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Tuesday’s Best Bets: NBA, March Madness, WBC & NHL (3/14)

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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.

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Today’s Best Bets

Here are today’s best NBA bets.

NBA Best Bets

NBA Same Game Picks

Denver Nuggets vs. Toronto Raptors

Losers of three straight, the Denver Nuggets are playing their worst ball of the season right now, and they may be without G Jamal Murray tonight in Toronto (see here for current injury reports). Murray is one of Denver’s best players, and the drop from him to either Reggie Jackson or Bruce Brown is significant. If he does indeed sit, the Raptors will undoubtedly be favored by more than one point. And if he plays, we still like Toronto’s chances. The Raptors nearly stole the two team’s previous meeting just eight days ago and should find their footing as they return home following a five-game road trip. One last note: the Nuggets are 15.8 Pts/Poss (points per 100 possessions) worse this season when playing on the road vs. at home.

Denver may rely more on Jokic to create offense in this game, but we don’t like him to be a big scorer in this contest. The Raptors have a lot of length/size in the frontcourt and a stable of capable defenders to throw at the likely MVP. As a result, Jokic only attempted eight shots and scored only 17 in the two team’s previous meetings, dating back to the 2020-2021 season. He has only mustered greater than 20 points twice against Toronto. It’s hard to foresee the shot volume necessary for Jokic to go Over this number, especially considering that the Raptors’ defensive game plan may be keen around him.

Parlay Odds: +250

  • Tommy Jurgens

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NBA Game Picks

Brooklyn Nets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Nets have won four of their last five games. The defense started coming around after Brooklyn put together a new squad at the NBA Trade Deadline.

The Nets have won three of their last four games on the road and will stay out on the road to face the Thunder. The Thunder have also won four of five. But Oklahoma City faced teams like the Spurs and Pelicans.

Brooklyn is still shooting an effective field goal percentage of 57.1%. The Nets don’t usually dominate the offensive glass, but with the Thunder allowing a high offensive rebound rate, the Nets could end up getting some second chances.

Oklahoma City is only shooting a 53.7% effective field goal percentage. The Thunder will likely have more success on the offensive glass and limit turnovers better. But it’ll be the Nets shooting at a higher percentage.

Take the Nets +1.5.

Bet: Nets +1.5 (-110) 

  • Jason Radowitz

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First Basket Scorer

Toronto Raptors vs. Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets might have a 43-27 record, but they could improve at winning the first possession. Denver has lost four of the last five tipoffs. That means Toronto has the advantage in scoring the game's first basket tonight.

The next part of figuring out first-basket betting is who will score for the Raptors. Pascal Siakam is the most likely player to score the first basket for the Raptors. He averages 24.4 points per game. That is 23% of the Raptor's points this season.

First Basket: Pascal Siakam (+490)

  • Cameron Lynch

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World Baseball Classic

Canada vs. Columbia

Arguably the biggest game on the docket today sees Canada (1-1) take on Columbia (1-1). Factor in that the USA is 2-1, Mexico is 1-1, and Great Britain is 1-2, and you can see that Group C is still completely up for grabs. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. 

This afternoon's pitching matchup sees the Canadian's Noah Skirrow square off against Columbia's Adrian Almeida. Skirrow spent the bulk of his 2022 campaign with the Phillies' AA program, the Reading Fightin Phils. In 21 starts with the club last year, the right-hander went 5-8 with a 4.65 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Almeida, on the other hand, hasn't pitched much over the last couple of seasons, partially due to running into injury issues in 2022. With two clubs in the Mexican League last year, the southpaw went 0-3 with an 8.88 ERA and 1.97 WHIP. 

So, as you can tell, we're certainly not getting the best cream of the crop in terms of pitching in this Group C showdown. Therefore, I'll lock in the lofty over of 11.5 runs.

