Happy Hump Day to all the passionate sports bettors out there, and what a Hump Day it is. Not only do we have playoff basketball and playoff hockey on the schedule, but there's also a full slate of 16 MLB games. Let's get everyone involved and celebrate with a cross-sport parlay.

Hump day cross-sport parlay

NBA leg: Jalen Brunson to score 35+ points

Brunson is turning into a superstar in front of our eyes. The New York Knicks point guard is averaging 36.6 points on a ridiculous 28.7 field-goal attempts in the playoffs. He isn't even shooting the ball that efficiently, but he's scored at least 39 points in five straight games because of the insane volume. 

You can pencil Brunson in for at least 25 shot attempts and 10 free-throw attempts for Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers, and because of the pace Indiana likes to play with, those numbers will likely be even higher. 

NHL leg: Leon Draisaitl to record 4+ shots on goal (60 minutes)

For the NHL portion of this parlay, we're looking at a player prop for Game 1 between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks. Connor McDavid steals the headlines for Edmonton, but Leon Draisaitl has been the busiest shot-taker in the playoffs.

Draisaitl has racked up a team-high 23 shots on goal through five postseason games for an average of 4.6 shots per game. With the Canucks having to roll with a backup goaltender in Game 1, the Oilers are going to pepper the net all game. Draisaitl will be leading that charge. 

MLB leg: Oakland Athletics moneyline (Game 1)

For all the jokes the Athletics (deservedly) took on the chin last season, they've rebounded nicely in 2024. Oakland is 17-20 through 37 games, and it has the fifth-best OPS in baseball over the last week. 

Athletics starter JP Sears has surrendered one or fewer runs in four of his last five starts, and his one poor outing in that span came against a loaded Baltimore Orioles lineup that crushes left-handed pitching. The Texas Rangers aren't as dangerous, ranking 26th in MLB in OPS against lefties. 

Throw it all together, and you get a +792 parlay on FanDuel to sweat on this fine Wednesday. 

In the news ...

Celtics stomp Cavs; Thunder pull away late to crush Mavericks — The Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers may not be much of a fight, as the Cs poured in 18 threes to smoke the Cavs, 120-95, in Game 1. It was a similar result out West, as the Oklahoma City Thunder ran away from the Dallas Mavericks to win Game 1, 117-95. The Celtics are now -8000 to win the series, while the Thunder are only -230 to advance. 

Rangers go up 2-0 on Hurricanes; Avalanche erase three-goal deficit to beat Stars — Tuesday night was a little more exciting in the NHL. In the early game, the New York Rangers knocked off the Carolina Hurricanes in double overtime thanks to a game-winning goal by Vincent Trochek. In the night slate, the Dallas Stars took a quick 3-0 lead over the Colorado Avalanche, but the reigning champs fought back to force OT. Miles Wood delivered the game-winner in OT to put Colorado up, 1-0 in the series. The Rangers, Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers are all tied as +410 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

Jamal Murray fined $100,000 for throwing a heating pad on the court — Things have gone from bad to worse for Murray and the Denver Nuggets. First, the Nuggets were embarrassed on their home floor by the Minnesota Timberwolves to go down 0-2 in the series. Then, Murray was fined a steep $100,000 by the NBA for throwing a towel and a heating pad toward an official during the game. He was lucky to avoid suspension for the incident. If you think the reigning champs can make a comeback, Denver is +470 to win the series. 

Today's Bark Bets is written by Jack Dougherty