NBA betting: Home cooking is a winning recipe

As we begin a new week, we were thinking it might be fun to go on a little winning streak of bets together. Interested? We begin that goal today with a pair of NBA playoff games, and we're focused on the home teams delivering.

Deliver us a plate of wins

Jalen Brunson 30+ points

If the Knicks are going to win this series, Jalen Brunson needs to maintain the scoring barrage he displayed in Round One. Brunson dropped 39+ points in four straight games, including three-straight 40+ outings. Here we are, the reasonable people we are, asking for him just to hit 30+.

Brunson's last two outings against the Pacers yielded 40 and 39 points, and he's gone for 30+ in four of his past five against Indiana.

Damian Lillard had a pair of big games against Indiana last round, twice going for 34+ and otherwise hitting 28, so Brunson should find his lanes tonight at home.

Nikola Jokic 25+ points

Jokic and the Nuggets need this win tonight to avoid dropping both at home, and we expect them to pull it off. In such a scenario, it's natural to expect their best player to step up.

Jokic had 32 points in Game 1, and now has 32+ points in four straight meetings with the Timberwolves. He's gone for 25+ in seven straight against them, and on the season, he's logged 25 or more points in 73% of his home games.

Betting: Brunson 30+ points, Jokic 25+ points (-125 DraftKings)

If you'd like a slightly better price, we'd recommend tacking on Denver's moneyline.

In the news ...

Dallas Stars and Cleveland Cavaliers win their respective Game 7s — Sunday brought with it a pair of Game 7s, the ultimate treat come playoff time. Cleveland came back from a big second-quarter deficit to defeat the Orlando Magic, securing a second-round date with the Boston Celtics. Boston is heavily favored to advance, currently priced at -1200 to take down Cleveland. On the ice, the Dallas Stars held on for a 2-1 win over the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights to avenge last year's Western Conference Final. Dallas and Colorado now square off in what should be a massively entertaining series. The Stars are -125 to take down the Avalanche. We like Colorado there. The Avs have looked dominant.

New York Rangers take Game 1 of second-round series — The first game of the NHL second round got going yesterday afternoon, and it brought with it a New York Rangers 4-3 win over Carolina. Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen had a few back-breaking goals allowed that might elicit a goalie swap. We shall see. Mika Zibanejad led the way with two goals, and the Rangers are now -140 to win the series. If you were hoping for a discounted price on Carolina, now is likely the time to pounce at +120.

Weekend of photo finishes sees Mystik Dan win Kentucky Derby, Kyle Larson win Advent Health 400 — Saturday's Kentucky Derby was an exciting one, with 18-1 Mystik Dan taking it by just a nose over both Sierre Leone and Forever Young. The finish was one of the closest in the race's history. Mystik Dan's owner has not yet committed him to the Preakness, which is in two weeks. Elsewhere, we had the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history on Sunday, with Kyle Larson winning by just one one-thousandth of a second. Unbelievable stuff.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.