Picks for 6/16/25
NBA
8:30 EST
Rotation # 510
Thunder -9 over Pacers (win)
It’s next to impossible to find an edge in this series. The Pacers had a golden opportunity to win game four and take a commanding lead in the series, but they choked it away, giving the Thunder all the momentum. As the series drags on, fatigue will be an issue. The Pacers are not a good rebounding team and did not take care of a Thunder team that shot the ball below their average in this series. Oklahoma City is going to win the battle in the paint. The Pacers have gotten away with many turnovers, and just by pure chance, the Thunder have not capitalized on them at a normal rate. Game one was an anomaly, as your chances of losing are more or less guaranteed when you turn the ball over 25 times. As the series shifts back to Oklahoma City, the Thunder have momentum behind the home crowd, and if they protect the basketball, they should win this game by double-digits.
MLB
10:10 PM EST
Rotation # 955
Padres +130 over Dodgers (loss)
Cease/Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani makes his first pitching start of the year tonight, going against Padres starter Dylan Cease. Cease has been in the grind all season, while Ohtani will likely be a bit rusty in his first pitching appearance since 2023. Cease has been a great strikeout pitcher, and the Padres bullpen has been decent. San Diego getting +130 money has good value. Take the Padres.