Doc’s Sports NBA Picks & Against the Spread Plays

5-Unit Play. Take Nashville over Carolina (Saturday at 8pm)

As per your selection on Nashville, we believe they will be the hungrier of the two sides tonight and they should skate away to a victory. Look, there's no doubt about who the best team on the ice tonight is - that's Carolina. But the Hurricanes just clinched the division and will have nothing left to play for the remaining few games. Nashville is fighting for their postseason lives and with Dallas winning yesterday to pull within two points of the Preds for fourth, the Preds know they need to find a way to must at least two points in their remaining two games -both against the Hurricanes. That motivation alone should be enough to see the Preds come away with the much-needed win and potentially clinching a playoff birth as early as tomorrow.

5-Units: Take 930 LA ANGELS Over LA DODGERS (9:07pm E, Saturday, May 8th) After his showing in Chicago, last week (didn't get out of the 1st inning), we think Kershaw needs a home game to right himself, not a crosstown rival. His control was awful, last week and they hit him like a punching bag. This Angels team is a better hitting team than the Cubs, so if he comes with anything like he had in Chicago, the Angels will exploit it early. We don't think we've ever gone against Kershaw twice in a row, but after what we saw last week, we feel this one calls for it. Dodgers aren't hitting well, either, so look for LAA to win this by a few.....or more.

5-Units: Take 913 TAMPA BAY -1.5, RL, Over OAKLAND (4:07pm E, Saturday, May 8th) Rays' Glasnow has a third of the ERA of Montas, so look for Tampa Bay to jump on the A's early and keep the pedal down. If they can get 6 innings + out of Glasnow, they should be able to cruise home. Rays haven't gotten much respect this year, yet, but we like them getting hot, before the All Star break. It starts right here and this should be a blowout.

5-Units: Take 903 PIRATES/CUBS "OVER" (2:20pm E, Saturday, May 8th) A low scoring game, yesterday, as we expected, but there were plenty left on base and both these teams are hitting well. The pitchers, Crowe and Williams, aren't necessarily household names, so we see this total going over, fairly easily. Rizzo is hitting the ball as hard as ever and Baez hits everything hard, it seems. The wind is blowing in, which is why the total is so low, but there were plenty of base hits yesterday and it's a little easier wind today. A hard hit ball should make it out in left field.

5-Units: Take 925 WASHINGTON NATIONALS Over NY YANKEES (1:05pm E, Saturday, May 8th) Max Scherzer, of the Nationals, and his 2.54 ERA , just doesn't seem to get much love, anymore. Now, he is going against Kluber, with just over a 3.00 ERA, but you can actually throw those numbers out, against these two teams. Both teams are loaded with sluggers and the Nats are hitting better than the Yanks, right now. With Soto back and a plethora of good hitters, we're going to take Scherzer to keep the NY bats quiet, at least through the first six innings.

10 Unit Play. Take #308973 James Madison Dukes over Sam Houston State Bearkats (2:30p.m., Saturday, May 8 ABC) A battle of unbeatens is set to do battle at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, TX on Saturday with a television broadcast on ABC. The Dukes are outstanding at ball control and I feel they have the better defense in this game. James Madison honestly believes they should be hosting this game and expect them to make a statement in this game as they advance onto the championship game (also being played in Texas). SHS is coming off a big win last week against North Dakota State, the dominate team over the last decade in FCS and I just do not know how much left they will have for this game. NDSU was nowhere near as strong this season and SHS still had to hold onto dear life to beat them. JMU has a much better quarterback than what NDSU showed last week and that will be the different today.