The Kentucky Derby is this Saturday in Louisville and for one afternoon horse racing owns the sports world. Meanwhile the NBA and NHL first round playoffs are hitting their most critical stretch including closeout games, potential series upsets, and elimination games that could end series as soon as tonight.

Here's your weekend preview starting with what matters most.

The stakes: The Kentucky Derby takes place Saturday at the iconic Churchill Downs racetrack. This is one of the most viewed races in American sports and the first leg of horse racing's “Triple Crown”. The Triple Crown is the sport's most prestigious achievement where a horse needs to win three signature races: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Only thirteen horses in history have ever completed it. Twenty horses will attempt to start that journey Saturday.

What to watch for: Renegade enters as the favorite but faces an immediate hill to climb. He drew Post 1, closest to the rail, which is historically one of the worst starting positions in a 20-horse field. This is because the horse can get pinned against the fence as the group of horses charge toward the first turn. Watch Renegade and his jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. early to see if he can navigate out of traffic cleanly. If Renegade struggles, other contenders like Commandment and Further Ado both sitting at the second best odds to win can steal this race.

The Betting Angle [Powered by WagerXpert]: Post position matters more in the Kentucky Derby than almost any other race. Post 5 has produced 10 winners since 1930, the most of any starting position in Derby history, and Post 7 has produced 8 more. Commandment starts from Post 6, sitting right in that historically golden range, a spot that avoids the early traffic of the inside and the wide angle of the far outside. At 6-1 odds and coming off a win at the Florida Derby, Commandment has both the talent and a favorable position. Back him to win and finish in the top three.

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Knicks vs. Hawks | Game 6: After two inexplicable late-game loses, New York found themselves down 2-1 in a series they should be controlling. Since then they have woken up, rattled off two straight wins, and now hold a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close it out tonight on the road. If they don’t get the job done, it goes back to Madison Square Garden for a game 7 where anything can happen. The Garden crowd is supposed to be an advantage but in a winner-take-all game the pressure of New York can cut both ways. Tonight is their moment to put Atlanta away before this turns into a massive potential first round upset.

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves | Game 6: Denver was down 3-1 and won their last matchup on Monday to force a Game 6 in Minnesota. Minnesota lost their best player, Anthony Edwards and starter Donte DiVincenzo earlier this series and all of a sudden the Nuggets have found a way to claw their way back. If Denver wins tonight they take this to a game 7 back at home with a chance to complete a 3-1 comeback, something that has been done only 13 times in NBA history.

Stars vs. Wild | Game 6: This has been one of the best series in the first round with multiple games going into overtime. Minnesota has not advanced past the first round in over a decade and that could change tonight. The Wild have pushed Dallas, a team that reached the Western Conference Finals three straight years. For Dallas, a loss tonight is a catastrophic early exit for a veteran core that entered this postseason as a legitimate Stanley Cup favorite.

Oilers vs. Ducks | Game 6: This is the series the hockey world is watching very closely. Connor McDavid is the best player on the planet and has not been able to translate that into playoff success in Edmonton. Getting pushed to a Game 6 by the Ducks, a team nobody expected to be this good, only adds to the mounting narrative around McDavid and what this Oilers core is actually capable of. Although, McDavid is banged up and not 100%, a loss here would still be one of the most stunning first round exits in recent memory for a team with this kind of star power.

Must-watch:

Worth Tuning In:

— Backdrop Sports

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