NHL best bets, MLB predictions and Golf picks for Thursday, June 8

Good morning, Pickswise Nation, and welcome to another wonderful day of sports! The NBA Finals is now tilted in favor of Denver after the Nuggets picked up a massive win last night and today we have the Stanley Cup Final Game 3 as well as MLB and French Open tennis action, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better.

About Last Night

Pickswise  first basket pick cashes at +550 odds
Denver now has the edge in the NBA Finals after the Nuggets won a dominant Game 3 109-94 last night, easily covering the spread as a 3.5-point favorite, while the total stayed under 214.5. Pickswise hit on both of those plays and we also cashed our first basket play for Game 3 at +550 odds!

Reds rookie makes a splash
The big story from Wednesday’s MLB action was the emergence of Reds rookie infielder Elly De La Cruz, who smashed a towering home run and added a triple in Cincinnati’s wild walk-off win over the suddenly slumping Dodgers. Elsewhere, the Marlins dominated the Royals and the Braves rallied to defeat the Mets.

Super soccer pick
The Europa Conference League is not the best-known tournament, but we still cashed a winning ticket on the West Ham money line at +175 odds as the EPL team beat Fiorentina 2-1 in yesterday’s final. Soccer in the United States also got a HUGE boost yesterday with the news that global superstar Lionel Messi is set to join MLS team Inter Miami.

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Today’s Slate

Panthers vs Golden Knights Game 3 is tonight
The Stanley Cup Finals resumes tonight at 8:00 pm ET on TNT with the Panthers looking to get back in the series after dropping the first 2 games to the Golden Knights on the road. Check out our NHL picks.

12-game MLB slate on Thursday
Today’s 12-game MLB slate begins with a Dodgers vs Reds matchup at 12:35 pm ET and includes a doubleheader between the White Sox and Yankees at 4:05 pm ET and 7:35 pm ET. Check out today’s MLB picks.

Best Bet of the Day

MLB: Chicago Cubs ML (+110) over Los Angeles Angels
9:38 pm ET

The series opener at Angels Stadium features a lefty showdown between Drew Smyly and Reid Detmers. Between the pair of lefties, Smyly is the better pitcher. However, the Cubs are listed as the underdogs. The Cubs and Angels have similar offenses against lefty pitching which makes Chicago’s money line price even more baffling. Since May 1, the Cubs rank 11th in wRC+ against left-handed pitchers while the Angels rank 16th – not a huge difference. In fact, it’s just 8 wRC+ points. Since the offensive matchup is so similar, it’s time to dive into the pitching matchup to find the advantage, and we start with Smyly. Check out our full Cubs vs Angels predictions.

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Must-read

Today’s MLB YRFI/NRFI picks and our MLB mega parlay are ready to read, along with our Stanley Cup Final Game 3 SGP, our NHL player props and today’s French Open tennis picks. It’s also your last chance to check out our golf expert’s RBC Canadian Open picks. Our Game 4 predictions for the NBA Finals and Saturday’s soccer picks for the Champions League Final are posted already too!

Keep an eye out for more great sports analysis as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.

Stat of the Day

Teams with home-court advantage that win Game 3 in the NBA Finals are 38-7 all-time. The Nuggets lead 2-1 in the series after knocking off Miami on Wednesday.

Quote of the Day

“After winning the World Cup and not being able to go to Barca, it was time to go to the American league to experience football in a different way”

The magical feet of Lionel Messi are coming to the MLS. How long will it be until he starts calling it soccer?

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Pickswise is the home of free Sports picks, news and best bets. Check out our expert NFL Picks, NBA Picks, Soccer Picks and NHL Picks pages for our latest Game Picks.