Picks for 5/6/24
NBA
7:30 PM EST
Rotation #555-556
Pacers/Knicks Over 217.5 (win)
The public is heavy on the Pacers tonight, which scares me because I like them. The Knicks have been playing short-handedly and need more offensive firepower. The Pacers have the best bench left in the NBA playoffs and will be the fresher team. The problem Indiana has is that their defense could be better. Jalen Brunson could quickly go for another 40-point game. I love Indiana’s pace and believe they will get their buckets and fast-break points on a Knicks team that will be extremely tired. A subpar offense beats a lousy defense, so the Knicks should score and fight off fatigue behind their home crowd. New York made Philadelphia look like children when it came to rebounding on the offensive end. They will make the Pacers look even worse. Teams that can’t play defense or are bad rebounders stick around for a short time in the playoffs. Look for a lot of points tonight. Take the Over.
MLB
7:45 PM EST
Rotation # 955
Mets +105 over Cardinals (win)
Manaea/Gibson
The Cardinals, with the worst batting average in baseball against left-handed pitching, are up against Sean Manaea, who has strikeout power. If he keeps his walks down, he could dominate. Cardinals starter Kyle Gibson, who isn’t a threat to strikeout many batters, could be knocked out of the game by the Mets. Look for a wire-to-wire victory. Take the Mets.