In two games so far, Canada has posted the highest OPS out of all 20 teams, sitting at 1.083. The inflated OPS is a product of an 18-8 barnburner with Great Britain on Sunday; but, if that game is any indication of what we'll see here, we should have no issue clearing this total. 

As for Columbia, they're slashing just .194/.256/.319 through two games. However, this is a potential breakout game against a Canadian pitching staff that owns a 13.85 ERA and has conceded 20 runs through two games. All things considered, I think we see both offenses feel pretty confident today. Let's lock in the over. 

Bet: Over 11.5

  • Trenton Pruitt

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Check out our best NHL bets.

NHL Best Bets

NHL Game Picks

Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

It's been a tough run for the Canadiens lately, as they've now dropped their last seven games overall. They'll look to get back into the win column tonight against a Penguins squad that's holding down the top spot in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, sitting with 78 points. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. 

Things seem to finally be turning around for the Penguins, who have now won seven of their last nine games overall. I'll back them to make it eight of 10 tonight, and I think they handle Montreal with ease on their home ice. 

Pittsburgh has been excelling on the offensive end of the ice during the above-mentioned nine-game sample, scoring an average of 3.9 goals per game. They'll take on a lousy Canadiens' defense which ranks 25th in overall defense (3.3 GAA) and 31st on the penalty kill (72.9%). Look for the Penguins to come out and dominate Montreal early while cruising to at least a two-goal victory. 

Bet: Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (-129 via DraftKings)

  • Trenton Pruitt

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NHL Same Game Parlay

Ottawa Senators vs. Edmonton Oilers

  • Leg 1: Senators +1.5 (-135)
  • Leg 2: OVER 7.5 Total Goals (+135)
  • Leg 3: OVER 1.5 Total First Period Goals (-180)

The Senators are likely not making the playoffs, but the team has played well recently by winning six of their last nine. The credit should go to the top line of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and Claude Giroux, who have been great, scoring 13 goals in their previous ten games.

With Cam Talbot out, Mads Sogaard should get the start. He has struggled in his last three starts by allowing 13 goals.

Edmonton holds the first Wild Card spot in the West, but with 15 games remaining, the Pacific is tight enough that they could climb into the top three.

We cannot talk about the Oilers without mentioning Connor McDavid. It's rare not only to have a game where he doesn't have a point, but you feel disappointed when he doesn't have multiple, as he's averaging 1.89 points per game.

Both teams should provide plenty of offense, so it should be an exciting matchup.

Parlay Odds: +536

  • John Supowitz

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NHL Player Prop Bet Picks

Islanders vs. Kings

The Islanders will head to the Sunshine State winning three of their last four and hold a three-point lead for the final Wild Card spot.

They were in a better position in the standings earlier in the year, but the drop in offensive production has hurt them. Brock Nelson still leads the Isles in points and goals, but he's dipped in production over the last few weeks.

Tonight he goes up against the Kings, who are one of the better two-way teams in the league. In the last matchup, he went under his shots on goal prop, and he has gone under three in eight straight matchups.

Brock Nelson UNDER 2.5 Shots On Goal (-145)

  • John Supowitz

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2023 NCAA Tournament Bets

Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi State

Pitt's offense can score, and they are averaging 76 points per game. Guard Jamarius Burton is quick and will drive the lane and make contact.

Their outside shooting is where they excel the most - they're 27th in three-point attempts, with F Blake Hinson, G Nelly Cummings, and G Greg Elliott shooting 35% or better from behind the arc.

Pitt is a below-average defensive team, but Miss State has tremendous two-way talent.

Guard Shakeel Moore is an explosive player with the ball, but he's also an aggressive defender and eliminates the lane. They will look to forward Tolu Smith down in the paint. He should be named to First Team All-SEC as he finished second in rebounds and first in field goal percentage.

If Pitt goes cold from the field, this game will be over quickly. Miss State will easily win the defensive and rebound battle, which will be the determining factor in this game.

Pick: Mississippi State -2.5 (-110)

  • John Supowitz

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