Thursday’s Best MLB, NBA, NHL & WNBA Bets (5/25)

by Kelly Kirby |
May 25, 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

Baltimore Orioles (+112) at New York Yankees (-132) | O/U 9 (-115/-105)

The Orioles staged a comeback last night, scoring eight runs in the seventh inning to set up this rubber match. Kyle Gibson will try to get the series win for the O's, and he's been having one of his better seasons in a while; his 0.9 WAR is his second-best from the last six seasons. We have seen some regression from him in May, as he's 1-3 with a 4.74 ERA. His expected batting average and slugging against have also dipped below the 30th percentile.

The Yankees are moving up the power rankings and are trying to win their fifth straight series. They'll send Clarke Schmidt to the mound to help get them there. After a horrendous April, he's been pitching much better in May, allowing two or fewer runs in three of his four starts. He has also only given up one home run, as opposed to seven in the previous month. He has strikeout-quality stuff but still lacks control over his pitches and gives up too many walks.

This has been a high-scoring series, and I don't expect that to change in the finale.

Pick: Over 9 (-115)

-John Supowitz

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NBA Playoffs Best Bets

Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics

The Celtics got up off of the mat in Game 4, and they should keep the momentum rolling on their home floor.

I get it. No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the history of the NBA Playoffs (and I'm not necessarily endorsing Boston to do so), but these Celtics do not fit the profile of the typical team on the verge of losing the series. By many metrics, Boston was the NBA's best team this year, rating first in Adjusted Net Rating and Pts/Poss differential in the regular season. And, once again, in Game 4, they looked like that same team.

Their underperformance in these playoffs is legit, and they are clearly at a disadvantage on the coaching front. But, the talent gap between these two teams is inarguable. Miami has been playing well above their means thus far in the postseason, improving greatly on their season-long offensive ratings.

During the regular season, the Heat ranked 25th in Offensive Pts/Poss (113.3), 25th in eFG% (53.1%), and 27th in 3P% (34.4%). This postseason, their metrics would slot them 7th in Offensive Pts/Poss (117.1), tied 11th in eFG% (55.3%), and 4th in 3P% (38%)... all despite losing their third-leading scorer and best 3P shooter in Tyler Herro.

I've watched enough of Miami these playoffs to recognize how well they're playing, but to play this far above their demonstrated ability during the regular season is ridiculous. There is certainly some degree of variance attributed to the Heat's magical run, and the Celtics have re-secured momentum as these teams return to TD Garden for Game 5.

Boston had their chances to both win and cover on their home floor early in the series. Look for them to capitalize on this opportunity Thursday night.

Bet: Celtics -8 (-110)

-Tommy Jurgens

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NHL Playoffs Best Bets

Vegas Golden Knights (+108) at Dallas Stars (-125) | O/U 5.5 (-107/-114)

After winning each of the first three matchups in this series, the Vegas Golden Knights can clinch a berth to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in their mere six years of existence. That is exactly what we are going to back them to do as they look to complete the sweep of the Dallas Stars in Game 4.

Dallas' season has, obviously, fallen apart in this series, but Game 3 was the perfect embodiment of this collapse. Not only did the Stars lose 4-0 in a game that was never competitive, but we saw the ugly side of failure with fans throwing stuff on the ice, dirty cross-checks that will lead to a suspension, and a bad slash by Max Domi that led to a $5,000 fine on Wednesday morning, the largest amount possible under the current CBA.

Going back to the dirty cross-check, Jamie Benn delivered a gross cross-check to the face/neck area of a downed Mark Stone, leading to Benn's ejection. Although the punishment has yet to be handed down from the league at the time of writing, he will surely be suspended for at least Game 4 and, most likely, Game 5 as well if the series reaches that point.

Not only will Dallas miss Benn in Game 4, but Evgenii Dadonov is also expected to remain sidelined due to an injury sustained in Game 3. The Stars are going to be missing two key forwards from their middle six, which will likely be the final nail in the coffin for a team that looked utterly lifeless in their 4-0 defeat on Tuesday.

Lastly, goaltender Jake Oettinger is slated to take the crease for Dallas, and it has shockingly been a disastrous past two rounds for the typically excellent netminder. Over the past two rounds, Oettinger is 4-6 with a .870 SV% and 3.79 GAA.

I do not see a single positive that the Stars can take from Game 3, and this series is likely over.

Best Bet: Golden Knights ML (+108)

-Tony Sartori

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WNBA Best Bets

Las Vegas Aces at Los Angeles Sparks

Kelsey Plum leads the Las Vegas Aces. They defeated Seattle, 105-64, in the first game of the season behind Plum's 23 points on 50% shooting. Las Vegas shot nearly 55% from the field as a team and hit 61% from downtown in that game against the Storm.

They also dominated on the glass, earning 50 rebounds. Meanwhile, the Storm brought down 32 rebounds and shot just 32.1% from the field.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Sparks are also 1-0. Nneka Ogwumike added 17 points for the Sparks in their win against Phoenix. The Mercury are already 0-2, so a win over Phoenix isn't something to celebrate. However, a 23-point win is never easy in any league.

The Sparks still shot just 39.7% from the field. They also added only 32 rebounds. Los Angeles found a way to get to the foul line at a very high rate. The Sparks shot 93.1% from the foul line over 29 attempts. Las Vegas only had 14 personal fouls in their win against the Storm, so don't count on the Sparks to get to the foul line at a high rate.

I've got Las Vegas earning a massive win again.

Bet: Las Vegas Aces -13.5 (-110)

-Jason Radowitz

WNBA Best Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions

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