The Pacers couldn’t overcome 22 turnovers and an ailing Tyrese Haliburton as the Thunder moved one victory from an NBA title with a 120-11 victory in Game 5 on Monday night.
OKC covered the closing -8.5/-9 and the Total went Over 222.5. Game 6 is Thursday with the Thunder favored by 4.5 at Circa and a chance to close out the series in Indianapolis.
Haliburton went scoreless in the first half when he appeared to reaggravate a calf injury, finishing with 4 points (0-for-6 from field) in 34 minutes.
I checked in with VSiN.com senior editor Zach Cohen for his thoughts:
It was interesting to see the Pacers open as 6-point underdogs at DraftKings (now down to 5). I was texting with Jonathan Von Tobel and Kelley Bydlon late in the fourth quarter, and we thought there’d be something of a mega Zig Zag applied to a do-or-die Game 6. I thought we’d see the Pacers getting 4, and JVT thought there was a shot we’d see 3.5.
Desperation has been factored into the lines throughout the postseason, but it seems the oddsmakers are done believing in the Pacers — and might be hoping to take some action on Indiana.
The health of Tyrese Haliburton will be the big question mark heading into Game 6. The Pacers will need him to be at his best in order to force a Game 7. But either way, I won’t be shying away from backing Indiana. The Thunder were 0-8 against the spread on the road in these playoffs before Game 4, and they barely covered in that one.
I simply don’t see the Pacers, who have been competitive all series, going down without a fight. I still have questions about the night-to-night consistency of the OKC offense. I’ll get into this a little more in my Game 6 preview for the website later today.
Oilers goalie TBA for Game 6
The Panthers have a chance to raise the Cup at home tonight (8 ET, TNT) as -143 favorites at Circa.
VSiN hockey analyst Jonathan Davis expects we’ll see Stuart Skinner back in goal for the Oilers in Game 6:
Calvin Pickard was solid in Game 5 but not spectacular. I am anticipating the Oilers going to Skinner, who has had a great ability to bounce back after losing the crease. Skinner has won his last four Game 6 starts, giving up just one goal in three of the four games.
>>JD’s analysis and 18 prop bets.
>Steve Makinen’s estimated score.
>Pro picks from VSiN hosts and guests.
Ohtani clocks in at 100 mph
Shohei Ohtani pitched one inning and gave up one run on two hits in his return to the mound. He threw 28 pitches, 16 for strikes, with one toss that hit 100 mph. The Dodgers (-168) went on to beat the Padres 6-3.
Thanks to a suggestion from a VSiN follower, Steve Makinen has refined his MLB Bullpen Betting systems — and has found early success.
Greg Peterson has seven Best Bets for today’s menu.
Steve and Josh Appelbaum will file their daily contributions later this morning.
CWS no-no
I think Rocco’s in Omaha misses us. They needed a second-year MLB pitcher and his girlfriend just to add a little star power to the jello-shot proceedings. There was plenty of star power on the field as Arkansas’ Gage Wood no-hit Murray State with 19 strikeouts in a 3-0 victory. It was only the third no-no in 75 years of College World Series. The second CWS game was suspended because of rain with LSU leading UCLA 5-3 after three innings. It will resume at 11 a.m. ET. >>CWS odds and betting splits.
Ohtani clocks in at 100 mph
Shohei Ohtani pitched one inning and gave up one run on two hits in his return to the mound. He threw 28 pitches, 16 for strikes, with one toss that hit 100 mph. The Dodgers (-168) went on to beat the Padres X-X.
Thanks to a suggestion from a VSiN follower, Steve Makinen has refined his MLB Bullpen Betting systems — and has found early success.
Greg Peterson has seven Best Bets for today’s menu.
Steve and Josh Appelbaum will file their daily contributions later this morning.
Quick Hits
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