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00:00That's some of the hottest spread lines tonight that you need to know about,
00:02which includes in the association.
00:04Whoa, Joe, good game tonight.
00:05Boston Celtics taking on the New York Knicks in the garden.
00:08Not the TD Garden, the real garden.
00:11Madison Square Garden in New York City.
00:13This line opened up overnight, Joe.
00:14Minus four and a half.
00:15You see the graphics sitting at five.
00:17Between four and a half and five, depending on where you're shopping at now.
00:19As a favorite to the New York Knicks.
00:22Take a look at the Boston Celtics total in this game.
00:252-15 and a half.
00:27Defensive.
00:28Maybe a look at the playoff preview here.
00:29But the favorite tonight is the New York Knicks, Joe.
00:32What's your spread line for that?
00:34Well, you know, there's some juice in this game, Donnie.
00:36Ironically enough, right?
00:38Because the Celtics can clinch the number two seed with a win here tonight, right?
00:44They need a win.
00:45They need a Knicks loss.
00:46And what better way to provide that than here at Madison Square Garden, right?
00:51And by the way, I mean, keep in mind, too,
00:53the Knicks are also battling with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the number three seed.
00:58So, they're not that far behind either.
01:00So, these last couple of games, they definitely got some juice here.
01:04Now, whether the Celtics really care, whether they're the second or the third seed remains to be seen.
01:10But I would imagine you're going to get a pretty good effort here from both sides.
01:15Historically, it's been a pretty good Boston effort against the Knicks.
01:19The Knicks have been much better at home at the Garden than they've been on the road.
01:23I think this is going to be very playoff-esque, Donnie.
01:27Wouldn't shock me if these guys, they lay it out there here tonight.
01:30We get actually, finally, a pretty good game in the NBA.
01:34A lot of teams fighting for their way into the playoffs and some teams like the Celtics and the Knicks
01:38just waiting there and saying, where are we going to finish up with our seed process?
01:41Let's go up to Toronto for this next game, Joe.
01:43The Miami Heat in town to take on the Raptors.
01:45This line overnight opened up at three and a half.
01:47Most outlets at four and four and a half across the board for a slight increase on the Raptors here.
01:53And a high total in this game, Joe, which is usually synonymous with Miami Heat games at 239 and a
01:58half.
01:59Heat, Raptors tonight.
02:00Give me a spread line for this one.
02:01All right, remember, Donnie, just a couple days ago, we told you this was going to be, you know,
02:06a back-to-back situation here.
02:08And the Heat, I believe, are yet to beat Toronto this season.
02:12And don't forget, that total a couple of nights ago, Donnie, was we were looking at 240s when that thing
02:18closed.
02:18And Miami couldn't even score 100 points.
02:21They got beat 121-295.
02:24Now, the Raptors are in that sixth playoff spot, right?
02:27The Heat, they're kind of locked into the playing round at this point.
02:31They're going to have to win two games if they're going to advance.
02:34So there's not really a ton here.
02:36So the Raptors, yeah, they want to do exactly what they did 48 hours ago.
02:41Handle business and move on.
02:43It's tough to beat a team back-to-back like this, especially a Spolstra team here.
02:48It feels like Miami will give them everything they have here against Toronto tonight to get back on track.
02:57Rockets probably lining up tonight here, Joe, in that fifth seed,
03:01which is where they're probably going to land by the end of the season.
03:03But the Philadelphia 76ers trying to fight their way out of the play in rounds.
03:06They're going to be on the road tonight to take on the Houston Rockets.
03:09This line opened up with 3.5 overnights.
03:11You still see the graphic at minus 3.5 today.
03:13A total of 225.5.
03:15But by the way, 8 out of every 10 tickets here coming in on the Houston Rockets for this game
03:20tonight.
03:20Sixers, Rockets, and H-Town.
03:22Give me a spread line for this one, Joe.
03:24Well, I mean, the Rockets really starting to play their best basketball right now, right, Donnie?
03:29And the Philadelphia 76ers healthy, but still very inconsistent.
03:34If you can tell me which version of the Sixers shows up here tonight,
03:38I'll have a better idea of what's going to happen here.
03:41But listen, I mean, the Rockets also pretty much secured in the postseason.
03:46They're going to have a home playoff game, it looks like, here.
03:50But they are playing outstanding.
03:53Seven-game winning streak.
03:54I think they've won nine of their last 11.
03:55They have been very, very good, finally.
03:58And it also coincides with them being finally healthy here.
04:03So I think Houston at home, I don't, they haven't been great as a big favorite.
04:09But in this kind of price range, not knowing what you're going to get from the Sixers,
04:13I would only look at Houston here.
04:15It's Masters Thursday right here on the Early Line Sports Grid Network.
04:18And moments ago, we just had Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson tee it up to get the tournament
04:23underway.
