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Thursday’s Best NFL, NBA & College Basketball Bets (2/1)

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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.

Today's Best Bets

Here are today's best bets.

NFL Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Super Bowl LVIII)

The Baltimore Ravens' game plan in the AFC Championship came under much scrutiny, as they completely abandoned the running game that was largely responsible for them earning the conference's No. 1 seed. Through the first 18 games, Ravens running backs averaged 21.9 rushes per game, 101.4 rushing yards per game, and 4.6 yards per rush. But in the Conference Championship, they totaled just six rushes for 23 yards and 3.8 yards per rush. Perhaps most confusing is that Gus Edwards' first carry of the game went for 15 yards, and he did not receive another carry until the second half. Instead, Baltimore continued to challenge a Kansas City secondary that entered the game allowing the fewest passing yards per attempt since Week 13.

We do not expect Kyle Shanahan to open himself to criticism in the way that John Harbaugh and Todd Monken have been criticized for the loss. Instead, we expect him to force-feed his All-Pro running back. While Shanahan has a tendency to use running backs by committee in the regular season, McCaffrey totaled 20 rushes in the NFC Championship Game to Elijah Mitchell's and Kyle Juszczyk's five total carries.

McCaffrey has 93-plus rushing yards in six of the previous eight games and seven of the last 10. He should have a big day against a Chiefs defense that entered the AFC Championship ranked in the bottom 10 of the league in explosive run rate and as the league's worst stuff rate defense since Week 13.

Bet: Christian McCaffrey Over 92.5 rushing yards (-115)

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NBA Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Cleveland Cavaliers @ Memphis Grizzlies

The Cavaliers (29-16) and the Grizzlies (18-29) lock horns on the banks of the Mississippi River at FedEx Forum. The Cavs have a tough turnaround, playing Wednesday night at home against the Detroit Pistons.

The Cavs posted a 128-121 win at RocketMortgage FieldHouse, but the Pistons earned the cover as 13.5-point underdogs to snap a 7-1 ATS run for Cleveland. It's a tough turnaround for the Cavs, as they had to jump a Delta 757 charter flight, which was slightly delayed. It didn't arrive in Memphis until 1:13 a.m. ET, so it was a late arrival at the team hotel.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were on the short end of a 103-94 loss against the Sacramento Kings, covering as an 11-point underdog. Memphis has covered a season-best five straight games while winning three games outright, all as an underdog.

Cleveland might be able to find a way to get the job done, but Memphis is worth playing, catching nearly three buckets.

Bet: Grizzlies +5.5 (-108)

Check out our other NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions:

College Basketball Best Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

South Alabama @ Texas State

South Alabama is amid a three-game losing streak and is entering its third game of a four-game road trip. However, while the scheduling circumstances may be against the Jaguars in this matchup, we still expect them to compete well against a Bobcats team that has lost nine of 10 games and is just 1-8 in Sun Belt play.

South Alabama may not believe in moral victories. Still, it should come away from a four-point road loss at Troy (who is now 7-2 in the conference) as eight-point underdogs with confidence, especially since it won the turnover battle and scored a respectable 1.13 points per possession on the heels of one of its better shooting performances of the season (it made 11 of 21 3-point attempts).

The Jaguars now rank third in Sun Belt play in 3-point shooting (35.2%), while Texas State's defense is last in the conference in effective field goal percentage and 2-point percentage allowed (54.8%). Thus, the Bobcats will be forced to pick their poison defensively, and South Alabama has covered 60% of its road games (6-4 ATS), while Texas State is 1-4 ATS at home.

Pick: South Alabama +2 (-112)

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