Cash That Ticket - Monday May 4th

Munaf Manji and Dave Essler talk betting for Monday.
It is Monday, May 4, 2026, and round two of the NBA playoffs is officially underway. Munaf Manji and Uncle Diamond Dave Essler are back on the Straight Outta Vegas AM feed with everything you need to get your week started on the right foot, from series prices and game one spreads to player props and the best Monday MLB slate angles of the early May calendar. The pod opens with a record update that should put a smile on any listener's face, 78 and 53 through May 1, good for 59.5 percent and plus 21.57 units for the life of the show, with April closing strong at 25 and 18 and plus 9.04 units. Friday's best bet on Desmond Bane over 2.5 three-pointers at plus odds cashed, Dave made seven units from Adam Scott on the PGA Tour, and the machine rolls on. The first order of business is the Eastern Conference semifinals opener between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, a matchup that had both hosts in heavy agreement: the value in this series is with Philly. Dave laid out a sharp argument using the championship futures board, noting that the series price is far tighter than the gap between the Sixers at 40 to 1 and the Knicks at 9 to 1 to win the title would suggest, implying the market is undervaluing Philadelphia at the series level. He also cited the regular-season split, with Philly winning both road games in New York and losing both home games, an ideal setup for a team walking into MSG as a road underdog at plus 220. In Game 1 he likes the Sixers plus 7.5 and the over on the 212.5 total. Munaf came in even hotter, revealing he had grabbed futures tickets on the Sixers to come out of the East at 25 to 1 when they were trailing Boston 3-1, and his case rests heavily on Paul George shooting 55 percent from three-point range in the first round and rookie VJ Edgecombe, who posted 23 points in Game 7 against the Celtics and is playing nothing like a first-year player. Player props discussed include Kelly Oubre Jr. over his points line, Deuce McBride over 1.5 three-pointers at minus 137, and Karl-Anthony Towns at plus 128 to connect on two or more threes. Out west, San Antonio opens as a 13.5-point home favorite against Minnesota and both hosts are fading that number aggressively. Dave noted the Spurs were only 4.5-point home favorites in their most recent regular-season meeting and the historical trend on second-round big favorites against the spread is brutal, 9 and 25 covering just 26 percent of the time since 2016. His player prop of the night is De'Aaron Fox over six assists at minus 144, a near-lock based on Fox's season average and his consistency throughout the Portland series. Anthony Edwards is questionable for Game 1 and both hosts lean toward him sitting out, with Munaf projecting a Wednesday return. The MLB side features Dave's Grand Salami over on a wind-friendly slate, a live Cardinals underdog look against Milwaukee, the Braves rolling despite Ronald Acuna Jr. heading to the IL, and a detailed breakdown of why Shane Baz and the Baltimore bullpen are in serious trouble against the New York Yankees tonight. Dave's featured best bet is Yankees team total over 4.5 runs, backed by a brutal Yankees-versus-Baz history including seven home runs in 48 combined at-bats. Munaf closes with his best bet of the week, Tyrese Maxey over 25.5 points at minus 107 on DraftKings, citing five 30-plus-point games in Maxey's last six matchups against the Knicks. Do not forget to use promo code HIT20 at Pregame.com to get $20 off the 30-day All Access MLB package and let the pros do the work for you all season long.

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