Picks for 4/22/26
NBA
7:00 PM EST
Rotation # 520
Pistons -8.5 over Magic (win)
We are going to find out a lot about the Pistons tonight. The Magic barely made the playoffs and are the only Eastern Conference playoff team with a losing road record. You would think Orlando would be outmatched, but they came into Little Caesars Arena the other night and beat the pants off the Pistons from start to finish. I expect Detroit to respond defensively tonight, as they don’t want to dig themselves into a 2-0 hole, since the series will soon shift back to Orlando. Jalen Duren should bounce back after a weak shooting performance, as his presence in the paint should limit the Magic from easy buckets. Detroit was the NBA’s best team in the paint during the regular season and must attack it early and often. Detroit had the best home record in the Eastern Conference and must capitalize on what ultimately got them the number one seed. I don’t think the Pistons will come out as flat as they did the other night. Look for the Pistons offense to get back on track and for Cade Cunningham to have another outstanding performance. Take Detroit.
7:00 PM EST
Rotation # 520
Pistons -8.5 over Magic (win)
We are going to find out a lot about the Pistons tonight. The Magic barely made the playoffs and are the only Eastern Conference playoff team with a losing road record. You would think Orlando would be outmatched, but they came into Little Caesars Arena the other night and beat the pants off the Pistons from start to finish. I expect Detroit to respond defensively tonight, as they don’t want to dig themselves into a 2-0 hole, since the series will soon shift back to Orlando. Jalen Duren should bounce back after a weak shooting performance, as his presence in the paint should limit the Magic from easy buckets. Detroit was the NBA’s best team in the paint during the regular season and must attack it early and often. Detroit had the best home record in the Eastern Conference and must capitalize on what ultimately got them the number one seed. I don’t think the Pistons will come out as flat as they did the other night. Look for the Pistons offense to get back on track and for Cade Cunningham to have another outstanding performance. Take Detroit.
MLB
7:40 PM EST
Rotation # 956
Cubs -1.5 runs over Phillies +120 (win)
Boyd/Backhus
The Phillies’ inability to create offense against lefties might go down in history, and not in a good way. Philadelphia has been awful against left-handed pitching, so once again, we will go against them until they prove otherwise. The Phillies made an insane number of outstanding plays on defense last night, leading the Cubs to strand a ton of runners. Chicago still won the game with ease. The wind will be blowing in tonight, making the home run ball a lot harder to hit. I do not trust the Phillies’ offense to string together enough hits in a row to score with small-ball offense. The oddsmakers are starting to adjust the price as the money line is high. Let’s take the run line. Take the Cubs -1.5 runs +120.
7:40 PM EST
Rotation # 956
Cubs -1.5 runs over Phillies +120 (win)
Boyd/Backhus
The Phillies’ inability to create offense against lefties might go down in history, and not in a good way. Philadelphia has been awful against left-handed pitching, so once again, we will go against them until they prove otherwise. The Phillies made an insane number of outstanding plays on defense last night, leading the Cubs to strand a ton of runners. Chicago still won the game with ease. The wind will be blowing in tonight, making the home run ball a lot harder to hit. I do not trust the Phillies’ offense to string together enough hits in a row to score with small-ball offense. The oddsmakers are starting to adjust the price as the money line is high. Let’s take the run line. Take the Cubs -1.5 runs +120.