Wednesday’s Best Bets: NBA, College Basketball, NHL & WBC (3/8)

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 08, 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

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Boston Celtics

Leg 1: Jaylen Brown Over 26.5 Points (-105)
Leg 2: Jayson Tatum Over 28.5 Points (-125)
Leg 3: Damian Lillard Under 5.5 Rebounds (-130)

If you can't already tell, I think the Celtics are going to score a lot at home tonight against Portland.

Portland's 27th-ranked defense is one of the least intimidating units in the nation, so I honestly expected the Celtics' point props to be way higher. Boston's third-ranked offense has been running on all cylinders and with Jusuf Nurkic questionable, I like it even more.

Tatum did miss the last game with a left knee contusion but he is off the injury report as I write this. I believe that sportsbooks are conservative with his scoring total simply because of injury worry, but if he's playing and off the injury report, I feel good about taking his over.

As a semi-correlated, favored play, I'm fading Damian Lillard on the glass tonight. As I expect the Celtics to be scoring at a high clip, and with the slower pace, Lillard won't get many opportunities to bring in rebounds.

Parlay Odds: +522

Ryan Coleman

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NBA Game Picks

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat

Following a slide spanning the All-Star break, here come the Cavs again. Winners of three of their past four, the Cavaliers are starting to heat up once again as they come into this one winning three of four as they storm back up the Eastern Conference standings. They picked up a pivotal game in the Eastern Conference playoff race on Monday, winning 118-114 vs. the Celtics.

As for the Heat, new acquisition Kevin Love will get his first look at his old team tonight. That is if he can suit up, as heâ€™s dealing with a rib injury and is listed as questionable. Even if Love can go, I like for the Cavs to continue their charge and see them as a real threat in the East despite the continued disrespect theyâ€™re seeing in the market.

Bet: Cavaliers +2.5 (-110)

Johnny Perun

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First Basket Scorer

Dallas Mavericks vs. New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans will play their fourth and final game against the Dallas Mavericks in the regular season. Dallas won the tip in the first meeting between these two teams, but the Pelicans added the tip in their last two games against the Mavericks.

The percentages are playing out correctly. New Orleans has won the tip in nearly 50% of games, while the Mavericks have won just 33%. New Orleans has also scored the first basket more times than theyâ€™ve won the tip, earning the first basket in 55% of games.

There are two players to look at for the Pelicans. Brandon Ingram has scored 11 first baskets while Jonas Valanciunas has scored 14 first baskets. Those are the only two consistent first-scorers for the Pelicans. You wouldnâ€™t be wrong to back either one or both in this spot. At least one should end up scoring the first basket.

Bet: Brandon Ingram (+420)
Bet: Jonas Valanciunas (+470)

Jason Radowitz

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NBA Prop Bets

Kevin Durant Over 25.5 Points (-135 DraftKings)

The Phoenix Suns have vastly improved in recent weeks. They are 4-1 in their last five games, and their one loss was by three points to the Milwaukee Bucks. The improvement is because Devin Booker is healthy, and they acquired Kevin Durant in a trade.

The player with betting value tonight is Kevin Durant. Since being traded to the Suns, he averages 26.7 points per game. Devin Booker is still the number one option for the Sun, and that means Durant will get plenty of quality shots tonight against his old team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Cameron Lynch

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College Basketball Best Bets

Wake Forest vs. Syracuse

Syracuse held Wake Forest to its lowest-scoring output of the season in a 72-63 victory in the regular season finale. So now bettors need to ask whether the Orange has the Demon Deaconsâ€™ number or if there was a little gamesmanship at play, knowing a likely rematch at the ACC tournament days later was imminent. Given how well the Demon Deacons have played all season offensively, we expect it to be more of the latter.

