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For 40 minutes last May, Jayson Tatum seemed immortal.

In Game 4 of last year's Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks, on May 12, the Celtics forward had scored 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out four assists and had four steals. This was a player, arguably, at the peak of his powers.

And then, in a moment, everything came crashing down. While trying to gather a loose ball, Tatum fell to the ground. He grabbed the back of his right foot, which is never a good sign. He buried his face in a towel and banged the court with his only good foot remaining. Team medical personnel eventually helped him off the court, with Tatum unable to put any pressure on his right foot. 

As we all know now, he had ruptured his Achilles tendon, a significant injury for anyone, especially someone who makes a living running and jumping. Stunningly, Tatum needed just 298 days to rehab and return to the court — far shorter than DeMarcus Cousins (357 days), Klay Thompson (414) or Kevin Durant (552) needed to return from their Achilles injuries.

And on Thursday Tatum returns to the site of his devastating injury when he and the Boston Celtics play the rival New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. New York is a 4.5-point favorite against Boston. 

While Knicks vs. Celtics is the marquee attraction on Thursday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes five other NBA matchups and a six-game MLB schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Thursday, April 9. All times Eastern.

NBA best bets, where to watch

Heat at Raptors

Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Toronto | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick -- Model: Under 236.5 | Expert: Brandon Ingram Over 20.5 Points -116 (Mike Barner)

The Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors play the second game of their baseball-style series when they meet at Scotiabank Arena. On Tuesday, the Raptors blew out the Heat 121-95. In that game, Ingram scored 23 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field despite playing just 29 minutes. Barner notes that Miami plays at the fastest pace in the league (104.37 possessions per 48 minutes). "Another stat working in Ingram's favor is that he averages 23.0 points per game and shoots 49.3% from the field at home," he says. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, says there's a 63.6% chance the teams combine for 236 points or fewer and assigns a B grade to Under 236.5.

Celtics at Knicks

Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: Prime Video | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 216.5 

The Knicks have much more incentive than the Celtics on Friday. While New York (51-28) is unlikely to catch Boston (54-25) for the No. 2 seed in the East, the Knicks are just a half-game ahead of the Cavaliers (51-29) for the No. 3 seed. The third seed would mean a potential second-round matchup against the Celtics (against whom New York is 2-1 this season), while the No. 4 seed would mean a potential series against the Pistons, who have won all three meetings against the Knicks this season. The SportsLine Projection Model says there's a 68.1% chance the teams combine for 217 points or more and gives a strong A grade to Over 216.5.

Lakers at Warriors

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

SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 225.5 

Life without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves hasn't been good for the Lakers. With both of them out the last two games because of injuries, Los Angeles lost 134-128 to the lottery-bound Mavericks and 123-87 to the Thunder. The Lakers' already poor defensive rating got even worse, as they allowed a woeful 129.8 points per 100 possessions over the last two games. The SportsLine Projection Model says there's a 59.0% chance the teams combine for 226 points or more and assigns a B grade to Over 225.5.

MLB best bets, where to watch

Diamondbacks at Mets

Time: 7:10 p.m. | Location: New York | TV: MLB Network | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 7 

The two pitchers who started in the World Baseball Classic championship game will square off again when Eduardo Rodriguez and the Arizona Diamondbacks take on Nolan McLean and the New York Mets at Citi Field. Last month, Rodriguez threw four scoreless innings to help Venezuela to a 3-2 win over the United States in the WBC final. McLean gave up two earned runs in 4⅔ innings. Each of the Mets' last six games has reached seven runs or gone Over 7. The SportsLine Projection Model says there's a 67.9% chance the teams combine for eight runs or more and gives a B grade to Over 7.

White Sox at Royals

Time: 7:40 p.m. | Location: Kansas City, Mo. | TV: MLB TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick -- Model: Royals -183 | Expert: Royals -178 (Matt Severance)

The Chicago White Sox, who lost an American League-worst 102 games last season, are already on a similar pace this season, at 4-8. They are coming off being swept in a three-game series by the Orioles, and Chicago's -29 run differential is the worst in the majors. On Thursday, the White Sox will face Kansas City's Seth Lugo, who is  1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in two starts this season. "He held a 2.31 ERA last year in 11⅔ innings vs. Chicago," Severance says. The SportsLine Projection Model agrees. It says there's a 64.0% chance the Royals win and assigns a C grade to the Kansas City money line (-183).

Rockies at Padres

Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: San Diego | TV: MLB TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine pick -- Model: Padres -196 | Expert: Randy Vasquez Over 4.5 Strikeouts -132 (Prop Bet Guy) 

With Yu Darvish out for the season and Joe Musgrove and Griffin Canning on the injured list, the San Diego Padres needed a starting pitcher to step up, and they may have gotten that from Randy Vasquez. The 27-year-old righty so far has allowed only one earned run on eight hits while striking out 11 in 12 innings. According to Baseball Savant, he ranks in the 94th percentile in ground ball percentage. (He was in the 41st percentile last year). Prop Bet Guy notes that the Rockies have a 27% strikeout percentage (fifth highest). "A two-game sample is not nearly enough, but this is a low line," he says. Meanwhile the SportsLine Projection Model says San Diego has a 75.0% chance to win and gives a B grade to the Padres money line (-196).