HEY, it’s NFL Draft day and my Giants have two picks in the top 10 – let’s gooooooo! Sorry that I’m getting to this late – as a handicapper my job is to get you guys the best value possible and, truth be told, it would have been more advantageous to send you the draft picks earlier in the week. Like I said previously, I don’t consider myself a “draft expert” by any means, so take my plays lightly – @ronacesports would be my pick of who to follow and adhere to on draft predictions. Onto today’s slate!
NBA Picks:
- Mavs/Jazz 1Q under 54, 2 units and
- Mavs win, 1.5 units
- Listen, it’s the playoffs, the playoffs are hard, and anything can happen when teams are vying for the next round. I’m not sure this Jazz team is capable. Consider this: look ahead into the future and picture the current version of the Jazz, with the clear discord inside that locker room, and imagine that same team hoisting up a championship trophy this year… yea, it’s not going to happen. The Mavs believe, as they should, that they’re capable of going all the way. This is a team that’s growing in front of our eyes, burgeoning as a more complete offense, and abiding by Jason Kidd’s defensive mentality. Donovan Mitchell is banged up, Rudy Gobert is all over the place, and other Utah players are trying their hardest to hold up a team that’s lacking real chemistry. Not a SINGLE one of these 1st quarters have eclipsed 50 points, so we’re not sure why it’s so high (again). Both squads go extremely slow and when the game begins, defensive energy is really high. Unless there’s wild variance, we’re pretty confident this falls below 54. Mavs win, slow game, goodnight Utah!
- Raptors ML (EVEN), 1 unit
- Just one unit here but the Raptors are at home, streaking with confidence, Embiid is still dealing with that thumb crap, and again James Harden may take on more of the onus here – I sell Philly when that happens. Raptors win and create a game 7.
NFL Draft:
- Logan Hall under 35.5, 2.70 units to win 2
- Tom Pelissero has talked at length about Logan Hall getting drafted in the 1st round. We think he’ll go to the Bengals at 31, and there’s an even greater chance that he’ll be taken point blank below 35. Taking it,.
- 1st Walker, 2nd A. Hutchinson, 3rd D. Stingley, 1 unit (+190)
- Stingley at 3 is the toughest call but most “experts” are fairly certain that 1 and 2 are spot on. The probability is higher that Stingley
- Aidan Hutchinson #2 (-150), 1.5 units to win 1
- Ikem Ekwonu first O-Lineman selected, (-200) 2 units to win 1
- This feels like it should be more juiced – whispers are circulating that Ekwonu could go BEFORE Travon Walker (he won’t), but the Giants have this guy circled if/when the top 4 teams pass on him.
- Malik Willis under 13.5 (+120), 1 unit
- A few NFL teams could be interested in Willis and trade up, and his stock has only risen by what scouts have seen.
MLB Picks:
- Rockies/Phillies over 7.5, 1.1 units to win 1
- These two teams just keep on smacking balls in Philly and unless there’s extreme regression, Wheeler has started off cold and Gomber is very hittable – we think it blows over the total once again.
If you ever have any questions, message me here, on Twitter, or on Instagram. I will make myself available from 9am to 5pm every day, but please don’t expect an answer outside of those hours. I gotta shut it down sometimes. All picks are 1-5 stars based on unit size and confidence. 3 star picks are rare, 4-5 star picks are VERY rare. All plays listed are TO WIN that amount. In other words, if I say Bucks -3 for 1 unit, we’re betting 1.1 units at -110 or 1.15 units at -115 to win 1 unit.
Always appreciate all of you! -Chris
