Thursday Basketball Bonanza  
*The leans below will not count to my stats here in this thread. Follow or fade, it's up to you!

NBA
LOSS - Take NEW ORLEANS PELICANS -4 POINTS over Sacramento Kings (1:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6th)

New Orleans needs something good to happen. They have played too well since the restart to only have one win. I think they can build off that win over the Grizzlies and beat a Kings team that is all over the map. New Orleans has had two days to rest, so they should be fresh. The Kings have lost all three of their games and are coming off a heartbreaker against the Mavs. I just don't know what this team is playing for. I think the Pelicans are the better team and they should prove it here.

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WIN - Take MILWAUKEE BUCKS -9 POINTS over Miami Heat (4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6th)

The public is all over Miami. And why not? This teams like a ton of points to lay out to a Miami team that manhandled Boston its last time out without Jimmy Butler and a team that has looked great since the restart. However, the Bucks are coming off a stunning loss as a 17-point favorite. I think they are going to be motivated for a rebound here. These guys need just one more win to lock down the No. 1 seed and I think they will be focused. Nearly 80 percent of the public is on Miami - but the line is going the other way. I think the Bucks show why they are a powerhouse and get that win to lock up the No. 1 slot here.

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LOSS - Take INDIANA PACERS -2 POINTS over Phoenix Suns (4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6th)

Indiana is just so damn scrappy. Nate McMillan is one of the best coaches in the NBA and he has had his team ready to go. They have easily won all three of their games and now I think they will take out a young Phoenix team. The Suns have also won all three of their games, albeit less convincingly. And I think that they are in a bit of a letdown spot here after a huge upset win over the Clippers.

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WIN - Take PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS -4 POINTS over Denver Nuggets (8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6th)

This one is all about motivation. Yes, the Nuggets could play their way into the No. 2 slot. But that really doesn't do a ton for them. Denver is beat up and they are playing on a second straight day and their third game in four nights. They have two nice wins in those two games and I think they are going to hit a bit of a wall here. This team is undermanned right now without three key guards. Portland is playing for a spot in the playoffs. Period. They want to get to the No. 8 slot because that makes a huge difference for them. They have played a difficult schedule and have played well since the restart. And I think that their backcourt is going to have a much better shooting night tonight while leading them to a win. I can see Denver even choosing to rest some players in this one. But either way the difference in motivation between these two teams is stark. This one just means a ton more to Portland.

You got even today with your NBA picks mate.

Looking forward if you'll give free picks for the NBA games, we have 6 games tomorrow, so there's a lot to cap if you will consider betting in all games.
I hope you'll include Memphis vs OKC game. Memphis badly need a win here, but I can't decide yet since they haven't won a single game since the start of the bubble.

Unfortunately, I only gave out 2 leans today on NBA and both of them lost.

You're view on Memphis - OKC game is on-point and hopefully, you went ahead with your bet on them because they slaughtered OKC. I'll be providing NBA picks and UFC picks later so watch out for it. 

We are going back to the Pens on Friday as we feel their 4-3 loss on Wednesday was a complete shocker. The Pens gave up a two goal lead in the second period allowing three unanswered. Having lost in OT in game one, they picked up a much needed win in game two. But now down 2-1, this is a must win against a team that fell into the playoffs. This is not the same team that lifted back to back Stanley Cups, but it is still one of the more talented teams in the NHL. I would be pissed off coming into game four if I were the Pens. They face a Montreal side that lost their last three games before the shutdown. The Canadiens scored 12 less goals from two more games than Pittsburg in the regular season and gave up 25 more goals. Everything here points to the Pens and we expect game for to go Pittsburgh's way. Crosby has been in every situation and he's a 3 time cup winner, this team was literally up 3-1 and let it slip away, I think Pittsburgh gets back on the saddle today just fine.

Best of luck and Grind On everyone.

Saturday UFC and Basketball Bonanza  
*The leans below will not count to my stats here in this thread. Follow or fade, it's up to you!

UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Oleinik
LOSS - Take SCOTT HOLTZMAN over Beneil Dariush (9:10p.m., Saturday, August 8th)

