The Knicks, for example, won’t be playing RJ Barrett or Jalen Brunson. The Bulls are sitting DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine. And the Suns, who clinched the Western Conference No. 4 seed last night, are on a back-to-back, so it won’t be surprising to see them rest Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and/or other starters.
It’s a bit of a square strategy, but desperate teams are the ones to bet on in the NBA at this point in the season, certainly over those who don’t really care if they win or lose.
ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD
The play: MLB money line, Angels over Blue Jays
The odds/bet: -120
The book: WynnBET
Time/TV:Â 8:38 p.m. (MLB.tv)
Our take:Â For years now, the Angels have had a huge problem surrounding two of the world’s best players, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, with enough talent to even have a winning season, much less make a playoff run.
Trout is starting his 11th full season and still has made the playoffs just once — a three-game sweep at the hands of the Royals in 2014. Ohtani has yet to taste the postseason.
But this year … this year might be different. The Angels actually have some pitching, including tonight’s starter, lefty Patrick Sandoval. He ran an ERA of 2.91 last season and had a strong first start.
And the lineup is deeper, too. Taylor Ward gives Trout an outfield mate who actually produces for the first time in a long time. Gio Urshela was a solid signing. There aren’t any other stars, but there aren’t holes in the lineup, either.
So the Blue Jays will be a tough test, but the Angels have had a day off, have a good starter going in their home opener and a lot of momentum. Let’s roll with it.
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