04:24We'll certainly keep you updated if any big things happen here.
04:26It's Donnie Wrightside, Joe, we're here.
04:28We welcome in Kevin Walsh on a Thursday here on the program.
04:31Good to see you.
04:33What's going on?
04:35Masters starting.
04:36Very exciting.
04:37Very exciting times here.
04:38But I got questions.
04:39You know, I always have questions right off the bat.
04:41And sometimes, Kevin, you never know where they're coming from.
04:43But I need help on this.
04:44I do.
04:45I say this time and time again.
04:46I think the NBA regular season stinks.
04:48But I love the NBA playoffs.
04:50It's one of the best products in sports.
04:51Great athletes.
04:53Meaningful games.
04:54Sign me up for more.
04:55We're not too far away.
04:56But the issue, Kevin, with us sometimes is the tanking in the regular season.
05:00Handicappers and fans alike.
05:01Like, I'm not going to watch that game.
05:02They don't care.
05:03This guy's not playing.
05:03He's sitting out.
05:04Remove all that from the equation.
05:06The NBA has been trying to stop tanking and coming up with resolutions.
05:09My resolution, Kevin, is if you don't make the playoffs, everybody gets the same ping-pong ball.
05:13So there's no incentive to tank.
05:15Maybe get one or two teams in the last week of the season.
05:17But understand this.
05:18Imagine being a general manager or a president of an organization going to your own and going like,
05:22Hey, let me get this straight.
05:24You want to tank.
05:25So I missed the playoffs and miss a couple home games here and get you.
05:28Both of you guys are fired.
05:29So tanking will be limited.
05:30But now the NBA is saying, okay, well, we're going to put in new rules to stop tanking,
05:34but still have a weighted lottery system that incentivizes you to get into the bottom 10,
05:38which means teams are still going to tank, Kevin.
05:41What is the solution here?
05:42For me, again, it's one ping-pong ball for every team that missed the playoffs,
05:46and you just go in order.
05:47How do we solve this?
05:48So I just want to say the NBA's current kicked-around idea in classic NBA fashion
05:57is going to lead to more tanking.
06:00Like, you know what we should do now?
06:02Because we already have teams that don't want to be in the playoffs.
06:06If you make the play-in, total disaster crushes your odds.
06:11So now, like, the Warriors, instead of bringing Steph back, would have sent him to Cabo.
06:18So, again, this is what – one of the reasons I'm so hard on the 65-game rule
06:23is it's a league that keeps trying to come up with ideas that make things worse.
06:31My suggestion, Donnie, is actually the opposite of yours.
06:36And I – listen, I would just do what the NFL does, and I would just – no lottery.
06:45It's just 1 through 30, man.
06:47Like, one of the reasons this stuff is such a mess
06:52is because Webb and Yama goes to San Antonio,
06:57and then the next year Dylan Harper goes to San Antonio,
07:00and Cooper Flay goes to Dallas.
07:02And remember when the Bobcats won 11 basketball games,
07:07and instead of getting Anthony Davis, they got Michael Kidd Gilchrist?
07:12Like, Donnie, imagine if the Raiders ended up in the lottery and were picking seventh.
07:19And they're like, yeah, awesome, Reuben Bain.
07:22It's like, we need a quarterback.
07:23This is insane.
07:25It's a league where getting one guy changes everything,
07:29and the lottery stops – when is the last time?
07:35But the one time the Wizards got a top-two pick,
07:37it's the worst draft anybody's ever seen with their eyes,
07:41and Reese's Shea went one, and Alex Saar went two.
07:44Steph Castle, of course, ended up being the best player on the San Antonio Spurs.
07:50Yeah.
07:52Can I make – I mean, recency bias is a fun thing here,
07:55but you just hit on it, Kev.
07:58We – this is not an every-year occurrence.
08:01We have game-changers of a freshman class coming out for the first time.
08:07This is the deepest draft I can ever remember having.
08:10Usually – and that's why we always used to laugh at the NBA draft, right?
08:14Like, outside of the first two or three picks, it's a waste of time.
08:17Who cares?
08:17You got a bunch of G League players.
08:20We're just seeing this because there is, you know,
08:23there's eight to ten guys that are worth tanking for,
08:27but you're not going to get that again every year, no?
08:30I think you're right.
08:31So it's funny, and I'll own up to it.
08:33I played two win total overs, the Pacers and the Kings.
08:37I'm not sure either team clears their number if you combine their wins.
08:42I just thought, hey, there's enough here to not be atrocious.
08:46The thing is, once either one of those teams found out, oh, this isn't our year,
08:52the bottom falls out because of what you're saying, Joe.
08:55Because they've been told for years, this class – it's almost to some degree,
09:00this is the class that flattens the odds.
