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Wednesday’s Best Bets: NBA, College Basketball & NHL (3/1)

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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 NBA bets.

NBA Best Bets

NBA Same Game Parlay Picks

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat

    • Leg 1: James Harden Over 5.5 rebounds (-125)
    • Leg 2: Bam Adebayo Over 17.5 points (-117)
    • Leg 3: Joel Embiid Over 29.5 points (-120)

Despite this game at Miami with a 215.5-point over/under, I am preferencing the over props for this first same-game parlay. While Miami ranks fourth in the league in defense, they rank 20th in rebound rate. Harden will find plenty of opportunities to get rebounds with Philadelphia ranking fifth best in the NBA on defense. I am guessing Miami’s high number of missed shots will give plenty of opportunities for Harden on the boards.

Uncorrelated, I still see Adebayo’s point total set too low from the books. That is most likely due to the opposition and the pace-down spot that comes with it. Adebayo is due for some major positive regression, as has averaged 17.0 points a game over the last two weeks. That’s down from better than 21 points a game this season. 

Embiid is in the same boat with his point-prop ranking too low. This is an odd parlay to put together, but I will still be putting a full unit on it. 

Parlay Odds: +512

  • Ryan Coleman

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NBA Game Picks

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics

Following a win streak that extended two weeks, regression was bound to come for the Cavaliers. They found it last week in three straight losses. They did get back on track Monday, however, beating the Raptors 118-93 and covering as 7.5 favorites.

For the Celtics, a bad loss was in order Monday night on the road in New York. As two-point favorites, they lost outright to the Knicks. While I do expect the Celtics to play with an edge in this one, I think the Cavs can stay inside this number.

Bet: Cavaliers +6 (-110)

  • Johnny Perun

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First Basket Scorer

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Houston Rockets

The Grizzlies already earned a tip-off against the Rockets back on October 21. The Rockets still scored first. It was Eric Gordon who scored and Steven Adams who won the tip. We won’t be seeing either of those players on the court tonight.

Memphis has won 65 percent of tips and scored 65 percent of first baskets. Compare that to the Rockets who have won 33 percent of tips and attempted just 36 percent of the first shots. It’s fair to assume that the Grizzlies will score first.

Dillon Brooks has attempted 11 first shots but has only made six first baskets. At +700, it’s likely that he’ll get the first look. Hopefully, he’s able to drain it.

Bet: Dillon Brooks (+700)

  • Jason Radowitz

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NBA Prop Bets

Jaylen Brown Over 24.5 Points (-125 DraftKings)

This game is the best game of the night. Both teams have a legitimate chance to win the championship this year. The Cavaliers have won the previous two matchups. Both of those games went into overtime. Make sure to watch this game tonight.

The player to look out for tonight is Jaylen Brown. The Celtic’s primary scorer is Jayson Tatum. The Cavs will put their best defender on him. That will create additional opportunities for Jaylen Brown. Brown averages 26.5 points per game, but that number increases to 31 against the Cavaliers. The scoring consistency and more opportunity will help Brown score over the points.

  • Cameron Lynch

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We round out the day with our top college basketball bets.

College Basketball Best Bets

College Basketball Game Picks

Xavier vs. Providence

We have seen home teams dominate in many conferences like the Big Ten, and that is especially true in the Big East. For example, when Providence lost by 18 points at UConn last Wednesday, it brought the home record of the Big East’s top five teams (Marquette, Xavier, Creighton, Providence, and UConn) to a combined 38-4, with their road records at an even .500 (21-21). Thus, we will jump at the opportunity any time we can back a Big East home team at reasonable moneyline odds.

The Friars are a perfect 15-0 at home this season and have won 34 of their last 35 at home overall. Head coach Ed Cooley challenged his team’s toughness after getting out-rebounded 40-20 in the loss to UConn, and it responded by out-rebounding Georgetown by seven in a 20-point road win. The backboards should not be as much of an issue against a Xavier team without its leading rebounder and third-leading rebounder in the conference, forward Zach Freemantle (8.1 rebounds per game). In addition, Providence is built to negate the Musketeers’ biggest strength, as it allows a league-low 29.6% from 3-point range, while Xavier makes a conference-high 38.9% of its 3-point shots in league play.

Providence has covered 13 of 18 Big East games, but we will opt for its reasonable moneyline odds against a Musketeers team that has lost three of their last five.

Bet: Providence ML (-165 at DraftKings)

  • Mike Spector

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Check out our best NHL bets.

NHL Best Bets

NHL Game Picks

New Jersey Devils vs. Colorado Avalanche

The Devils start up a three-game road trip tonight, featuring stops in Colorado, Vegas, and Arizona. They’ve won four out of their last five games and will take on an Avalanche team that’s won six straight games. This one gets underway at 9:00 p.m. ET from Ball Arena in Denver, CO. 

The defending champion Avalanche seem to be hitting their stride as they’ve won six straight games, outscoring opponents 25-10 over the span. However, I say the streak ends tonight and I’ll be rolling with the Devils as slight underdogs. 

While everyone wants to talk about the explosive offense of New Jersey (4th, 3.5 GPG), they’ve been surprisingly consistent on the back end as well. They bring in the fifth-best defense, a unit that’s allowing just 2.5 goals per game. On the PK, they’re 10th with an impressive 81.5% penalty-killing rate. 

The Devils will likely turn to Vitek Vanecek tonight, and he’s been great, posting a 25-6-3 record to go along with a 2.37 GAA and .913 SV%. If he’s able to make a few key saves tonight against an upward-trending Avs team, the Devils should find themselves in this game down the stretch. Let’s roll with New Jersey. 

Bet: New Jersey Devils Moneyline (+110)

  • Trenton Pruitt

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NHL Same Game Parlay

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers

    • Leg 1: Maple Leafs ML (-125)
    • Leg 2: OVER 6.5 Total Goals (-105)
    • Leg 3: OVER 3.5 Total Maple Leafs Goals (+110)

The Leafs are more determined than ever to overcome that haunting playoff drought.

They were very busy during the trade deadline. This week they picked up defensemen Luke Schenn, Erik Gustafsson, Jake McCabe, and forward Sam Lafferty. Don’t forget they previously grabbed Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari.

The Oilers also made some changes by dealing Jesse Puljujarvi, and made a big move and improved the blue line by acquiring Mattias Ekholm.

The focus has been on Connor McDavid’s magical year. For the first time, he has a 50-goal season and is just the fourth different player to accomplish this in the last ten years.

Even with the moving pieces, both teams have outstanding forward units, but Edmonton has struggled all season defensively. I like Toronto to win, but they will have to score a lot to do it.

Parlay Odds: +638

  • John Supowitz

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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 â€” to learn more.


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