Tony Finn

Today’s Free Picks

The PLAY: Josh Giddey Points Under 6.5 (-135)

FINNs NBA WEST TOP PLAYER PROP COMBO I -Josh Giddey Points Scored Under 6.5 (-135 / DraftKings)
3% prop rating
Venue: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 Association Draft has been one of the key pieces to the success of the OKC Thunder in 2024. Giddy is one of the critical player personnel to the success and depth of this Thunder outfit. Giddy has been an essential cog to Oklahoma City's stellar transition offense, and the breaks in running the half-court offense that rests in the lap of point-guard Gilgeous-Alexander will be the first to tell you just how important Giddy is to the team. 

Giddy takes pressure off Gil-Alexander when it is necessary and he is the second-leading rebounder for a team that doesn't rebound. Giddey is a great regular-season player. Giddy has also become the largest liability for the OKC squad as an offensively challenged piece on game night that is far from being elite defensively. 

Giddy is the Thunder's biggest liability and his minutes have been reduced to almost nothing and his contributions on game night have become nothing more than rest for the first rotation. 

Josh Giddey Points Under 6.5 (-135)

The PLAY: Los Angeles Angels -103 | List Liberatore and Soriano

FINNs LATE PITCH INTERLEAGUE TOP ~ TICKET –  Los Angeles Angels -103  |  List Liberatore and Soriano  | The spread position on Los Angeles is good with the Angels at -120 or better. 
3% game rating  ||  Starting Pitchers: List Liberatore and Soriano  ||  Home Plate Umpire: Nate Tomlinson has been announced as the home plate umpire tonight inside Angel Stadium. While Tomlinson grades out neutral when working the dish he is closer to being hitter than pitcher-friendly.   || Venue: Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA
Weather: SoCal in mid-May is baseball perfect. The first-pitch temp is forecast to be in the lower 60s with no precip and a light breeze between 5-10 mph blowing out to centerfield. 

The St Louis organization continues to make questionable decisions in the front office and the field. The outside-the-box free-agent signing and the contract renewals of borderline talent have turned a franchise that was nearly automatic to be a part of the October MLB schedule into the doormat of a soft NL Central division.   

The St. Louis Cardinals closed a seven-game losing streak on Sunday afternoon with a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee. The Cards have been offensively inconsistent in the first 40 games of the 2024 campaign. St Louis has been consistent in the pitching department; consistently tragic. The one-time Browns have pitched to a 6.18 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, and a .289 batting average against in the 51 innings on game night last week.

It is impossible to trust the Cardinals with their best arm on the mound. Trusting the backend of the staff on a bullpen day is something I would typically advise one run from. That written, tonight's situation finds the St Louis relievers owning an 0-4 record with two saves over the last ten days. The Angels hand the ball to 25-year-old right-hander Jose Soriano that will be followed by a bullpen that has shown grit and savvy across their last 25 innings of work (1-1 record, earning a save with a capable surface number (2.88 ERA) that is supported by stellar FIP (2.56). Finn's Pick to Click is a play on young Soriano and the Angels. 

The PLAY: Missouri Tigers To Make the 2024-25 College Football Playoffs? YES (+175)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF 2024-25 FUTURE: Missouri Tigers To Make 2024-2025 College Football Playoffs? YES! +175 

In early December 2013, the Missouri Tigers entered the Georgia Dome as SEC East Champions. The Tigers joined the SEC from the Big 12 in the 2012 season, going 5-7 and missing a bowl game for the first time since 2004. For the most part, Missouri has been an afterthought when football minds gathered in late July and early August to discuss SEC predictions and prognostications for the upcoming season.

After joining the SEC the Gary Pinkel-led Tigers earned SEC East Titles in 2013 (12-2 overall record) and 2014 (11-3). Since that 2014 campaign in which Pinkel and his players won a second straight SEC East Division followed by a Citrus Bowl Title the Tigers have had two winless conference campaigns and finished conference play only three times with winning records. Coack Eli Drinkwitz managed his roster to an 11-2 mark in the East last season finishing second to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Missouri football exceeded external expectations by leaps and bounds. Most national publications projected the Tigers to finish in 13th in the Southeastern Conference.  Drinkwitz returns a talented pool of players and combines them with one of the best recruiting classes in Missouri Football history. Add a successful haul from the transfer portal as well, annual Conference Magazines and early releases of College Football Power Polls have Missouri as a Top 10-15 ranked team for the 2024-25 season. I concur. My Spring Game rankings have the Tigers as the sixth-best team in the SEC and ranked 15th overall in the FBS. I pushed in on a CFP Future with a Yes Missouri Tigers To Make the 2024-25 CFP at +175. 

The PLAY: Boston Celtics to Win 2023-24 NBA Championship

National Basketball Association 2023-24 Championship Title
Boston Celtics to Win NBA Title  +500

After what feels like years rather than months the Portland Trailblazers and the services of Damian Lillard found a pair of partners that finally put the Lillard drama to rest. The trio of the Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks formed a trade alliance and agreed on a triangular shift of personnel.  While Lilliard's desired landing spot was South Beach in Miami the front office of the Blazers and Heat could not find middle ground. 

The agreement between the trio of Association franchises sends the services of Lilliard to Milwaukee while Jrue Holiday, Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a 2029 unprotected first-round pick, and first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030 are Portland Trail Blazers. The Suns rope-a-doped much-needed depth, acquiring Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson.

With Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo teaming up the books have positioned the Milwaukee Bucks as the early favorites at odds of +135 to win the 2023-24 Eastern Conference Title. Phoenix checks in at +350 to Win the West, ten clicks back of the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets (+250).  Hours after the trade was signed, sealed, and delivered the Portland Trail Blazers were made +13000 to earn the Western Conference crown. The trade makes for interesting watercooler talk as the regular season approaches but Finn's Picks to Click to Win the Eastern Conference hardware and the Association Title? The Boston Celtics posted at +225 and +500, respectively, at DraftKings Sportsbook.