Today's top games to watch, best bets, odds: Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets, Lightning vs. Sabres and more

Find best bets for the biggest games in sports on Monday from the SportsLine Inside the Lines team's model and top CBS Sports experts

Scott Erskine

Apr 6, 2026

3:30 pm ET

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5 min read

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The last time the Denver Nuggets won nine consecutive games, they ultimately won the only NBA championship in franchise history. They're aiming for their ninth straight victory Monday and hope history repeats itself in the postseason.

Denver (50-28) attempts to extend its winning streak to nine games when it hosts the Portland Trail Blazers (40-38) at 9 p.m. ET at Ball Arena. The Nuggets, who are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for third place in the Western Conference, last won nine in a row in 2022-23 - the same season they captured the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy for the first time.

Head coach David Adelman's team hasn't lost since March 18 at Memphis and is coming off a 136-134 overtime triumph over San Antonio on Saturday that halted the Spurs' 11-game winning streak. Denver won two of its first three meetings with Portland this season, including a 128-112 home victory on Mar. 22.

The Trail Blazers have been idle since Thursday, when they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 118-106 for their third consecutive win and eighth in 10 contests. Portland is even with the Los Angeles Clippers for eighth in the West.

Four other games are on Monday's NBA schedule, including a matchup between the New York Knicks (50-28) and Atlanta Hawks (45-33) at 7 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena. The Knicks are one game ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers for third place in the Eastern Conference, while the Hawks have won four straight and 18 of their last 20 to soar to fifth in the conference. The teams split their first two encounters this campaign, with each winning on the road.

The MLB slate consists of 13 games, one of which has the Los Angeles Dodgers (7-2) visiting Rogers Centre for the opener of a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays (4-5) at 7:07 p.m. ET in a rematch of the 2025 World Series. The Dodgers, who won their second consecutive championship by defeating the Blue Jays in seven games last October, are coming off a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals while Toronto has lost four straight and five of six after beginning the year with a three-game winning streak.

Only four games are on the NHL schedule, with one being a showdown for first place in the Atlantic Division between the Tampa Bay Lightning (48-22-6) and host Buffalo Sabres (46-23-8) at 7 p.m. ET at KeyBank Center. The Sabres, who have earned a playoff berth to end their 14-year postseason drought, have lost five of their last seven contests but are 2-0-1 against the Lightning this season. Tampa Bay is two points ahead of Buffalo for first place in the division and has gone 8-1-2 over its last 11 outings.

The Nuggets are 7.5-point favorites against the Trail Blazers in the latest consensus NBA odds, while the Hawks are 1.5-point favorites over the Knicks. The Dodgers are -145 favorites on the money line against the Blue Jays and the Lightning are -120 favorites over the Sabres.

Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, April 6. All times Eastern

NBA best bets, where to watch

Knicks at Hawks

Time: 7 p.m. | Location: Atlanta | TV: Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 227.5 (-109) | Expert: Hawks -1.5 (-109, Larry Hartstein)

Both teams are in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring. The Hawks are sixth with an average of 118.6 points and the Knicks rank 10th at 116.9 per game. Atlanta has scored 123 or more points in six of its last eight contests while New York has produced at least 130 in back-to-back outings. The SportsLine Projection Model believes these clubs will have no trouble scoring in Monday's matchup as the Over hits in well over 56% of its simulations. The Hawks have been on fire at home, winning 13 straight games on their own court, and SportsLine expert Larry Hartstein (42-26, +1145 on his last 68 NBA picks) likes them to extend their streak and cover the spread.

Trail Blazers at Nuggets

Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)

SportsLine picks -- Model: Under 238.5 (-108) | Expert: Scoot Henderson Under 22.5 Points + Assists + Rebounds (-114, PropBetGuy)

The Nuggets lead the league in scoring with an average of 121.6 points and have scored at least 121 in seven of their last eight games. However, the Trail Blazers are tied for 15th at 115.4 points per game and have been held below that total twice in their last four outings. The SportsLine Projection Model thinks they'll have a tough time reaching their average against Denver as its simulations have the Under hitting well over 58% of the time. Portland guard Scoot Henderson has recorded more than 22 combined points, assists and rebounds just once in his last 14 roa