pitching matchup on May 9th, and the Sox won 4-2. Interestingly, Lyles threw a complete game (9.0 IP) but gave up all four earned runs on six hits.

Luckily, this game will be back in Chicago, where Giolito owns a 2.45 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 25.2 IP. All things considered, I think Chicago will stretch out their lead to at least two runs in this spot.

Bet: Chicago White Sox -1.5 (+108)

-Trenton Pruitt

Check out our other MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions:

NBA Playoffs Best Bets

Nikola Jokic OVER 53.5 Points/Rebounds/Assist (-111)

The Nuggets continue to dominate in the playoffs as, once again, they capture the first two games at home. In this series, they've been able to physically outplay the Lakers on both ends and come out with two wins, even with LeBron James and Anthony Davis putting up great individual performances.

What Nikola Jokic has been doing throughout the playoffs needs to be noted. He has seven triples out of 13 games, including four straight. He doesn't do this against inferior talent - he's matched up Deandre Ayton, Anthony Davis, and Rudy Gobert. It's tough to double-team someone as great as Jokic because he has no problem dishing it out to other dependable options. It will be hard to stop him when he can put up these numbers against a good defensive opponent.

-John Supowitz

Check out our other NBA Playoffs Best Bets:

NHL Playoffs Best Bets

Anthony Duclair OVER 0.5 Points (+105)

If you were able to catch that entire game, then you certainly watched a classic. In one of the longest games in playoff history, Matthew Tkachuk was able to shoot it past Frederik Andersen with 13 seconds left in the fourth overtime to secure the Game 1 win.

The Panthers have a ton of offensive options, but someone who isn't getting talked about much is Anthony Duclair. He's a journeyman right winger who broke out with Panthers last season. He spent most of the year recovering from surgery but has been great in the playoffs with eight points (2G 8A) and at least a point in four of his last six. He's been great on that top line, and he'll continue his contributions tonight.

-John Supowitz

Check out our other NHL Playoffs Best Bets:

WNBA Best Bets

Dallas Wings vs. Atlanta Dream

Women's basketball has grown tremendously over the last year. That is mainly due to college players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. Hopefully, that excitement will carry over to the WNBA this season because the league is at an all-time high of talented players.

One of the best bets today is the Atlanta Dream to beat the Dallas Wings. Last season the Dream went 2-1 against the Wings, and the one loss was the last basketball game of the season. The Dream has a balanced offense that will make it difficult for the Wings to stop them defensively. That will be the difference maker in this game.

Bet: Atlanta Dream Moneyline (+128)

-Cameron Lynch

WNBA Best Bets Picks, & Predictions: Saturday (5/20)

Preakness Stakes Best Bets

Best Bets to Win

I intentionally wrote best "bets" here, as I'm going to take two bets on a win ticket in this small field. Mage is definitely a horse I will be using on top. His Kentucky Derby victory remains impressive weeks later. But unlike in that race, I don't suspect Mage will need to come back from 13 lengths behind to win. While I don't think Mage will set the pace, he probably has the best speed in this field and shouldn't be far behind the anticipated pace-setter Coffeewithchris at the half-mile mark.

After sleeping on him in the Kentucky Derby, Mage has earned my respect and should get another great run from Javier Castellano. The only question is whether Mage has another great performance in him off a short two-week break against a field that enters the race more rested.

The other horse I'll be backing to win is National Treasure. That's right, I'm backing Bob Baffert in his return from suspension. National Treasure drew the rail in post positioning, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Jockey John Velazquez will have no choice but to get this horse going early to avoid getting pinned on the inside. The good news is that National Treasure has the ability to start fast, settle in, and kick on the after burners down the stretch.

This race could come down to whether Mage has enough left in the tank to chase down National Treasure down the stretch. For that reason, I'll trust that one of the two gets the job done.

Best Exotic Bets

As you could probably assume, I'm going to take an exacta featuring National Treasure on top and Mage in second. If you want to hedge a bit, I have no problem putting a little less on an exacta with Mage in first and National Treasure in second. An exacta with Mage on top will give you a bit more value on the favorite too.

Now, how about those deeper vertical wagers? As far as trifectas go, I will use a combination of Mage and National Treasure atop my tickets, with the 6 and 8 horses on the bottom. I also think the 6 horse Perform could be a long shot to watch if you're seeking a loftier wager. He can stalk from behind and has enough closing speed to make a run at the board.

-Matt Barbato

Check out the entire 2023 Preakness Stakes Betting Guide for more bets>>

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