09:03Because if I get the first pick or the fifth pick, I feel fine about it.
09:06If I get the fourth pick or the eighth pick, I feel fine about it.
09:10So I think you're right, and it's evidence in the numbers.
09:13Look, the Thunder Lane, 24-and-a-half to the Jazz, to some degree, are like,
09:17okay, it's OKC.
09:18I know – Denver Lane, 23-and-a-half to Memphis.
09:22What?
09:22Yeah.
09:23Like, we can't lay – I think we might see some of the most disgraceful numbers
09:27in the history of basketball over the next week or so on these numbers.
09:33No disgraceful numbers tonight, Kevin.
09:35Battle in the Eastern Conference tonight.
09:37The Celtics in town to take on the Knicks.
09:39Jason Tate, last time he was on that court, didn't work out so well.
09:42Devastating injury.
09:43And this year, we might have been thinking, like, hey, Boston probably smart to tank.
09:46He'd get a high draft pick and then reload for the next year.
09:48Not the case.
09:49The favorite, though, the Knicks tonight in the garden, four-and-a-half to fives
09:52are where we're shopping at.
09:54Yeah, you know, it's funny.
09:57You're like, oh, this is going to be one of the good games.
09:59Is it?
10:00Because I'm looking at the Celtics injury report.
10:03It's every starter other than Tatum.
10:06And Boston plays tomorrow.
10:09So, again, the NBA – the NBA has no idea how possibly the Celtics could punt
10:15tonight's game and just win the game tomorrow against New Orleans.
10:19Because they keep setting up national TV back-to-backs.
10:22And if you're Boston, why bother, right?
10:26Why – you're – I don't – I think they've already lost the tiebreaker with the Knicks.
10:30It makes no difference.
10:32The Celtics are one win away from being not only deadlocked into the two-seed in the East,
10:37but the fourth-best record overall in basketball.
10:40Like, nobody in the West could catch them.
10:41They can't catch San Antonio or Oklahoma City.
10:45So, for me – now, here's the thing, though.
10:47Because it's Boston, I'd rather let them bench everyone other than Tatum.
10:51This number close, like, nine and a half, and then take Boston plus the points.
10:55The one thing you may want to get ahead of, if I'm right about these injuries,
10:59Tatum double-double minus 105.
11:01Tatum triple-double 10-1.
11:03Tatum 30-plus 2-1.
11:05I do think it's going to – it looks like it might just be Tatum out there on his own
11:08tonight.
11:09I'm going to the association tonight once again.
11:11Lost my wager yesterday.
11:12Come on, Trailblazers, help me out.
11:14But tonight, I'm going to stick in the Golden State, but not take Golden State.
11:19I'm going to go with the Los Angeles Lakers.
11:21Joe, getting four and a half points right now.
11:23What do you mean?
11:23LeBron James doesn't feel like playing basketball anymore.
11:26Austin Reeves is down for at least four to six weeks.
11:28Luka Doncic's hamstring injury.
11:29We have no idea when he's coming back, but how about this, Joe?
11:32Joe, overnight lines, minus four and a half towards Golden State.
11:36Eight out of every ten tickets, going towards Golden State with no line movement so far now.
11:41So you know what I'm going to do, Joe?
11:43Nobody wants to take the Los Angeles Lakers.
11:46Your boy DRS is taking the Los Angeles Lakers.
11:49What do you think about that?
11:51Everybody running left, Donnie.
11:53You need to run right.
11:54You understand how that works, my man.
11:57And especially when a handful of games left here in the NBA regular season,
12:02yes, I think the Lakers getting it done.
12:05Otherwise, Donnie, this number should be closer to double digits
12:08if the market really trusted Golden State.
12:12Joe, a couple of holes in down at the Masters so far.
12:14Nobody is under par.
12:16Five players tied at even par.
12:18And shout out Aldridge.
12:19Shocker.
12:20Polt Geiter, who double bogeyed the first hole here.
12:23Not a good look if you want to win the Masters tournament.
12:26But a lot of golf left to be played.
12:28We'll be back.
12:29Prediction Markets.
12:30Ed, on the way.
12:32Prediction Markets, Ed, right here on the early line.
12:35It's how we get down to business.
12:36Giving that alternate look here to those traditional sports books
12:39like FanDuel, DraftKings, and Bet365.
12:41A lot of fun to be had here.
12:43A lot of good topics, Joe.
12:44And also, we'll include on this Masters Thursday,
12:46some Masters content as well during PME today.
12:50How about that?
12:51I love it, Donnie.
12:52A lot going on here right now.
12:55Short Major League Baseball slate here today, but a big weekend ahead,
12:59and all eyes are going to be on Augusta, my man.
13:03Ramp it up.
13:04Let's start in the association tonight.
13:06Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena.
13:09The Boston Celtics are welcomed in the town to take on the New York Knicks.
