Winners Club: NBA Finals Continue Tonight in Boston

Plus, Lightning draw even with Rangers, Game 3 NBA Finals bets and NFL news.

Good morning! The Lightning knotted up the Eastern Conference Final at two games apiece Tuesday night, another MLB manager was fired and, oh, the NBA Finals resume tonight.

There’s a lot going on—including plenty in the NFL—and I’m here to keep you in the loop. Keep reading for all of today’s lines, headlines and more.

Celtics Favored Against Warriors in Game 3

The NBA Finals shift to Boston for Games 3 and 4 after each team won a game in San Francisco.

The Celtics are 6-0 in the postseason after losses, a good omen for a response tonight in a game in which they are home favorites. Oddly enough, Boston has not defended home court (5-4) nearly as well as it plays on the road (8-3) and Golden State isn’t especially good away from the Chase Center (3-4).

Jed Jacobsohn/AP

A few game trends have emerged through two games that can inform our betting decisions. I went over the prevailing moneyline, against the spread, quarter betting and player prop trends in the series ahead of Game 3. And with that information in mind, I came up with a three-leg parlay on the SI Sportsbook bet builder that includes a leg backing Finals MVP favorite Steph Curry.

You can find each leg here.

Wednesday
9 p.m. ET (ABC): Warriors vs. Celtics (-3.5) | Series tied, 1-1

Friday
8 p.m. ET (ABC): Warriors vs. Celtics | Game 4

Lightning Tie Eastern Conference Final

Tampa Bay clawed back from an 0-2 series deficit against New York and now the series heads north tied, 2-2. The Lightning struck first Tuesday night in the first period, again in the second and twice in the third to put away the Rangers, 4-1.

The two games at Amalie Arena allowed the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions to flip the series on its head. Tampa Bay is now the favorite to win the Eastern Conference (-175) and return to the Stanley Cup Final to play for its third championship in a row. The Lightning are also favored in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, where the Rangers are 8-1 this postseason.

Chris O'Meara/AP

Whichever team emerges from the East will face the Avalanche, who are hefty favorites to win the Stanley Cup (-222) after they swept the Oilers in the Western Conference final.

Colorado completed its dominant playoff run through its conference against Edmonton in overtime Monday with a 6-5 win.

Thursday
8 p.m. ET (ESPN): Lightning (-133) vs. Rangers | Series tied, 2-2

News From Around the NFL

It’s been a newsy couple of days for the National Football League.

What’s the latest with Deshaun Watson? Who’s at mandatory minicamp? Who’s not planning to attend? And which all-time defender got paid? Here are your NFL headlines from the week:

Deshaun Watson Reportedly Booked Massage Therapy Sessions with 66 Different Women in 17 Months: The New York Times released a report Tuesday that contradicts a claim by Watson that he booked appointments with 40 different massage therapists while with the Texans—the number was reportedly higher, in a shorter time period. The Browns quarterback had a 24th civil lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct filed against him this week.

Deebo Samuel Present at 49ers Minicamp: San Francisco’s All-Pro receiver attended the team’s mandatory minicamp Tuesday after he previously requested a trade in April and missed voluntary OTAs. General manager Jon Lynch said last week: “Deebo will be part of the 49ers this season.”

DK Metcalf Not at Seahawks Minicamp: Seattle’s Pro Bowl receiver was not at the team’s mandatory minicamp while he rehabs a foot injury in Los Angeles. Metcalf has yet to receive a new deal from the Seahawks and will become a free agent next offseason if the two parties fail to reach an agreement.

Aaron Donald Signs Historic Contract with Rams: The seven-time All-Pro defensive tackle is not retiring—he’s running it back with record-breaking money. Donald reworked his current deal with L.A., which gave him a $40m raise through 2024 and made him the first non-quarterback to average more than $30m per year.

Aaron Rodgers Plans to Finish Career with Packers: The back-to-back MVP doesn’t have any plans to leave Green Bay before he concludes his Hall of Fame career. Rodgers spoke at minicamp Tuesday and reaffirmed his commitment to retiring as a Packer after he signed an extension this offseason.

Morry Gash/AP

Shawn Childs’ final fantasy team outlook for the AFC West came out Tuesday, which concludes the conference.

Review his comprehensive previews for the 16 AFC teams, including the best division in the league, as well as individual player projections for top fantasy targets like Justin Herbert, Davante Adams, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes.

AFC West: Chargers | Raiders | Chiefs | Broncos

AFC South: Titans | Jaguars | Colts | Texans

AFC North: Steelers | Browns | Bengals | Ravens

AFC East: Jets | Patriots | Dolphins | Bills

Next up: the NFC!

In Other News

Belmont Stakes Opening Odds: The third leg of the Triple Crown will be held Saturday in New York, and longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike is back in the fold this weekend. Get the betting profile for each horse including their record, post number and odds.

LIV Golf Stands as a Distruptor to PGA Tour: The LIV Golf invitational begins Thursday at Centurion Club outside of London, and Phil Mickelson is making his highly anticipated return to the sport. Read Tuesday’s Daily Cover about how LIV poses a threat to the PGA Tour and what could be next in this battle.

A New Team Stands Atop the MLB Power Rankings: The Yankees, with the most wins in baseball and a run differential approaching the Dodgers’ league-best mark, took the No. 1 spot in this week’s rankings. And with All-Star fan voting underway, see who the unsung All-Star is on each team from the top-ranked Yankees to the lowly Royals.

John Minchillo/AP

Kyrie Irving Expected to Re-Sign with Nets: Brooklyn’s All-Star guard is reportedly expected to sign an extension with the team. Irving has until June 29 to opt out of the final year of his contract, which would allow him to hit free agency in the summer of 2023. His Nets tenure has been rocky so far, but it appears Irving is staying put.

Angels Fire Manager Joe Maddon Amidst Lengthy Losing Streak: Los Angeles parted ways with Maddon on Tuesday and promptly lost its 13th consecutive game. There’s still plenty of time for the Angels (27-30) to turn their season around, especially with the star power of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. But is it worth betting on L.A. to catch Houston for the division?

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Thank you for reading. Enjoy tonight’s slate of games. I’ll be back in your inbox Friday morning!