Saturday’s Best Bets: NBA, NHL & UFC Vegas 70
No matter your sport of choice, there’s always sports betting action to be had. We’ll have you covered each and every day with our daily best bets. Here are all of our best bets across each major sport in action today.
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Today’s Best Bets
Here are today’s best NBA bets.
NBA Best Bets
NBA Same Game Parlay Picks
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
This isn’t the most exciting parlay. But as long as it profits, that’s all that will matter.
Tobias Harris has fallen off. He’s averaging 15.4 points per game but earned only 11.2 points per game in February. Against Memphis on Thursday, Harris tallied 20 points. But he did it with just ten shot attempts and foul shots.
Harris has earned just one foul shot per game in February. He won’t get to the foul line consistently and doesn’t take enough volume to get to 14 points.
Meanwhile, Joel Embiid earned six assists to start the second half against the Grizzlies. He’s now earned at least four assists in three straight games and in six of his last ten games.
Jaylen Brown has earned at least three assists in his last five games. He’s also hit three assists in eight of his last ten games and has reached this milestone in 63% of games this season. The 76ers are one of the better defenses in the NBA, but all the stars will perform offensively at a high level in this rivalry matchup. That includes Brown.
Parlay Odds: +466
- Jason Radowitz
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NBA Game Picks
Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Sometimes you stare at a number and know that it’s off. This total is way too high. Memphis is 7-3 to the Under over their last ten games played, and the data tells the story why: over these same ten games, the Grizzlies have been a pedestrian team, ranking 14th in overall Net Rating, and a stunning 24th offensively. For context, the Grizz are the no. 17 rated offense on the season, and such a decline is the reason why they’ve been such a good under bet of late.
Further, don’t expect their offensive woes to be remedied vs. this Denver team. The Nuggets had a rough start to the season defensively, but have been one of the leagues better units since the new year, and rate 9th defensively over the last ten. Additionally, and empirically, the Memphis offense struggles in these two teams’ lone meeting this season. There were no injuries worth noting in this previous matchup, and the total steamed under 235.
Lastly, neither team trends over on the year. And, for those who love trends (we all do), the Grizzlies are 7-2 to the under at home when the number is set at 234 and above.
Bet: Under 234 (-110)
- Tommy Jurgens
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First Basket Scorer
Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons
The Raptors head south of the border to take on the Pistons in Detroit. Again, like I’ve done many times this season, I will be fading the Pistons when it comes to First Basket. The numbers continue to back this. Detroit is scoring first field goals at below a 40% rate and winning opening tips at an even lower rate. Meanwhile, Toronto is one of the better teams in the league, hovering around 60% for first field goal makes.
With a good chance to score the First Basket in this game, I like to target two different Raptors to improve my edge. The first pick is OG Anunoby. He has only started in 46 games and scored the Raptors’ first field goal in eight of them, but the matchup with Detroit is enticing. The Pistons don’t really have the defenders to lock down athletic guards, especially ones with OG’s size. This is indicated in their season stats of giving up 27% of opponents’ first field goals to shooting guards.
The other player I’m targeting is Pascal Siakam. This is a volume play where Siakam leads the Raptors in First Baskets by a wide margin and has the first team field goal in 20 of 50 starts. With the edge I like for Toronto to get the First Basket, I have to make a play on the player that scores Toronto’s first field goal in 40% of starts.
Pick: 0.25u OG Anunoby (+750) & 0.25u Pascal Siakam (+360)
- Jason Radowitz
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NBA Prop Bets
Nikola Jokic OVER 47.5 Points/Assists/Rebounds (-122)
It’s hard to deny that Nikola Jokic should be the first player since Larry Bird nearly 40 years ago to be a three-peat MVP.
The guy is a triple-double machine, as his 22 is more than double the next man (Luka Donic, 10). He has guided the Nuggets to the top seed in the west and the second-best record in the league.
In the last game against the Grizzles, he posted a lucky 13/13/13 stat line in a win.
We will see a much better performance from Jokic because he won’t be facing Steven Adams, who’s out with an injury. The defense at the rim hasn’t noticeably dipped since his absence.
- John Supowitz
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NHL Best Bets
NHL Game Picks
Pittsburgh Penguins (-156) vs. St. Louis Blues (+130) | O/U 6.5 (-118/-104)
The Penguins’ playoff hopes are in jeopardy. The team has hit a rough patch and is 3-6-1 over their last ten games.
The defense has been awful, allowing 5.25 goals over the last four games. Tristan Jarry was out for a month and has struggled since his return, which includes being benched after the second period against Edmonton. We’ll see if they go to him or Casey DeSmith for this game.
The Blues’ streaky play throughout the season has caught up to them. They’ve called this season a wash and have offloaded some assets by trading Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly. We’ve seen the offense take a dip by scoring six goals in the last four games.
Goalie Jordan Binnington took over as the starting goalie this season and has not played well at all. He’s allowed the most goals of his career, and most losses, with a -6.0 Goals Saved Above Expected.
Both teams have lost four straight, and they’ve been playing well. I have no confidence that either defense can hold down their opponent.
Pick: OVER 6.5 (-118)
- John Supowitz
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NHL Goal In First Ten (GIFT) Picks
New York Rangers vs.Washington Capitals
The Rangers won six straight coming out of the All-Star break, and the offense was scoring 5.33 goals per game in that time. They’re recently plummeted, putting up just four goals in the three-game losing streak.
They’ve had some rough defensive matchups, which could be a factor as to why they gave the puck away 17.6 times per game over their last three.
Washington is another team that has begun to dissolve its roster. They were recently involved in a blockbuster trade sending Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov to the Bruins for three picks and Craig Smith. They‘ve lost in six consecutive games and are still dealing with injuries.
I like the Rangers to rebound, but I think the defenses will be the biggest factor for both sides, and we will not see scoring early.
Pick: UNDER 0.5 (+125)
- John Supowitz
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UFC Vegas 70 Best Bets
UFC Vegas 70 Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann: Odds & Picks
I think this step is too big for Spann and is a fight that Krylov can win in the second or third rounds if he withstands the early onslaught by “Superman†Spann.
Best Bet: Nikita Krylov (-170 via DraftKings)
- Johnny Perun
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Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategies — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
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