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Tides’ Takes: Free Expert Betting Picks For Today (5/11/22)

Timothy Buell Wed 5/11 8:16am PT
Image Credit: Imagn

ScoresAndOdds analyst Timothy Buell gives free expert advice and betting picks for Wednesday’s NHL, MLB and NBA slates.

Happy Wednesday everyone! Welcome to this new article for ScoresAndOdds, where we will offer betting picks and advice for multiple sports that are happening on a given day.

The MLB season is here! We’ll focus on MLB odds and props, while continuing to analyze NHL odds and NBA odds and props. We will also be throwing in some traditional parlays and some same game parlays as we see fit.  

Make sure to use our tools at ScoresAndOdds to find the best lines at your favorite legal sportsbook.  

We have two NBA, three NHL and seven MLB games to choose from today. Let’s get started with the picks!  

Free NBA Betting Pick For Today

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks

This series heads back to Boston for a pivotal Game 5 tied at 2-2. The Bucks are really missing Khris Middleton on both ends of the court. His absence has changed the trajectory of this series more than I had anticipated. With this game being played in Boston tonight, I think they will be able to dictate the pace and control the tempo. 

Boston wants to win this game and series by playing tough, physical defense. While they can’t completely stop Giannis, they are causing him to do everything. One man, alone, can’t do it all against a team like the Celtics. On the Celtics side of the ball, I don’t think we are going to continue to see 30 points from Al Horford again, which is really what caused Game 4 to go over this total. I think both teams will have to be super efficient shooting the ball for this game to go over, and with the Boston crowd being as intense as they are, I am not seeing that happen today. Look for players like defensive player of the year Marcus Smart to really show his chops and turn this game into a very physical slugfest. 

Free MLB Betting Pick For Today

Minnesota Twins vs. Houston Astros

Baseball is the odd sport where I have been doing better at picking game results than player props this season.  I hope to continue my successful run today with the Astros. There are weather concerns in this, so if you don’t want to wait around for a rain delay, then this might not be the play for you. Or you can also bet the Astros First 5 line if you want to skip out on bullpen variance with potential intermittent delays. Chris Archer does look a little better than he has in previous seasons with his velocity creeping up a bit, but he is never going to be the ace that everyone was hoping he would be. Even if he does have a good outing today, his leash is nothing special. He has not exceeded 79 pitches all season, so we are seeing the Twins’ bullpen for 3-4 innings today at the minimum. 

Archer will have a hard time containing this Astros lineup, which admittedly is not as dominant as years past with no Springer or Correa. However, it’s still a loaded team, with superstar Yordan Alvarez poised to have a breakout season. I am hoping that Byron Buxton remains out for the Twins, his absence really waters down this lineup and they just don’t have the depth to make up for his power.  The Twins are a below average team and Urquidy doesn’t have elite strikeout numbers but he does have good control and does a good job of limiting the damage against him.  

Free NHL Betting Pick For Today

Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals

Washington wasted its chance to go up 3-1 in this series by giving up a late third-period goal to Sam Reinhart –– and then lost in overtime to make this series 2-2. They now have to head back to Florida with a huge loss of momentum. I am not that excited for Florida as a whole this playoffs and don’t consider them a serious Cup contender, but I now think they put away Washington. I have not had any action on this entire series even in the shot prop market because I wasn’t feeling confident. 

That has changed now,  Florida is one of the best offensive teams in all of hockey.  I think this game plays out similar to Game 2 where the Panthers jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, eventually winning 5-1.  You can take the more conservative play and just bet the moneyline but in my opinion if the Panthers win this game they will cover the puckline.