Is there any hope for the Curry-less Warriors?
After Golden State’s 117-93 Game 2 loss to the Timberwolves (-11) on Thursday night, that was my question to VSiN.com senior editor Zach Cohen:
I’m a little biased because I have been in on Minnesota — while hating on Golden State — for a while, but I don’t think so.
I was never really a believer when it came to the Warriors offense after the Jimmy Butler trade, and I thought they’d have problems scoring against the Timberwolves even with Stephen Curry — like they did against the Rockets. Doing it without him doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards. Butler hasn’t looked right since taking a hard fall against Houston in Game 2 of the last series, and the team’s only real shot at pulling off an upset in one of these next two games is him turning in a vintage “Playoff Jimmy” performance and scoring 35+.
Even that might not be enough. There’s too much riding on inconsistent players like Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield — and the latter is very targetable on the other end of the floor, which is why his minutes fluctuated all year. Golden State hasn’t even been able to play Quinten Post over the last couple of games, as his defense has been atrocious. That’s another player with just a little firepower that Steve Kerr can’t trust. Minnesota is simply too good defensively to be lacking scoring.
Golden State needs to win one of these next two games to have a shot. A 3-1 comeback just doesn’t seem realistic. But it’s hard to imagine the Warriors winning one of the home games with this collection of players.
The T-Wolves are 5-point favorites Saturday in San Francisco.
We have two games tonight:
Game 3: Cavaliers (-2.5) at Pacers, 7:30 ET, ESPN. Indiana leads 2-0.
Game 3: Thunder (-5) at Nuggets, 10 ET, ESPN. Tied at 1.
Later this morning: Zach will post his daily Best Bets and Steve Makinen will file his Analytics Report. Dan Karpuc went 0-2 on his NBA player props Thursday, but already has posted his picks for today.
>Today’s selections from the KillerSports NBA Playoff Challenge will be available shortly after 6:30 p.m. ET.
>Estimated scores from Makinen.
NHL Tonight
We have two games in the NHL tonight:
Game 3: Maple Leafs (+195) at Panthers (-220), 7 ET; TNT. Toronto leads 2-0.
Game 2: Stars (+105) at Jets (-117), 9:30 ET, TNT. Dallas leads 1-0.
Jonathan Davis will post his official Best Bets later today.
>Estimated scores from Makinen.
Thursday recap: The Golden Knights are down 2-0 to the Oilers (+125) after a 5-4 OT loss. The Capitals (+145) beat the Hurricanes 3-1 to even the series at 1.
Today in MLB
Greg Peterson already has filed his top plays for today.
Steve Makinen, Adam Burke and Josh Appelbaum will post their contributions later this morning.
Steve updates his bullpen betting systems.
>Our daily matchup page with more detail by clicking on “Matchup Analysis.”
>Makinen’s daily power ratings
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits
College Baseball Best Bets
Matt Grissom, frequent guest on VSiN as a college baseball handicapper, checked in with a play for today and an addition to his futures portfolio.
Oklahoma ML (+100) vs Kentucky: Taking the mound for the Sooners is perhaps one of the most talented arms in the country in Kyson Witherspoon. With an impressive 2.13 ERA, 3.29 xFIP, and 1.87 SIERA, Witherspoon is the real deal and makes Oklahoma an auto-bet when he’s on the mound, especially at this number. VSiN Best Bets: 8-3, +5.65 units.
On my preseason appearance on A Numbers Game, I’ve given out Arkansas (15/1), Clemson (30/1), and Virginia (12/1) to both Make the CWS and to win it all. On my midseason appearance, I gave out Florida State (30/1) to win it all. While Virginia hasn’t been able to figure it out and look to be dead in the water, Arkansas, Clemson, and Florida State are all flourishing. That said, I want to go ahead and add two more teams to the radar before my next appearance for fear that the line will move.
Auburn to Make the CWS: +400 (DraftKings) and to win the CWS: 40/1 (DraftKings)
Quick Hits
Horse Racing: Adam Burke handicaps Saturday’s Peter Pan Stakes at Aqueduct.
Soccer: Nigel Seeley has his Best Bets for the weekend EPL menu.
UFC: Lou Finocchiaro has his top plays for UFC 315 in Montreal, featuring Belal Muhammad (-180) vs. Jack Della Maddalena (+155). If you are in Las Vegas, Circa’s Stadium Swim is the place to watch the UFC pay-per-view cards. I will be there.
The Pope: Robert Prevost (USA) was +5000 at BetMGM Ontario to be the next Pope. According to BetMGM’s John Ewing, 19% of bets (most) were on Pietro Parolin (ITA); 58% of money was on Luis Antonio Tagle (PHI).
The biggest controversy on Day 1 of Pope Leo XIV’s reign seemed to be whether the Chicago native was a Cubs or Sox fan. That was settled with photographic evidence of the future Pope attending the White Sox World Series in 2005.
This is The VSiN Daily newsletter for Friday, May 9. Sign up for this free email and get picks and insights delivered to your in-box every morning.
