Betting tips and top picks for The Masters and weekend NBA and MLB action.

The NCAA tournament is behind us. The NBA and NHL continue their shortened seasons and Major League Baseball is starting to heat up.

Oh, and the Masters gets underway this week and concludes on Sunday. Even with college basketball gone, it’s going to be a great weekend. Here are your top bets for this weekend.

FINDING THE BEST SPORTSBOOK FOR MLB

NBA: Lakers-Nets
The favored matchup for this year's NBA Finals is the Lakers versus the Nets. The two teams will meet on Saturday night at 8:30 PM. In what would be a showdown of stars, those stars most likely will not all be shining on Saturday.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis continue to be out for the Lakers. There is no definitive timetable for their return. 

On the other end, Kevin Durant is scheduled to be back in the Nets lineup this week, but James Harden will be out with a hamstring injury.

Regardless of who plays and who doesn't, one theme will prevail. That is defense. The Lakers are No. 1 in terms of defensive efficiency and that has translated into a league-leading 34 Unders in 51 ames. 

The Under has hit in six of the Lakers last seven games and four of the last five Nets' games. 

When the two teams met back in February, the Lakers lost at home but they held the Nets well below their season point average. Brooklyn won 109-98 and, you guessed it, the total went Under.

The total was set at 230 in that game. It will be lower in this one, but it won't matter. Play the Under all the way down to 218

The Masters
One of golf's greatest traditions gets underway on Thursday and, barring weather or some other complication, will conclude on Sunday. The Masters is back after being played last November due to the coronavirus.

Dustin Johnson won it in 2020 and is the favorite to do so again at +750. Big hitter Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas are all close behind at +850. There is some major profit to be had betting on PGA Majors.

Your best bet though is on the world’s 17th-ranked player - Sungjae Im. If you recall, Im finished tied for second in last year’s Masters after shooting a 15-under 273. So far this season, Im has two top ten finishes. One at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the other at his most recent tournament, the Honda Classic where he finished eighth.

He's a longshot to win, but with his success last year and good start in 2021, Im to finish in the top 5 is priced at +650 at America’s Bookie. That's a bet worth taking.

MLB: Braves-Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are tearing it up early with four wins in five games to start the 2021 season. They will take on defending NL East champion Atlanta on Sunday night in the final game of a three-game weekend homestand.

The Phillies swept the Braves in three games to open the 2021 campaign. Matt Moore will start for the Braves and Drew Smyly for Philadelphia. 

Expect the Phillies to be favored at home. There will be value on the underdog Braves especially since they will be a road divisional underdog. Plus, it's early in the season and the Braves just haven't found their groove yet. 

Take the road divisional underdog in this one at plus-money.