Thursday Best Betting Picks & Predictions for May 16, 2024
The PGA Championship has begun in Louisville, Ky., at Valhalla Golf Club.
And on the subject of Valhalla (the mythic afterlife that awaits slain Viking warriors), the basketball team from Minnesota – work with me here, the Vikings are that state's NFL team – might be headed for a final slaying Thursday night.
It's also Caitlin Clark Day (Game 2). Is it wrong to continue fading this generational talent, or is a rebound waiting?
Leave some room for some baseball on your plate, too, because it's time to invest.
Let's eat!
Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves
Serbian soothsayer Nikola Jokic, perhaps employing his personal AI analytics, has seen several of the Timberwolves' attempts to adjust during this series.
He's had an answer to virtually every new idea, and it's right there for all to see.
He's at 29.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game in this series and has led Denver's offensive attack.
The past three games have been progressively depressing for Minnesota, as the Nuggets are converting their half-court offense to the tune of 116.5 points per 100 possessions in that span.
That's against the NBA's top defense, and, comparing Denver to Boston, the odds-on favorites to win the East, it's daunting.
The Celtics, through a significantly easier playoff slate, are at 106.3 per 100 in the half court in this postseason.
And that brings us to the idea of value in a Nuggets-Celtics NBA Finals matchup.
Prior to Game 6 in Minnesota, you can grab a Celtics-Nuggets Finals duel at +100 at DraftKings, while BetMGM and FanDuel offer -105 as of Thursday afternoon.
The Celtics face the Knicks-Pacers winner and are a nice odds booster for the Finals, even if you back the Nuggets to win it all.
Celtics -130 (DraftKings) to win the East
Jokic Western Conference finals MVP -120 (BetMGM and DraftKings)
Nuggets +330 (FanDuel) to beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals
New York Liberty at Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark will feel much more at home – it's her home debut, after all – with the WNBA process and should be able to shake off a lackluster debut.
She scored 20 points but shot 5-15 with three assists, 10 turnovers and no rebounds. She didn't score over the final four minutes, missing all three shot attempts.
However, her four 3-pointers and a perfect 6-for-6 performance at the free-throw line leave no doubt she'll be a scorer. That starts tonight against the New York Liberty.
Caitlin Clark over 20.5 points
Caitlin Clark over 4.5 assists
Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
The perfect K storm hits tonight when a top-six strikeout team, the Reds, meet a top-four strikeout pitcher, Tyler Glasnow. Entering Thursday's schedule, Glasnow led all of baseball in total strikeouts and sat fourth in strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
The free-swinging Reds could keep Glasnow's pitch count low, enabling the stud right-hander to go deep into the night – and into the seventh inning or longer.
Cincinnati's scheduled starter, relief pitcher Brent Suter, has a road ERA north of 7.00, so we'll use a sensible parlay approach.
Two-leg parlay at -115 (DraftKings): Glasnow 8+ strikeouts with Dodgers moneyline.
And remember: You might be walking around lucky and not even know it.