Preparing for Jim Boeheimâ€™s menacing 2-3 zone is always tricky, but the task became much easier, having seen it up close and personal just four days ago. In addition, a venue change should do wonders for Wake Forestâ€™s offense, as sight lines can often be difficult in a cavernous dome setting like the JMA Wireless Dome. Thus, we expect significant shooting regression for a Demon Deacons squad that ranked second in ACC play in 3-point shooting percentage (36.9%) after making just 25.6% (10-of-39) 3-point attempts in its last game.

The Over is 13-6-1 in Wake Forestâ€™s 20 ACC games this year and has cashed in eight of Syracuseâ€™s 11 road games. Thus, we are benefitting from a smaller number than usual, given the defensive nature of these teamsâ€™ last meeting, and are confidently backing a much different result today.

Bet: Wake Forest-Syracuse Over 153.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Mike Spector

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Check out our best NHL bets.

NHL Best Bets

NHL Game Picks

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings

The Blackhawks and Red Wings were once upon a time one of the fiercest rivalries in hockey; but, in 2013 Detroit was sent to the Eastern Conference, essentially eliminating the Detroit-Chicago feud. However, these former division foes get together tonight in Motown, and it gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET from Little Caesars Arena.

While the vibes in Chicago aren't the highest after offloading Patrick Kane to the Rangers and Max Domi to the Stars, the Blackhawks bounced back with a 5-0 win over Ottawa on Monday night. Defenseman Seth Jones has stepped up as he netted a pair of goals in the victory.

I'm not saying Chicago is going to go on an insane run here, but I feel that the energy is rising in the locker room right now. It's almost like an "Island of Misfit Toys" situation, and the guys are in the honeymoon stage and playing with confidence.

Detroit, on the other hand, is experiencing an extreme downturn. They've lost six straight games, essentially pushing them out of the Eastern Conference playoff race. This is a "must-win" game for the Wings, but there is no value with them on the moneyline (-240). I'm also not confident laying two goals with a team that's dropped six straight and been outscored 27-9 over the stretch. So, let's take a shot with the Hawks on the puck line.

Bet: Chicago Blackhawks +1.5 (-130)

Trenton Pruitt

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NHL Same Game Parlay

Minnesota Wild vs. Winnipeg Jets

Leg 1: UNDER 3.5 Total Wild Goals(-170)
Leg 2: UNDER 5.5 Total Goals (-105)
Leg 3: UNDER 1.5 Total First Period Goals (-115)

Minnesota had their four-game winning streak snapped in a shootout loss to Calgary.

They have to be one of the more unbalanced teams in the league â€“ Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson are one of the best tandems between the pipes allowing the third-fewest goals, but the offense has been abysmal, scoring the fewest this season.

While Minnesota should finish in the top three in the Central, Winnipeg has let that get away from them.

The Jets have been bad recently by going 2-6-2 and have moved down to the second wild spot. This is another team that has relied on its goaltending, specifically Connor Hellebuyck, but he's allowed 3.93 goals per game in his last starts.

With division rivals, itâ€™s always anyoneâ€™s game, but we shouldn't expect much scoring.

John Supowitz

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World Baseball Classic Bets

Australia vs. Korea

Australia has virtually no MLB experience on this roster. Warwick Saupold played three seasons with the Tigers, 45-year-old Chris Oxford spent some time with the Brewers, and Aaron Whitfield has played for the Twins and Angels. Whitfield is probably their best player and has four seasons in the MiLB with 30+ stolen bases and is a two-time ABL MVP.

Korea has a stellar roster mixed with MLB talent and KBO all-stars. Cardinals Tommy Edman and Padres Ha-Seong Kim are the notable major leaguers, but the players you don't know are the headliners.

Jung-hoo Lee is the reigning KBO MVP with a slash line of .349/23/113 and will be one of the most sought-after Korean players when he's posted after the 2023 season. Eui-ji Yang is a two-time KBO MVP and is considered one of the best catchers in league history, and Jeong Choi is an 18-year veteran with five 30+ home run seasons in his last seven.

Korea has goals of winning Pool B, and a far better roster should take of Australia easily.

Pick: Korea

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