NBA Play-In Tournament, NHL Best Betting Picks: Wednesday, April 16

If you’re like me, you just wrote a check to Uncle Sam to cover those pesky taxes and could use a little extra cash — or just a winning bet to put you in a better mood. Today, we’ve got a couple of NBA games and a busy day on the ice to search for markets to call our best bets.

Let’s go ahead and cover the NBA games first (odds via DraftKings).

NBA Play-In Best Bets: Wednesday, April 16

Miami ML at -105
Sacramento -4.5 at -110
Parlay Odds: +272

I think the Miami-Chicago game could very well end up being the most entertaining of the play-in games. Whoever wins will not win by much. While Chicago is a talented team and just beat the Heat not too long ago, I think Eric Spoelstra will get the best game possible out of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins.

As for Sacramento, Domantas Sabonis is a beast and deserves to be on a better team than the Kings. He’ll neutralize whatever impact Anthony Davis makes on the game, while Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan go nuts on the scoreboard. They’ll win by 10.

A $100 wager will result in a $372 payday: your stake ($100) and $272 in winnings.

Miami to Make the Playoffs at +320

A No. 10 seed has yet to make it through the play-in tournament and into the playoffs. I think Miami has a pretty good shot. I’ve already stated that I think they’ll beat the Bulls and move on to face either the Hawks or Magic in the second game (it will be in Atlanta).

They went 2-2 against the Magic this season. So, at +320, I really like the value here.

Coby White, UNDER 22.5 points at -110

White went over this total in 17 of his last 21 regular-season games and averaged 20.4 points per game during the regular season. But he missed it in his last three games and all three games vs. Miami this season. I’m betting Miami will play solid defense on White and keep him in check.

Bam Adebayo, OVER 18.5 points at -120

He’s averaged 18.1 this season, but since Jimmy Butler left town, he’s been stepping his game up, averaging 20+ points in February, March and in April’s handful of games. When the Heat were without Butler in the playoffs last season, he averaged 22+ points per game.

No Butler, no problem. He’ll go over his point total.

NHL Best Bets: Wednesday, April 16

Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks

The Oilers have had their way with the Sharks this season, and it’s not hard to see why. Edmonton has one of the best teams in the NHL, and the Sharks are among the worst. But with nothing on the line, will Edmonton put its A team out there?

Probably not — and if they do, it’ll be only long enough to get the taste of Tuesday’s 5-0 loss to the Kings out of their mouths. However long Edmonton plays, the A team will not matter. The Oilers’ B team can take down the lowly Sharks.

Our pick: Oilers -1.5 (+130)

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens

Carolina has been struggling somewhat lately, losing five of its last six. But while ending the regular season with a better finish would be nice, heading into their first-round series vs. New Jersey as healthy as possible is a bit more important.

As for Montreal, with Columbus winning Tuesday night, they need a win (or a Blue Jackets loss) to hold on to the last wild-card spot. Rather than count on someone else to beat the Blue Jackets, they’ll take care of business themselves vs. a team that’s already looking to tomorrow.

Our pick: Montreal ML at -112