We have a lightweight matchup kicking off the main card of "UFC on ESPN+ 32" between Scott Holtzman (14-3) and Beneil Dariush (18-4). Beneil Dariush looked like a real contender when he entered the UFC, winning 6 of his first 7 fights with high level kickboxing, a patient fighting style and a Black Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to match. However, after he suffered a devastating loss to Edson Barboza, things slowed down a little. He followed that up with an underwhelming performance vs. Evan Dunham which ended in a majority draw, and then was knocked out brutally once again at the hands of Alexander Hernandez. Since that loss however, he has managed to reel off four straight victories, but do not let the record fool you as before submitting Drew Dober in 2019, he was on the wrong side of a 10-8 first round. There is no doubt that Dariush has tremendous talent and technique, but his heart and overall durability is in severe question at this point. Enter Scott Holtzman... Holtzman is a very tough out for anybody. He brings a high-pressure approach and comes to fight each time as he looks for hard overhands and head rattling uppercuts as his opponents come forward. Holtzman does have a workable ground game which can be seen by his brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he will not want to test that out against Beneil. Dariush has his confidence back, which usually would be considered a good thing - but against such a high motor opponent in Holtzman, who feels he has something to prove, this is a spot where you'll want to stay more careful in your approach. As we mentioned before, the chin and durability of Dariush is a huge question mark, and we think this is potentially an awful matchup for him. It is easy to see why the oddsmakers set this line. You only must look at each fighter's resume to understand who has fought the higher-level competition and performed on the bigger stage. That is about the extent of a public bettors' research and the books know this, setting Dariush as the -200 favorite. However, seasoned mixed martial arts bettors know that talent alone does not win you fights. Matchups are everything, and we believe this is a spot where Holtzman can shine and shut the lights out. He will have to be careful and avoid the clinch/grappling approach of Dariush, but we think it's only a matter of time before a big shot lands and Beniel is finding himself in a world of trouble. We will take the value with the dog here, which has a lot of bite.

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LOSS - Take ALEKSEI OLEINIK over Derrick Lewis (11:10p.m., Saturday, August 8th)

In the main event of the evening we have a heavyweight matchup between Aleksei Oleinik (59-13) and Derrick Lewis (23-7). This is a fun fight and one that will be a clear "hindsight bet" once we know who wins. There is not too much to say on this fight in all honesty... Derrick Lewis is not the best mixed martial artist, and lacks a lot of technical ability, but he possesses some freakish power. He is one of the hardest hitters in the organization and if he lands remotely clean, you will find yourself being removed from consciousness. The weird thing about Derrick Lewis is his lack of consistency. Sometimes he brings some real determination to the fight and pushes himself to win by any means necessary, and other times he will simply look like he does not want to be there. Aleksei Oleinik is one of the best submission fighters in MMA history. He has 59 wins, and an astonishing 46 of those have come by submission! Derrick Lewis has only been submitted once, but that statistic can be thrown out. He has not grappled with anybody like Aleksei. If this goes to the ground, Oleinik will be able to finish. The way Derrick Lewis tries to stand back up is awkward and utilizes brute power. That will not work here. He will give up his back and that will spell the end. There is of course the possibility that he stays standing, and that is where things could get ugly for Oleinik. However, it should be noted he isn't as bad on the feet as most think - he is serviceable and Derrick Lewis will not be able to simply run forward and throw haymakers with no worry of the strikes coming back. Lewis has not shown good cardio, nor the ability to consistently stop takedowns. There is a clear path to victory for both fighters, but we have to take the more talented technician here, and as long as he survives the early portion of Round 1, we think he will find a way to get win number 60. While we do not love the wild variance that could take place in this bout, value is value and that is the golden rule to making long-term profits.

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NBA
WIN - Take INDIANA PACERS +8 POINTS over Los Angeles Lakers (6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 8th)

This game is a great example of two teams that have two opposing thought processes with remaining games of the restart before playoffs start. LA has its seeding sewn up and they have absolutely nothing to play for so they will be resting guys. The Pacers on the other hand can get as high as the 4th seed in the East so they will be balls to the wall from here on out. The points are a nice little bonus in this game but Indiana will have a solid chance to steal a win in this one.

In the co-main event of the evening, we have a matchup in the middleweight division between Chris Weidman (14-5) and Omari Akhmedov (20-4). This is an interesting fight from a narrative standpoint, as everyone believes Weidman is shot, has taken too much damage, and has a porcelain beak. The public is eating this up and is all over Omari. We would argue this is not the case. Now do not get us wrong - we do have our concerns with Chris Weidman just like everyone else, but we are not writing him off just yet, especially in the middleweight division. His last fight, he moved up to light-heavyweight and was knocked out by Dominick Reyes. We are willing to overlook that one. He should never have moved up to light-heavyweight, and not against a monster like Dom Reyes. Keep in mind, this is a guy that some believed beat the best of all-time in Jon Jones! Weidman has only won 1 of his last 6 fights, which is truly quite shocking considering the good performances he was putting in. His last 3 losses at middleweight were against Jacare Souza, Gegard Mousasi and Yoel Romero. These are all fights he was handedly winning, until he simply got caught by these top-ranked monsters. No disrespect to Omari, but I think it is safe to say he is not in the category of the fighters we just mentioned. Weidman is also an outstanding wrestler, and that should not be taken lightly. He is world class in that department! Now, Omari Akhmedov has looked pretty good in the UFC but the level of competition is far lower than what Chris has faced. You could argue his best win was against Ian Heinisch? You see where we are going with this? He also is not a huge power puncher as his last knockout win was back in 2015, and then 2013 before that. There is not much else to say. Weidman can always run the risk of being cracked and wobbled, but word on the street is he will heavily utilize his wrestling in this bout, and we believe if he commits to that game-plan, that he will have an easy path to victory. Weidman needs this win more than ever... his career is on the line and he will not play with fire and risk that by having a standup war. Weidman by utter domination is a legitimate outcome here and we must trust in his abilities one more time, while everyone else is writing him off.

