Navigate

Wednesday’s Best MLB, NBA & NHL Bets (4/17)

by |

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 our best bets across each major sport in action today.

Today's Best Bets

MLB Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Cincinnati Reds @ Seattle Mariners

Starting Pitchers: Andrew Abbott vs. Bryce Miller

The Reds need to salvage a win on Wednesday to avoid a sweep at T-Mobile Park. Manager David Bell will hand the ball to starter Andrew Abbott (1-1, 2.60 ERA) in hopes he'll get the job done. Seattle will trust starter Bryce Miller (2-1, 1.96) to build momentum with another great outing. Zero runs were put on the board in the first inning of Tuesday's matchup, and bettors should expect a repeat outcome.

An NRFI bet has cashed in all three of Miller's starts this year and in 13 of the Mariners' 18 games so far. The young hurler also pitched a scoreless first inning in his lone start against Cincinnati in 2023 and sports a career ERA of 3.59 at home. Add in the fact that the Reds have scored a total of two first-inning runs across 17 games, and this portion of the bet lines up as a smash. Miller has the clear upper hand.

The same thing can be said about Abbott. All but one hitter on the Mariners roster has yet to face the Virginia native, which is a notable disadvantage. Abbott focuses on finesse rather than power, meaning he regularly confuses hitters the first time around. The fact that he is a southpaw helps his case even more. Seattle has posted the seventh-worst batting average (.222) and has tallied only five extra-base hits in 144 at-bats against left-handed pitching.

Bet: NRFI (-130)

Check out our other MLB Odds, Picks & Predictions:

NBA Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of ESPN BET)

Miami Heat @ Philadelphia 76ers

While the Miami Heat defeated the 76ers in two of four games in the regular season, the wins for Miami came earlier in the season. The 76ers won the last two games. However, all four games between these two teams finished with a deficit of no more than seven points.

Lately, the 76ers have ramped up the defense. No team has scored over 111.9 points per 100 possessions in seven consecutive games. Meanwhile, the offense hasn't been anywhere close to elite. Philadelphia is good at limiting turnovers and typically gets to the line a lot when Joel Embiid is on the floor. That should help the offense perform at a better rate than they have lately.

On the other hand, the Heat had two successful games against the Raptors to finish the season. Still, we can't put too much weight into those games, knowing Toronto isn't even a top-10 team in the Eastern Conference. That said, the Heat have been much more consistent on the defensive end. They're not fouling at a high rate and have held four of their last six opponents to an effective field goal percentage of no better than 54.2%.

While I think 5.5 points are a bit much for the 76ers, I feel more comfortable backing both defenses in this game for the 7-seed. Take the Under 207.5 (-105).

Bet: Under 207.5 (-110)

Check out our other NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions:

NHL Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Edmonton Oilers @ Arizona Coyotes

Not only will the Coyotes (75 points) not make the postseason, but this will be the final professional hockey game played in the greater Phoenix area for the foreseeable future. As for the Oilers (104 points), they're locked into the second seed in the Pacific Division, where they'll have home ice against either the Golden Knights or the Kings. This Western Conference matchup is set for 10:00 p.m. ET from the Mullet Arena in Tempe, Ariz. 

These two teams just squared off on Friday, and it was the Yotes who secured a 3-2 overtime victory. I think goals will be at a premium once again tonight, so I'll play the under 6.5 goals. It's a similar thought process to the St. Louis/Dallas game above, where it looks like Edmonton has been tightening things up as they near the playoffs. Six of their last eight games have featured six goals or fewer. Over their last 10 games, the Oilers are allowing only 2.3 goals per contest. 

Edmonton will look to shut down an Arizona offense that's a middle-of-the-pack 15th in both overall offense (3.1 GPG) and on the power play (21.76%). As for the Coyotes, they've been much better at home this season, going 21-19-0. They'll likely send Connor Ingram to the crease, and he owns a 2.60 GAA and .915 SV% at home this year. He also leads the league with six shutouts. Let's play the under for the final hockey game in The Valley. 

Bet: Under 6.5 (-120)

Check out our other NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions:

Try Premium for FREE in our mobile app

BettingPros App