Celtics-Heat Game 4 pick, Alex Cobb strikeout prop: Best Bets for May 23

Each day, one of our experts at Bet.NOLA.com will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks in Louisiana are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.

A reminder for those who haven’t signed up yet: New users can get a risk-free bet at Caesars Sportsbook, meaning that if your first bet loses, you get a bonus bet for the same amount up to $1,250. New users also get 1,000 Caesars Rewards points to redeem for hotel or casino credit.

Here are our best bets for Tuesday, May 23:

TOP PLAY

The play: NBA Eastern Conference Finals, Celtics (money line) over Heat

The odds/bet: +104 ($30 to win $31.20)

The book: Barstool Sportsbook

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. (TNT)

Our take: The Boston Celtics played poorly in Game 3 to say the least, but the bottom line is that they’re still an extremely talented team even though their effort was lacking on Sunday against the Miami Heat.

A lot of times value presents itself after a team suffers a blowout defeat, and the oddsmakers are finally giving us decent value on the Celtics as underdogs to where we feel confident taking them on the money line despite their recent struggles.

The Heat will almost certainly still win the series, but they could be in for a letdown tonight with the Celtics having their backs against the wall and being extra motivated since there will likely be major organizational changes if they get swept.

ALEX COBB OVER ON K’S

The play: MLB, Giants pitcher Alex Cobb OVER 5.5 strikeouts vs. Twins

The odds/bet: +110 ($9.09 to win $10)

The book: FanDuel Sportsbook

Time/TV: 6:40 p.m. (MLB Extra Innings)

Our take: Not many would’ve expected Alex Cobb to be the NL ERA leader at the end of May, but he’s done just that and has racked up a solid amount of strikeouts to go with it.

While Cobb isn’t an elite strikeout artist, he draws a juicy matchup tonight against the Twins as far as his potential to miss bats since they lead MLB in strikeouts as a team, and he should pitch deep enough into the game for the over to hit in what will likely be a pitchers duel against Twins ace Sonny Gray.

Cobb has seen his strikeout rate drop slightly in his last few starts, but he’s more than capable of racking up at least six K’s tonight against a vulnerable lineup.

HOW WE’VE FARED

Monday’s best bets

• NBA Western Conference Finals Game 4, Nuggets at Lakers UNDER 224 points (PUSH)

• MLB, Rangers (-135) over Pirates (LOST $13.50)

Monday’s profit/loss: -$13.50 (0-1)

Total for the week: -$13.50 (0-1)

Total for May: +$125.40 (24-19)

Total for 2023: -$333.80 (112-124)

NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)

Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).