Cavaliers vs. Celtics: We're sounding the horn for Kornet

Is anyone getting tired of this constant playoff action every night? Yeah, neither are we. Four more on deck tonight, and we've cooked up a pair of plus-money looks to power our Thursday forward.

We like Luke: Luke Kornet over 5.5 rebounds (+110 DraftKings )

Sam Hauser burned us in the last Celtics game. It was always Luke Kornet who was bound to step up in Kristaps Porzingis's absence. Kornet finished Game 1 with 10 boards, and the center now has gone for 6+ boards in six of his last seven without Porzingis.

He isn't just scraping by either, he's averaged 8.75 rebounds per game in his past four without KP. We like another involved night from the Celtics big as Boston looks to build a 2-0 series lead over the Cavaliers.

Teams that need a win: Jake Guentzel over 2.5 SOG & Logan Stankoven over 1.5 SOG (+151 DraftKings )

Carolina is heading home down 0-2 in its series with the Rangers, and Dallas is hoping to avoid dropping both games at home in its showdown with the Avalanche. As such, we're drawn to those two sides for the majority of the offense tonight.

Jake Guentzel has seemingly signed a contract that requires he always shoots the puck against the Rangers. The Carolina star now has 3+ shots in 14 of his last 15 games against New York, including five SOGs in each of the first two games of this series.

Logan Stankoven has been one of the peskier players on the Stars side of things of late. He has 2+ shots in six of eight this postseason, and he's finished with three in two straight games. His attempts have been solid, and he has three SOGs in two straight against the Avalanche. We like the rookie to keep it rolling tonight.

In the news ...

Knicks go up 2-0 over Pacers despite suffering injuries — The New York Knicks erased a 10-point deficit against the Pacers to emerge with a 130-121 win and go up 2-0 in the series. Jalen Brunson fought off a foot injury that kept him out of the second quarter, returning and dropping 24 points in the second half. The bad news is that OG Anunoby, who had 28 points prior to his injury, suffered a hamstring injury that could sideline him for some time. Considering how short a rotation Tom Thibodeau has been running with the Knicks, an Anunoby extended absence could be a major blow. Now may be a time to at least ponder the Pacers winning this series at +330 .

Panthers even series, Canucks take Game 1 — The Florida Panthers easily evened the score against the Bruins, taking Game 2 by a score of 6-1 and moving them back to series favorites at -165. Out West, Vancouver climbed out of a 4-1 hole and beat the Oilers 5-4 thanks to three third-period goals. Edmonton remains the favorites to advance at -140 and are -130 to win tomorrow, a price we love.

Nikola Jokic wins NBA MVP for third time — In the midst of facing a 2-0 hole to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic took home his third MVP win in four years last night. Jokic opened the season as the +450 favorite to win, and took home the majority of the first-place votes, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander coming in second . The Nuggets are 4.5-point underdogs in Minnesota tomorrow as they look to win their first game of the series and continue their championship defense.

Toronto Maple Leafs fire head coach Sheldon Keefe — The bad times continue in Toronto, who have fired their head coach Sheldon Keefe after five seasons with the club. Keefe had signed an extension just last year, but another disappointing end for the Maple Leafs sealed his fate. The Leafs will hope their next hire can help get them over the hump, as they have been one of the best regular-season teams for quite some time now with nothing to show for it.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll . Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com .