Jim Feist

The New York Knicks welcome the Indiana Pacers to Madison Square Garden for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight at 8:00 PM ET. The Pacers took a 1–0 series lead after defeating the Knicks 138–135 in overtime by surmounting a 14-point deficit with less than three minutes to go. The Pacers mounted their comeback thanks to Aaron Nesmith's six fourth-quarter three-point shots and Tyrese Haliburton's 31 points with 11 assists.

The Knicks look to bounce back from their Game 1 defeat behind Jalen Brunson's 45 points and Karl-Anthony Towns' 35 points with 12 rebounds. Head coach Tom Thibodeau stressed the importance of learning from late-game errors while maintaining constant focus during each game.

This postseason opponents have struggled to defend Indiana's quick offensive plays directed by Haliburton. The Pacers have shown exceptional execution when facing high-pressure situations throughout their playoff campaign.

I still believe these teams will look to slow the pace here tonight, especially by the Knicks who don’t want to get into another run and gun showdown like they did in game one.

Jim’s Play: Under the Total 

Tonight at Citi Field the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets will start their three-game series with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. The Dodgers defeated the Mets in six games during the 2024 National League Championship Series before winning the World Series title.

The Dodgers begin the series with a 31–19 record and sit at the top of the NL West. The Mets stand at 30–20 and trail the Phillies in the NL East. Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for Los Angeles. Kershaw makes only his second start this season season after giving up five earned runs across four innings during his first outing. Griffin Canning stands out in the Mets' rotation as their right-handed pitcher with a 5–1 win-loss record and a 2.47 ERA.

The Dodgers' offensive leader trio consists of Shohei Ohtani alongside Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Shohei Ohtani recorded 17 home runs and 31 RBIs through the season. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor join Juan Soto in the Mets' batting order. Alonso has not hit any home runs in his most recent 15 games but continues to be among the top players in the league for both exit velocity and hard-hit percentage.

Both teams are dealing with injuries. Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers Blake Snell6 and Roki Sasaki remain sidelined because of shoulder injuries. Plus they have a bullpen that has has been battling injuries. 

Not sure if Kershaw will regain the form he had two seasons ago. Tonight, the Mets have the better pitcher on the hill and that’s who I will go with.

Jim’s Play: NY Mets. 

The Miami Marlins will face the Los Angeles Angels to begin their three-game series at Angel Stadium with the first pitch at 9:38 p.m. ET. Following a series defeat to the Chicago Cubs the  Marlins stand at 19–29 and look for a win here tonight. Currently standing at 24–25 the Angels plan to extend their positive streak after defeating the Oakland Athletics 10–5. The Angels are also coming off a recent three games sweep of the Dodgers in their Freeway Series. 

Miami's pitcher Sandy Alcantara has recorded a 2–6 win-loss record and a 7.99 ERA during this season. Alcantara has struggled during his most recent six starts with a 9.91 ERA. The Angels will respond with Yusei Kikuchi who currently stands at a record of 0–4 and a 3.50 ERA. Kikuchi has managed to allow just two earned runs or less in six of his seven recent starts despite not achieving any wins.

The Angels' offensive strength comes from Taylor Ward and Logan O’Hoppe who each hit 13 home runs this season. Ward maintains an eight-game hitting streak while achieving a batting average of .372 and totaling six home runs and 17 RBIs throughout this period. Kyle Stowers leads the Marlins' unstable offense with his 10 home runs and 30 RBIs.

The team's pitching depth has been problematic for both clubs. The Marlins hold the 29th place in ERA with their mark at 5.46 while the Angels stand at 25th position with a 5.01 ERA.

Kikuchi has looked good this year despite not having any wins. I like him here tonight to get that first “W.”

Jim’s Play: LA Angels. 

Tonight at Busch Stadium the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks begin a three-game series with first pitch set for 8:15 p.m. ET. The Cardinals and Diamondbacks both aim to recover from their recent back-to-back series defeats. The Cardinals lost two out of three games to Detroit while the Diamondbacks couldn't complete their series against the Dodgers. The Cardinals stand second in the NL Central at 27–23 while the Diamondbacks occupy fourth place in the NL West at 26–24.

Arizona's right-hander Zac Gallen (3–5, 5.14 ERA) takes the mound to face St. Louis' Miles Mikolas (3–2, 3.77 ERA). Gallen struggled against Colorado in his most recent game when he gave up six runs and four home runs during five innings. Gallen's recent difficulties haven't overshadowed his impressive history against the Cardinals as he maintains a 3.12 ERA and 21 strikeouts across three career starts. Mikolas has shown strong performance by pitching six shutout innings against Kansas City in his most recent outing. His overall batting average against Arizona stands at .202 from six career matchups.

The Cardinals' offensive performance is driven by Brendan Donovan who maintains a .323 batting average along with Lars Nootbaar who leads the team with seven home runs. Corbin Carroll leads the Diamondbacks with 15 home runs this season which puts him fifth in the major league rankings. Carroll's performance has declined significantly with a batting average of .190 through his most recent five games.

I like Mikolas here tonight against Gallen. Plus the Cardinals have been better offensively of late. 

Jim’s Play: St Louis Cardinals. 

The Milwaukee Brewers play against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at PNC Park beginning at 6:40 p.m. ET. The matchup between the teams’ top pitchers predicts a tight scoring game expected to stay below seven runs.

Entering the game with a 5–3 win-loss record and a 2.59 earned run average, Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta prepares to pitch. He kept his earned run total to one run throughout five innings in his most recent game. Peralta demonstrates strong defensive performance by placing in the 86th percentile for hard-hit rate allowed during the current season.

Paul Skenes from Pittsburgh has a 3–5 record with a 2.44 earned run average. Skenes has demonstrated dominance as opponents have managed to hit only .190 off him. During his most recent appearance he pitched eight innings and gave up one earned run while striking out nine batters.

Both offenses have struggled this season. The Brewers maintain the 25th position in batting average at .230 while their slugging percentage stands at .354 for 28th in the league. The Pirates hold the lowest run position in the league while their batting average stands second to lowest at .219.

The matchup tonight should favor an under 7-run total prediction because both teams display strong starting pitching yet face challenges with underperforming offenses.

Jim’s Play: UNDER the Total (Full Game)

The Michelob ULTRA Arena will be the site of tonight's game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Washington Mystics which starts at 10:00 p.m. ET. Two strong offenses will compete tonight in a game that points towards scoring above the estimated total of 167 points.

The Mystics (2–1) have demonstrated strong offensive performance by scoring an average of 86 points per game and maintaining shooting percentages of 46.6% from the field and 39.6% from three-point range. Brittney Sykes maintains the top position for the team by scoring an average of 26.3 points and making 5 assists per game which includes a standout 30-point effort during their recent defeat against the Golden State Valkyries. The rookie duo Kiki Iriafen along with Sonia Citron have made important contributions to their team with averages of 13.7 and 14.7 points per game respectively.

The Aces (1–1) recently achieved a commanding 87–62 win against the Connecticut Sun. The reigning MVP A'ja Wilson is producing an average of 26.5 points and 13 rebounds in each game. The win featured Jewell Loyd scoring 20 points which demonstrated the team's strong offensive lineup. The Las Vegas team has demonstrated strong scoring capabilities by averaging 82.5 points per game while delivering substantial offensive performances.

The combined offensive strengths and recent game performances make the over bet on total points a sound choice for this evening's matchup.

Jim’s Play: Over the Total.