The Indiana Pacers put on a show in their first play-in game of the postseason and are hoping to duplicate those results this Thursday against the Washington Wizards. As you’ll find out below, the Pacers are on track to cover Thursday’s NBA Team Totals. Couple that with the Boston Red Sox beating the Blue Jays, and you have yourself a two-team parlay with +207 odds.
Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards (Thursday)
When: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, DC
NBA Team Total Odds: Indiana Pacers 117 (-115)
Next up: Indiana on Thursday.
Tip is set for 8:00 P.M. on @NBAonTNT.#WizPacers | @CapitalOne pic.twitter.com/uFgdgPAZOd
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) May 19, 2021
The ninth-seeded Indiana Pacers toppled the 10th-seeded Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday and have earned themselves a crack at the eighth-seeded Washington Wizards. The Wizards are coming off a loss to the Boston Celtics in their play-in tournament match but still have hope of avoiding elimination with a win over Indiana.
The Wizards and Pacers met three times during the regular season, and Indiana came up short all three times. The first two meetings were dominant wins from Washington; a 132-124 triumph back in March followed by a 154-141 rout in early May. The third meeting was the most competitive, a 133-132 overtime clash that still ended up going to the Wizards. Despite the 3-0 record against Indiana, Thursday’s NBA odds aren’t favoring the Wizards all that heavily because they’re aware anything can happen.
One thing that’s bound to come to fruition is the Indiana Pacers going over 117 points on Thursday. The Pacers have scored more than 117 in their last four outings and are coming off a landslide 144-117 win over the Hornets. Additionally, the Wizards were giving up 120 per game during the regular season with the NBA’s worst defense. All in all, Indiana is likely to come out on top here. But to play it safe, NBA betting fans should take the over on the Pacers.
NBA Playoff Pick: Pacers 126, Wizards 116
Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays (Thursday)
When: 7:37 p.m. ET
Where: TD Ballpark, Dunedin, Florida
MLB Run Line Odds: Boston Red Sox +1½ (-150) || Toronto Blue Jays -1½ (+130)
Bounced back.
🔗: https://t.co/QVXIYczUje pic.twitter.com/pqGT4KP09j
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 20, 2021
The Boston Red Sox will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the final game of their three-game series. The Blue Jays manhandled Boston 8-0 in the open before the Red Sox bounced back 7-3 on Wednesday. Expect a heated battle this Thursday as these two vie for the top spot in the American League East. Right now the Red Sox lead the pack by one game over Tampa Bay and 1½ over the Blue Jays.
To help maintain their grip on the division, the Red Sox will turn to right-hander Nick Pivetta on Thursday. Pivetta enters with an unblemished 5-0 record as well as a respectable 3.16 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP through 42 innings pitched. To help even the odds, Toronto will turn to lefty Steven Matz. He is 5-2 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP to his name.
On the batting side, both teams are amongst baseball’s elite. The Blue Jays rank seventh in runs, fourth in batting average, and fourth in slugging percentage. On the other hand, the Red Sox are second in runs, second in batting average, sixth in on-base percentage, and first in slugging. The over would be a great bet here if it wasn’t set at 9½. Instead, MLB bettors will be better off taking the Red Sox run line.
MLB Pick: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 3
