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The Portland Trail Blazers head to Ball Arena on Monday night for a 9:00 PM matchup with the Denver Nuggets, with KUNP carrying the broadcast. Portland comes in at 40-38 and riding a three-game winning streak after a 118-106 win over New Orleans, while Denver is 50-28 and has won eight straight after outlasting San Antonio 136-134 in overtime. There is a little bit of everything here for bettors: seeding pressure, a strong home-court edge, altitude, and a total that has been posted high for a reason. Portland is still fighting for play-in position in the West, so motivation is not an issue. Denver has a different kind of urgency. The Nuggets are still pushing for playoff positioning and they

Chicago heads to St. Petersburg for Monday’s 4:10 p.m. ET first pitch at Tropicana Field, where both clubs enter 4-5 but with very different moods. The Cubs just split a Sunday doubleheader in Cleveland after Saturday’s rainout, while the Rays won two of three in Minnesota and now come home for their first regular-season game back at the Trop since Hurricane Milton damaged the stadium in October 2024. Monday’s opener is sold out, marking Tampa Bay’s 20th straight home opener sellout, and the game will air on Marquee Sports Network, Rays.TV, and WMOR. This matchup also has a little more texture than the records suggest. Jameson Taillon gets the ball for Chicago, Shane McClanahan starts for Tampa Bay, and the

Kansas City opens AL Central play Monday night at Progressive Field, with first pitch set for 6:10 p.m. ET in Cleveland. The Royals come in 4-5 after dropping the series finale to Milwaukee, while the Guardians are 6-4, leading the division after splitting Sunday’s doubleheader with the Cubs. The stream is on MLB.TV, and the market has Cleveland installed as a slight home favorite in a low-total game, which makes sense with Michael Wacha and Tanner Bibee getting the ball. The weather looks cold and a little unsettled, with temperatures in the mid-40s around first pitch and a chance of light showers during the evening. This is a pretty interesting opener because both teams can make a case. Kansas City

San Diego opens this series at PNC Park on Monday night, with first pitch set for 6:40 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh. The Padres come in 4-5 and third in the NL West after winning back-to-back games in Boston, while the Pirates are 6-3, third in the NL Central, and riding a five-game winning streak after sweeping Baltimore. Regional coverage is on SportsNet PT, with streaming also available via MLB.TV. The weather looks cold for early April, around 42 degrees at game time with a light breeze and little rain risk, which matters in a park that can already play a bit bigger at night. The pitching matchup is German Marquez against Bubba Chandler, and that is really where this handicap