Friday’s Best Bets: 2023 Sweet 16, NBA & NHL (3/24)

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 24, 2023

No matter your sport of choice, thereâ€™s always sports betting action to be had. Weâ€™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.

Todayâ€™s Best Bets

Here are todayâ€™s best NBA bets.

NBA Best Bets

NBA Same Game Parlay Picks

Boston Celtics vs. Indiana Pacers

Leg 1: Jaylen Brown Over 26.5 Points (-122)
Leg 2: Jayson Tatum Over 30.5 Points (-111)
Leg 3: Myles Turner Over 17.5 Points (-118)

Both Brown and Tatum can thrive in the Celticâ€™s offense. The last time these two teams played, Brown scored thirty points. Tonight, Tyrese Hailburton is doubtful, which means the Pacers will rotate bench players. That will give additional scoring opportunities to the Celtics and Brown.

Tatum is one of the top offensive basketball players in the NBA. He averages 30.1 points per game. That number increased to 36 points when playing the Pacers this season. That means Tatum is consistently outsourcing his value against this team.

The Pacers lean on Turner while Haliburton is out. That means Turner will have plenty of opportunity tonight against the Celtics. The last time these two teams played, Turner scored forty points. Tonight could be a repeat.

Parlay Odds: +503

Cameron Lynch

Check out our other NBA Odds, Picks & Predictions >>

First Basket Scorer

Detroit Pistons vs. Toronto Raptors

The Pistons are gunning for the best lottery odds so their lineup is in flux on a game-to-game basis. One thing that has stayed consistent for Detroit is their inability to score First Baskets. On the flip side, Toronto is one of the best teams in the league scoring first field goals, doing so at nearly a 60% clip.

Toronto has a solid edge in scoring the First Basket and I'm not going to try and get too cute with it. Pascal Siakam is the Raptorsâ€™ best player as far as scoring First Baskets is concerned and I'm going to back him. His 25 first team field goals paces the club by a double-digit margin.

Detroit typically allows first field goals to opposing guards, but Siakam has that ability as a wing to handle the ball and act as a guard in many offensive sets. Due to this, I like Siakam to cash this First Basket again on Friday night.

First Basket Pick: 0.25u on Pascal Siakam (+410)

Ryan Rodeman

Check out our other NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions >>

2023 NCAA Tournament: Sweet 16

Texas vs. Xavier

The Sweet 16 of the 2022-23 NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday, and on Friday, the 2-seed Texas Longhorns and 3-seed Xavier Musketeers will play in an exciting Midwest Region clash.

On Saturday, Texas defeated No. 10 Penn State 71-66 thanks to a strong first half. In the meantime, Xavier beat No. 11 Pittsburgh 84-73 to make it to the Sweet 16.

Although Xavier's attack has been excellent this season, Texas will prevent them from scoring at will, unlike their opponents have thus far. The Longhorns have kept their last six opponents to a 58.2 PPG average while allowing just 67.2 PPG on the season. Over that time, they totally shut down opponents like TCU and Kansas, demonstrating the Longhorns' ability to handle top opposition.

With the offensive talent present on both sides, I'm anticipating some first-half adjustments to be needed, but I give Texas a much bigger edge. If they can contain Xavier in the first 10 minutes, look for them to settle in, find their shots and pull away late.

The pick: Texas -4 (-110)

Check out our other Sweet 16 Odds, Picks & Predictions >>

NHL Best Bets

New York Islanders (-195) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (+160) | O/U 6 (-124/+102)

To kick off Fridayâ€™s NHL slate, there is a Metropolitan Division tilt with the fourth-place New York Islanders hosting the eighth-place Columbus Blue Jackets. While New York is obviously a stronger team, +160 is too good to pass up on the home team to pull off an upset.

Simply put, the Islanders should not be laying two dollars on the road against anybody. At 5-on-5, New York ranks just 18th in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60) and 21st in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60).

On the road this season, the Islanders have lost 20 of their 36 contests. Meanwhile, Columbus continues to play without any quit, evidenced by their dramatic 7-6 comeback victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

New York likely will win this game, and it should, but there is too much value in the Blue Jacketsâ€™ line at +160 to pass up against a team that often gets bailed out by its goaltender.

Best Bet: Blue Jackets ML (+160)

Tony Sartori

Check out our other NHL Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions >>

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.

Navigate