Best of luck and Grind On everyone.

Sunday Hockey Bonanza 
*The leans below will not count to my stats here in this thread. Follow or fade, it's up to you!

NHL
LOSS - Take TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS over Columbus Blue Jackets (8:00 PM, Sunday, August 9th)

This is really a play against Columbus play here after how Game 4 ended the other night. The Jackets, in their minds, all but had the series wrapped up after leading the Leafs 3-0 with five minutes to play. Toronto then scored three goals to tie the game before winning by a final score of 4-3 in overtime. Now, Columbus has to put that behind them and come out and win an elimination game and we just don't see that happening. They are just 4-9 in their last thirteen games where they faced a team with a winning record and they have lost nine of their last twelve where they were listed as the underdog. Throw in the fact that the favorite has won seven of the last ten head to head meetings between the two teams and we're going to lay the price here with the Leafs to get the win in Toronto on Sunday night.

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LOSS - Take ST LOUIS BLUES over Dallas Stars (3:00 PM, Sunday, August 9th)

The Blues have posted a 4-1 record in their last five games where they faced a team with a winning % of .500 or higher and they have gone an excellent 5-1 in their last six versus a Central Division rival. They have also won nine of their last eleven games where they were listed as the favorite and they are an impressive 10-4 in their last fourteen games overall. The Stars, on the other hand, have struggled a bit in the spot they are in here today as they have gone 0-4 in their last four versus a team from the Central Division and they are 0-6 in their last six versus a team from the Western Conference. They have also lost each of their last five games where they were listed as the underdog and they come into the game today riding an eight game losing streak. Throw in the fact that the Blues are 6-1 in the last seven head to head meetings between the two teams and we're going to lay the short price with them here to get the win in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon.

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WIN - Take WASHINGTON CAPITALS over Boston Bruins (12:00 PM, Sunday, August 9th)

The Capitals have posted a 4-1 record in their last five games where they faced a team with a winning % of .600 or higher and they have gone an excellent 10-3 in their last thirteen games where they were listed as an underdog. The Bruins, on the other hand, have struggled a bit in the spot they are in here today as they have gone 0-5 in their last five playoff games where they were listed as the favorite. Throw in the fact that the Caps are a lights out 35-16 in the last 51 head to head meetings between the two teams and we're going to take them at the small underdog price to get the win in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

I see a blowout in this game. I think that Oklahoma City is going to be resting several key players in this one. That is why this line has jumped from -2 to -5 to -7.5. I think it will continue to go up this afternoon so bet this one soon. Phoenix is undefeated since the restart and they have been one of the best teams in the bubble. This young team is healthy and playing hard as they try to sneak into the Western Conference playoffs as the No. 9 seed and force a play-in game. The Suns are 5-0 ATS in their last five games and they are 5-0 ATS in their last five games against team with a winning record. I think that they will keep it going today.

Best of luck and Grind On everyone.

There is a lot of things to unpack in this game. For starters, Warren gets to face Jimmy Butler after their altercation which caused some choice words to be said and both players saying they will see the other out back. The Video is on Youtube and it is ugly. However, these two get to lace it back up today as Butler is back from injury and Warren is probably the best player in the Bubble right now averaging nearly 40 points per game and just showed up Lebron and Davis who only had 39 points combined in their last game as the Pacers are playing elite defense and have a Legit 1/2 punch here with Warren and Oladipo. The Pacers are for real, and they play great defense and rebound the ball. The Heat won't have Dragic because of the Quarantine, won't have Nunn here for similar reasons and will get Butler back and Herro is playing well but they are not at full strength and the Pacers have some big revenge here. Look for Warren to ball out like crazy tonight and the Pacers have a great shot at winning this game Outright here. There is some real bad blood here and we like Indiana to win and possibly win Outright here today and we will gladly take the points.

Best of luck and Grind On everyone.

I will take the points in this game. The Lakers have been struggling since clinching the No. 1 seed. They are 0-3 SU and ATS in their last three games since clinching and they are just 2-5 SU and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games overall. Denver is coming off a nice OT win over Utah. They are 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four games and this team is getting healthy and getting some key players back. I think that they will keep it going and the Lakers will continue to rest players and wait for the playoffs. Take the points and look for another upset.

Best of luck and Grind On everyone.