The Kentucky Derby is back at its normal time of the year. Both the NBA and NHL are nearing the ends of their respective regular seasons and Major League Baseball is just starting to heat up. It’s a great time of year for bettors!
Here are the hot betting events for the weekend of 5/1.

Kentucky Derby
After a COVID-forced September Race for the Roses in 2020, the Kentucky Derby is back this Saturday. The 147th running of the race will take place Saturday, May 1, at 6:57 PM ET from Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.
Essential Quality is the 2/1 favorite followed by Rock Your World at 5/1. The two horses will start next to each other in Gates 14 and 15. The favorite has won six of the last eight races.

Learn more about betting the 2021 Triple Crown Racing Series.

Key NL West Series
If you haven’t been paying attention to major league baseball just yet, it may surprise you that the Los Angeles Dodgers do not own first place in the NL West Division. As of Thursday, the Dodgers actually share the top spot with the San Francisco Giants (16-9).
The Giants will travel down the California coast to take on the San Diego Padres who are 14-12 overall. Both teams have outstanding pitching. It’s pitching that has made the Giants one of the early surprises in 2021.
 
San Diego has the lowest overall ERA in the majors (2.90). San Francisco is second at 2.93. The Saturday matchup of former Cy Young winner Blake Snell for the Padres and Anthony DeSclafani (2-0, 1.50 ERA) might make for a strong Under play.

Check out the series odds too. The Giants will likely be an underdog playing on the road. Could be some value there if you’re looking to win more MLB bets.

NHL Value
There is a full slate of NHL games on Saturday and just one on Sunday. That Sunday game - Tampa Bay at Detroit - is worth a look. The two teams have played three sets of two consecutive games this season. 

In the past two sets, Detroit has won the second game. The Red Wings have also covered on the puck line in the last four straight against Tampa Bay. Detroit is one of the weaker teams in the NHL, but they actually have the second-best record ATS in the NHL. 

It might be worth checking the puck line and moneyline odds after the two teams play on Saturday.

Click here to see our top bets for last weekend.

NBA Props
The NBA regular season winds down with a handful of teams still trying to lock in playoff berths. One of the more interesting NBA prop bets that hits quite a bit is on Portland. 

The Trail Blazers lead the NBA in first quarter points. They average 31.0 points in the first quarter. When up against teams that do not do so well in the first quarter, Portland in the Race to 20 Points is a solid wager.

Portland takes on Boston on Sunday. The Celtics are 24th in the league in first quarter scoring averaging 27.5 points in the opening period. 

There is also a Saturday showdown in Dallas where Washington, which is 9-1 in its last ten games, takes on Luka Doncic and the Mavs. The Wizards have NBA leading scorer Bradley Beal (31.3 ppg) and triple-double machine Russell Westbrook. 

There will be plenty of player props on the board. Westbrook has recorded seven straight double-doubles and six triple-doubles in his last seven games. 

Doncic averages 28.5 points, 8.7 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game. He only had two double-doubles and zero triple-doubles in April. The Mavs star could be due against a Wizards defense that ranks 29th in points allowed per game.