Daily Sports Betting Preview 5/3/2021: NBA, NHL, MLB Wagering

  • The Golden State Warriors are +110 underdogs on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers are +145 underdogs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
  • The Los Angeles Dodgers have -200 odds to defeat the Chicago Cubs.

LAS VEGAS - Welcome to the Daily Sports Betting Preview on this fine Monday, featuring three excellent matchups.

First, in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors battle for a place in the playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans. Then, in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Finally, in Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started!

NBA Betting

The Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans are engaged in a competition to make it to the play-in round of the playoffs. The teams that finish from 7th place to 10th place will end up competing against one another for a true playoff spot.

Right now, the 30-32 Warriors are in ninth place, and the 29-35 Pelicans are in 11th place - both are live, but the Pelicans need a lot of things to go their way.

The matchup between the two teams favors the Pelicans, who are playing at home, but by a very small amount.

Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans Moneyline

  • Golden State Warriors +110
  • New Orleans Pelicans -130

The Pelicans are -130 favorites on the moneyline against a shorthanded Warriors team that will be missing Damion Lee, Kelly Oubre Jr., Eric Paschall, and potentially Andrew Wiggins.

This comes in addition to their longer term injuries - Klay Thompson and James Wiseman are not expected back this season at all.

In other words, a team that was already shorthanded and over-reliant on Steph Curry’s individual greatness is now even more shorthanded and over-reliant on Steph.

Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans Spread

  • Golden State Warriors +2.0 (-110)
  • New Orleans Pelicans -2.0 (-110)

The spread for this matchup is fairly interesting, as it only moves the lines in a cursory manner, with the Pelicans going from moneyline odds of -130 to spread odds of -2.0 (-110).

Neither of these teams has excelled against the spread - they both have 30-34 ATS records for the season. There’s not even much to point to in the home/road splits. The Warriors are an abysmal 13-21 ATS on the road, while the Pelicans are a decidedly mediocre 15-18 ATS at home.

There is one intriguing trend entering this game - the Pelicans have covered the spread in their last four consecutive games.

NBA betting fans can either latch on to that trend and go with the Pels, or take the points and the best player on the court and go with the Dubs.

This game airs at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN.

NHL Betting

The Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins are having two very different seasons.

The Penguins are in first place in the East Division, with a record of 34-15-2-1, and have been dominant over the course of the season.

The Flyers, meanwhile, have a record of 22-22-3-4, which is good for sixth place in the division, and this matchup looks like one would expect it to on the online sportsbooks.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Moneyline

  • Pittsburgh Penguins -165
  • Philadelphia Flyers +145

The discrepancy between these teams is fairly significant in terms of record, so the fact that the Penguins are only -165 favorites speaks to their road team status and, perhaps, indicates that this line could move in their favor - more than it already has.

The line actually opened at something close to a pick ‘em at most online sportsbooks, with Pittsburgh favored at -115.

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However, money has rolled in on the Penguins, and the line seems like it could move even further.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Puck Line

  • Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+145)
  • Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 (-165)

The puck line handicap perfectly inverts the moneyline odds, with Flyers +1.5 having -165 odds, and Penguins -1.5 with +145 odds.

NHL betting enthusiasts can take it either way with this one, but neither of these teams has a positive record on the puck line.

On the moneyline, however, Pittsburgh has reasonable odds, a great record, and enters this game 7-2-0-1 in their last ten.

This game airs at 7:08 p.m. EST, and will be broadcast on local broadcast affiliates.

MLB Betting

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the 2021 MLB season as the presumptive best team in the league.

This is not a status they’ve lost, per se, nor have they exactly failed to live up to it, but they aren’t worlds apart from every other team in the way that they could have been.

The Dodgers are 17-12, and are half a game back of the surging San Francisco Giants for the lead in the NL West.

The online sportsbooks still regard them as the heavy favorites to win the World Series - the Dodger team that we’re seeing right now could just be them slumping.

Today, they face off against the 12-16 Chicago Cubs, and, like every other game they play, the Dodgers will be significantly favored.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs Moneyline

  • Los Angeles Dodgers -200
  • Chicago Cubs +170

The Dodgers send Walker Beuhler to the mound, a pitcher who has been utterly fantastic this year, starting five games so far.

Beuhler has a WHIP of 0.957 and an ERA+ of 123 - he’s having a very good year, and forms part of a dominant Dodgers pitching corps.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs Run Line

  • Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (-115)
  • Chicago Cubs +1.5 (-105)

On the run line, the Dodgers are still favored even after the handicap of -1.5 runs has been put into place.

They aren’t particularly amazing on the run line, with a 13-16 overall run line record, and a 7-9 run line record on the road.

One thing the Dodgers have been doing recently is hitting O/U lines. In the Dodgers’ last ten games, the Over has hit eight times.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs O/U Line

  • Over 8.5 (-115)
  • Under 8.5 (-105)

This could be a solid play in this matchup against the Cubs, as the Dodgers’ bats are always a threat to bring runs in.

MLB betting fans can watch this game at 7:40 p.m. EST, and it will be live on MLB Network, MLB Extra Innings, and Spectrum Sports Net.

Good luck!