Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#201930) Real Madrid // 3-WAY MONEYLINE //. 

Despite losing again to Arsenal on Wednesday, Real Madrid must focus up for this weekend match against Bilbao. Yes, this is a tough game against an up and coming team that's got loads of talent itself. However, this is also a game that Madrid should be winning comfortably in no matter the rumours or situation. 

No Mbappe today as he's serving a one match ban for a red card. But, Nico Williams is out for Athletic Bilbao too which is a huge blow. Madrid has the talent to beat everyone in the league and it most definitely needs to keep winning in La Liga play with hopes for a title come the end of the year. Expect a win from Real Madrid. 

Score Prediction: 2-0 Real Madrid.

(#927) San Francisco Giants // MONEYLINE //. 

Justin Verlander (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (0-3, 4.13 ERA) . 

Not the best numbers for either pitcher to begin the 2025 season, especially Verlander. But, there's still plenty of season left and I believe in both the Giants as an overall team as well as Verlander to have a better season than the Angels & Kikuchi. 

Yesterday, the Giants managed to win by a run in a very close game. The Angels aren't scoring very many runs right now and this is the perfect matchup for Verlander to get his numbers back on track. When Verlander is pitching against the Angels, his team has won seven of the past eight games. Expect another win for the former multiple Cy Young winner. 

Score Prediction: 5-1 Giants.

(#203213) Olympique Lyonnais // 3-WAY MONEYLINE //. 

Lyon played in a very back and forth UEL match on Thursday against Manchester United. Even though it came up short, there's lots to hold the heads high from that performance throughout the season. Lyon currently sits in 4th place in Ligue 1 this season and must stay strong for the remainder of the year if it wants a shot at UCL next season. 

On the other hand, St. Etienne isn't really much of a threat to anyone right now. Losing contests left, right and center, St. Etienne will probably get relegated at the end of this season. It's lost a lot of games recently and I believe it could be in for another blowout defeat here. Lyon's already beaten St. Etienne once this season. It'll do it again on Sunday. 

Score Prediction: 3-0 Lyon.

(#925) Los Angeles Dodgers // MONEYLINE //. 

Tyler Glasnow (1-0, 4.85 ERA) vs. Tyler Mahle (3-0, 0.92 ERA) . 

Coming back from his short absence of welcoming his newborn to the world, Shohei Ohtani is expected to be in the lineup again this afternoon against Texas. It comes at a good time after yesterday's loss via. walk-off home run by the Rangers. The Dodgers turn to Tyler Glasnow on Sunday. With his perfect record, he's expected to have a great start today to get his ERA much lower. That's the number he's looking to improve the most today. 

For the Rangers, I do believe that Tyler Mahle isn't going to be able to keep these numbers up. After today, his ERA should sky rocket much higher as Mahle has struggled when facing the Dodgers over his career. As a matter of fact, he's 2-3 w/ a 4.55 ERA against them in six outings. Give me the Dodgers and expect runs. 

Score Prediction: 8-3 Dodgers.

(#902) Philadelphia Phillies // MONEYLINE //. 

Connor Gillispie (0-2, 6.63 ERA) vs. Jesus Luzardo (2-0, 2.31 ERA) . 

While I had this very selection yesterday (Phillies -1.5) and somehow lost by a half a run when it was 11-4 Phillies going into the 9th inning. That being said, I'm expecting another win for Philadelphia today and I'm back on the Run Line. No fake comebacks this time for Miami. Connor Gillespie gets the nod this afternoon and he's been quite bad this season so far. He didn't start a game last year in four appearances with Cleveland. With not much experience in the big leagues, he's going to have a hard time controlling this stacked Phillies lineup that's very, very hot. Philadelphia will have its new pitcher Jesus Luzardo on the mound this afternoon. He's been great so far and has allowed just over a man on base per inning. Expect a dominant performance from Philly on Sunday. 

Score Prediction: 8-2 Phillies.

(#915) New York Yankees // MONEYLINE //. 

Max Fried (3-0, 1.88 ERA) vs. Ryan Pepiot (1-2, 4.91 ERA). 

New York blew a lead late in yesterday's game and it wasn't entirely a great game all around. It's a bit odd playing in your Spring Training stadium in the month of April in a road game. Having said that, I believe that the Yanks should be more comfortable here than any team and even as the Rays. Max Fried pitches today and he's been an absolute killer in his first year with the team. He's got stellar numbers to back that statement up as well. 

On the other hand, Ryan Pepiot does not have great numbers to begin this season. It's still very early into the year and I don't like to bring this years numbers into consideration too much. But, it doesn't get any easier here for Pepiot against a team that can really put the bat to the baseball. I don't see the Rays doing what they did on Saturday offensively in this one. Therefore, the Yankees are my DIV. GAME OF THE MONTH here this afternoon. 

Score Prediction: 7-2 Yankees.

(#512) Boston Celtics // SPREAD //. 

While the Magic looked absolutely dominant against the Hawks in the Play-In Tournament, this is a completely different "animal." Don't get me wrong, Orlando did beat the Celtics in two out of the three matchups during the regular season. However, the C's dominated the game at TD Garden, as they blew out the Magic by 27. 

Talking about the Celtics a bit more, they are the defending champs. We all know that the crowd is going to play a huge factor in this game. Yes, Orlando has its key guys in Paolo & Franz playing together and healthy again. But, I don't think it'll be enough to get past this Boston team, especially in Game 1. Once Boston gets up, there will be no looking back. 

Score Prediction: 119-96 Celtics.

(#8757) Aryna Sabalenka // Set Spread //. 

Yet to drop a single set through three matches in Stuttgart, I believe that the world #1 is growing more and more confident on this surface. No, this isn't here preferred surface which makes sense due to her sheer power and ability to out muscle her opponents. But, with this tournament being played indoor, her explosiveness gets put to more use. 

On the other hand, Jasmine Paolini has really come up to be one of the world's best. At 5'4', she's much shorter and has to work twice as hard for balls that some people would get to in way less strides. Paolini has also yet to drop a set here in Germany, but hasn't faced anyone with the power for Sabalenka quite yet. I believe that this is a good spot for the Belarusian to keep on rolling into the finals in Stuttgart. A straight set win should be on the cards. 

Match Prediction: 6-4, 6-2 Sabalenka. 

Line Parameter: play until -1.5, -175.

(#34) Vegas Golden Knights // MONEYLINE //. 

While the Wild have won consecutive games coming into the playoffs, I wouldn't necessarily call them hot at the moment. Prior to those two wins, Minnesota had lost seven of its last 10 games. The Wild might have the most difficult challenge in the NHL playoff opening round. Vegas is looking very good and might just be the team to beat in this years postseason. 

Talking about the Golden Knights, they are the top overall seed in the Western Conference. Like always, Vegas owns a stellar record on its home ice. On the year, the Golden Knights are an amazing 29-9-3 here at T-Mobile Arena. The crowd will be pumped up and we all know what Vegas is capable of in the playoffs.

Let's not forget that Vegas beat Minnesota all three times during the regular season. With Jack Eichel having had the final game of the regular season to get ready for this series, I believe that a hungry Vegas team will kick its 24'-25' postseason off with a big win here on Sunday evening. 

Score Prediction: 4-1 Vegas. 

Line Parameter: play until -200..