13:12The favorites are the New York Knicks.
13:14They're currently trading, Joe, at a 62% chance to win this basketball game.
13:17Boston is the dog, the return of Jason Tatum to the Garden.
13:22If you feel Boston can pull that outright upset, Joe,
13:25a $100 investment would pay back $264.
13:28You say to yourself, like, you know what?
13:30I'm confident maybe they can't win the game, but they can keep it close.
13:33You'll take the four-and-air points on the Kelsey Marketplace
13:36and invest $100, which would pay back $197.
13:39Boston taking on New York in the Garden tonight.
13:43Well, it's interesting, right?
13:44Because we saw this line open up around almost a pick-em, right?
13:48Minus one for the Knicks, Donnie.
13:50And then all of a sudden, overnight, we've seen nothing but Knick money.
13:56Fours, four-and-a-halves in the marketplace.
13:59Listen, the Knicks have been better at home, and we know this, right?
14:03Boston, for the most part, kind of locked into that two-seed.
14:07There's only a couple of games that remain here.
14:10Would we be shocked if Boston maybe took their foot off the gas here
14:15and sat maybe a guy or two in this game?
14:17It looks like that's what the market thinks is going to happen.
14:20But let's be honest.
14:22You want to give Boston in a total of around 215?
14:25You want to give Boston four-and-a-half points?
14:28It feels like I have to take them at this point, Donnie, no?
14:31Yeah.
14:32And by the way, Jalen Brunson figures he'll have a good game on his home court.
14:3530-plus points in the Kelsey Marketplace.
14:37Joe would pay a $100 investment back, $313.
14:40Good game.
14:41We'll probably see these two teams battle up in the playoffs as well.
14:44But Tatum returns back to the Garden.
14:46The sight of, oh, no, a bad Achilles injury here.
14:49Two teams jockeying for a playoff position.
14:51It's the Miami Heat.
14:52They're going to take on the Toronto Raptors in Toronto tonight,
14:55starting at 7 o'clock.
14:56The favorite is the Toronto Raptors.
14:58Currently trading, Joe, at a 61% chance to win this basketball game.
15:02Miami currently trading at 39%.
15:05If we include the point spread in this game, Toronto is favored by four-and-a-half points.
15:09If you figure that they can get it done and win by five-plus points, Joe,
15:12that $100 investment would pay back $197.
15:17Yeah.
15:17I mean, looking at the report here, Miami, for the most part,
15:21will have everybody available.
15:23They're kind of locked into the play-in, Donnie, via their loss to Toronto a couple of nights ago.
15:31Tough to go back-to-back.
15:32But listen, Toronto's got to win this game because Toronto has to stay out of the play-in,
15:37and there's not a lot separating them from, you know, being in the play-in at a seven seed.
15:43Right now, they're in the top six.
15:45So, I do think, though, with Eric Spolstra and the Miami Heat, kind of tough to go back-to-back
15:52against them here.
15:53I do like the Heat.
15:55I do like the Heat team total.
15:57They only scored 95, Donnie, a couple of nights ago.
16:00I think that changes in this game.
16:02I would expect the Heat and a team total to go up and over here tonight.
16:07And if you expect the Heat, obviously, be competitive and win this basketball game.
16:10Bam out of Bayou tonight on the Couchy Marketplace, Joe.
16:1320-plus points currently trading at 59%, which means a $100 investment would pay back $170
16:19if Bam gets 20 or more points tonight.
16:22The Philadelphia 76ers hoping not to be in a play-in round and be that sixth seed.
16:27Well, they're going to need to rack up some wins tonight.
16:28They're an underdog taking on the Houston Rockets.
16:31The Rockets currently trading, Joe, at a 61, excuse me, 62% chance to win this game.
16:36A 61-cent number, which means if you feel that Houston would win this outright tonight,
16:41$100 investment on the favorite would pay back $164.
16:44If we include the point spread and you feel that Houston can get it done that way,
16:48$100 investment on 47% would come back at $209 if you figure Houston can win by five-plus
16:55points today against the Sixers.
16:58Yeah, listen, I saw this number, Donnie, four and a half, maybe even five yesterday.
17:03And now we're down to, what, three and a halves here.
17:06We're seeing the total dip a little bit as well.
17:09And, I mean, what can you say?
17:11Houston's red hot.
17:12Seven straight wins.
17:13They got 50 wins on the season.
17:16Huge comeback against Phoenix in their last game.
17:20So now they're home.
17:23I just can't trust the 76ers.
17:26That's the problem here.
17:28Which version of them shows up here?
17:30I think it's going to be a good one.
17:33I would likely take the points instead of laying them here because I do think if you
17:38can get more than a bucket, three and a half or four is the number I'd shoot for.
17:43And I would back the Sixers here tonight.
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