Shoutout Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets for a whole bunch of nothing yesterday to spoil another Jalen Brunson 40-point night. We flush and move on with four playoff games on tap for tonight, bringing with them no shortage of betting options and angles.

Points pave the way in this cross-sport parlay

In case you missed it, Kristaps Porzingis is out this series for Boston. That opens up room for other Celtics to contribute, and we've found Sam Hauser has been a massive beneficiary of Porzingis's absences. Without KP, Boston is forced to roll out a smaller-ball type of lineup, which has allowed Hauser to get more minutes as a floor-spacing forward.

The SF now has 17.1 points per game in his last nine games without Porzingis, going over this minuscule line each time. The bulk of his work comes from the three-ball, so by all means consider a ladder on his threes prop at some awesome prices. We like including his 6.5 points line here as a great straight or parlay add.

We're making this a two-legger by pairing Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers to get involved in the scoring somehow. Zibanejad had two goals and an assist in Game 1, and he now has a point in 11 straight games, and 2+ points in four straight.

At home, he has 15 points in his past 10, and he has 11 points the past 10 times he and the Rangers have hosted Carolina.

With a massive involvement on the power play, Zibanejad should continue seeing his chances tonight as New York looks to go up 2-0.

Betting: Sam Hauser over 6.5 points & Mika Zibanejad 1+ point (+185 DraftKings)

In the news ...

Timberwolves go up 2-0 over Nuggets, Knicks win Game 1 — Minnesota's smothering defense is no joke and could be the X-factor in this Western Conference playoff series. The Timberwolves held Denver to just 80 points, crushing the defending champs and going up 2-0 in the series. Minnesota is now -525 to win the series and +100 to win the conference. In the East, New York held on for a big win over the Pacers, thanks in large part to Jalen Brunson's fourth-straight 40+ point game. The Knicks are five-point favorites tomorrow to extend their series lead.

Bruins upset Panthers in Game 1 — The Rest vs. Rust issue perhaps reared its head on Monday night, as the Boston Bruins, fresh off a seven-game series, easily dispatched the Florida Panthers on the road, winning 5-1. While the win was impressive, we're still of the belief that Florida is the far superior team. Now seems like the right time to jump on the Panthers to win this series, currently offered at -110.

Victor Wembanyama wins NBA Rookie of the Year — Victor Wembanyama came into the league with more hype than anyone we've seen since LeBron James, and the early returns suggest we're in for quite a career from the French big. Wembanyama unanimously won Rookie of the Year last night, and became the first player in NBA history to finish a season with 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocks and 100 3-pointers made.

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