Today's top games to watch, best bets, odds: NBA Play-In Tournament, Nationals vs. Pirates and more

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The Miami Heat have participated in the NBA Play-In Tournament each of the last three seasons, and they went on to earn the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference each time. They accomplished that feat as the 10th-place team in the East last campaign and will have do so again this time around if they hope to compete in the official 2026 NBA Playoffs.

The Heat (43-39) begin that quest when they visit the Spectrum Center on Tuesday to take on the ninth-place Charlotte Hornets (44-38) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The winner will move on to play for the No. 8 seed in the conference on Friday, while the loser goes home.

Miami lost in the playoffs as the eighth seed each of the past two years after advancing all the way to the NBA Finals in 2023, when it lost to the Denver Nuggets. Overall, the club has a 4-2 record in the Play-In Tournament since it debuted in its current form in 2021.

The Heat won their first three meetings with the Hornets during the regular season before getting trounced 136-106 on March 17 at Charlotte. The Hornets, who haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2016 and were eliminated in the first round by Miami in each of their last two appearances, participated in the play-in tournament as the 10th-place team in both 2021 and 2022 but lost their first game each year.

Another play-in game on Tuesday features Western Conference teams as the seventh-place Phoenix Suns (45-37) host the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers (42-40) at 10 p.m. ET at the Mortgage Matchup Center. The winner earns the No. 7 seed in the conference and the loser will face either the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers or 10th-place Golden State Warriors for the No. 8 seed on Friday.

Portland, which has missed the playoffs each of the last four seasons, defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA's first-ever play-in game in 2020 to capture the No. 8 seed in the West. Phoenix, which went 2-1 against the Trail Blazers in 2025-26, is making its debut in the tournament.

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MLB has a full 15-game schedule on tap, with Washington Nationals (7-9) and Pittsburgh Pirates (10-6) continuing their four-game series at PNC Park at 6:40 p.m. ET in one of the contests. The Pirates took Monday's opener with a 16-5 rout of the Nationals, who fell to 3-1 on their seven-game road trip after having swept the Milwaukee Brewers.

With three days remaining in its regular season, the NHL has nine games on its slate, one of which has the Pittsburgh Penguins (41-24-16) concluding their schedule with a visit to the Enterprise Center to face off against the St. Louis Blues (35-33-12) at 9:30 p.m. ET. The Penguins hope to avoid entering their first-round matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Playoff on a three-game losing streak while the Blues, who failed to qualify for the postseason for the third time in four campaigns, aim for their third consecutive victory.

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The Hornets are six-point favorites against the Heat in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Suns are 2.5-point favorites over the Trail Blazers. The Pirates are -187 favorites on the money line versus the Nationals and the Blues are -210 favorites over the Penguins.

Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Tuesday, April 14. All times Eastern

NBA best bets, where to watch

Heat at Hornets

Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Charlotte, N.C. | TV: Prime Video | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Under 229.5 (-108) | Expert: Tyler Herro Over 21.5 Points (-127, Larry Hartstein)

The Heat were second in the NBA in scoring during the regular season with an average of 120.9 points and scored 140 or more in three of their final five games. Charlotte averaged 116.0 points to finish seventh in the league but produced 110 or fewer in each of its last three contests. The teams combined for at least 234 points in all four of their regular-season meetings, but the SportsLine Projection Model sees them playing tighter defensively as the Under hits in roughly 60% of its simulations. Miami guard Tyler Herro averaged 26.5 points in two meetings with the Hornets last month, and SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein (42-26, +1112 on his last 68 NBA player prop picks) likes him to continue that type of production Tuesday.

Trail Blazers at Suns

Time: 10 p.m. | Location: Phoenix | TV: Prime Video |Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Suns ML (-161) | Expert: Dillon Brooks Under 19.5 Points (-118, Alex Selesnick)

The Trail Blazers ended the regular season strong, winning 10 of their final 14 games. They also posted a road victory against the Suns on Feb. 22 to avoid being swept in the three-game season series. However, Phoenix won its previous five home meetings with Portland, and the SportsLine Projection Model likes the Suns to get back on that track as its simulations have them winning Tuesday's matchup 71% of the time. Phoenix forward Dillon Brooks has averaged fewer than 15 points since returning from a fractured left hand that sidelined him for 18 games, and SportsLine props expert Alex Selesnick (10-2, +810 on his last 12 NBA player prop picks) doesn't think he'll score more than 19 against the Trail Blazers.

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MLB best bets, where to watch

Nationals at Pirates

Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Pittsburgh | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Nationals +1.5 (-133) | Expert: Mitch Keller Over 16.5 Outs Recorded (-145, Eric Cohen)

The Pirates pounded out 16 hits en route to a 16-5 triumph in the series opener. Washington right-hander Miles Mikolas (0-3, 12.41 ERA) was tagged for at least six runs in each of his first two starts this season and lasted only three innings in his last outing. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh righty Mitch Keller (1-0, 1.00) has given up a total of two runs in 18 frames over his first three turns of the year. But Keller is 1-3 with a 4.70 ERA in seven career outings against Washington, and the SportsLine Projection Model believes the Nationals will keep it close in this contest as they cover the spread in 67% of its simulations. SportsLine expert Eric Cohen likes Keller to go fairly deep into the game, however, as he believes the 30-year-old right-hander will extend his season-opening streak of working at least six innings to four starts.

NHL best bets, where to watch

Penguins at Blues

Time: 9:30 p.m. | Location: St. Louis | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Penguins ML (+173) | Expert: Blues ML (-110, Todd Fuhrman)

The Penguins are locked into second place in the Metropolitan Division and likely will rest the majority of their key players as they wrap up their regular season and prepare for their first-round postseason showdown with the Philadelphia Flyers. But Pittsburgh has won eight of its last 10 meetings with St. Louis and won't want to enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs on a down note. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn't see that happening, as its simulations have the Penguins winning Tuesday's matchup 59% of the time. SportsLine expert Todd Fuhrman (12-7, +632 on his last 19 NHL picks) disagrees, however, as he expects the Blues to get the better of a Pittsburgh lineup that figures to be without its top members and post their third consecutive victory in their 2025-26 home finale.

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