Wednesday’s Best NFL, NBA & College Basketball Bets (11/22)
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 FanDuel Sportsbook)
Joshua Dobbs To Win Comeback Player of the Year (+450)
If you're of the mindset that this is the de facto Damar Hamlin award, I won't argue with you. That is a completely unprecedented situation and we have no idea how voters will take that into consideration at the end of the season. If you are not of that mindset, I believe this price is too long for Dobbs, who I think should be the rightful favorite for the award.
Most think of this award as a player who came back from a season-ending injury to outperform expectations in his returning season, but we actually don't have to look back very far at all to find an analogous situation to Dobbs. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith won the award this past season, and he didn't recover from any injury. Smith simply emerged as a starting quarterback who outperformed expectations after an extended stint as a journeyman backup quarterback. That sounds a whole lot like Dobbs, doesn't it?
Dobbs was dropped into an impossible situation in a trailing game script at Atlanta. He led a comeback effort that included teaching his offensive line his cadence on the sideline and throwing touchdowns to players whose names he legitimately did not know. He followed that up by trouncing the NFC South-leading Saints at home before nearly pulling off a road upset in one of the toughest atmospheres to play at in Denver. Oh, and he's doing this without the services of wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who they hope will return to the fold soon. From all accounts, everyone loves Dobbs and the narrative of the former aerospace engineer will only draw voters toward his case when the time comes.
If Dobbs keeps stacking up wins and gets this team to the playoffs, I don't see how you can pass up on playing him at this price to win Comeback Player of the Year.
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NBA Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Toronto Raptors @ Indiana Pacers
The Toronto Raptors have only won the tip 46% of the time this season, but they've scored the first basket in 92% of games. Toronto has been extremely good at starting games and that will likely continue against the Pacers.
Indiana is already coming off a game yesterday in which they combined for more than 300 points with the Atlanta Hawks. Now, they'll have 24 hours to prepare for another game against the Raptors. The Pacers have scored the first basket in only 45% of games this season. They've also attempted the first shot attempt in 36% of games, which isn't very high.
Although small forward Scottie Barnes hasn't been the most consistent scorer on the Raptors early, he's taken the first shot in 31% of games this season. He's only nailed the first basket in 15% of games, which was two times, but he's getting most of the volume game-to-game.
Let's ride with Barnes to score the first basket.
Bet: Scottie Barnes To Score the First Basket (+650)
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College Basketball Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of PointsBet)
#11 Gonzaga vs. UCLA (Maui Invitiational)
I truly love it when the third-best game on the slate is Gonzaga-UCLA. What's better than this?
This game features a true clash of styles. Gonzaga loves to run it, while UCLA has the 296th slowest pace. The Bruins will back the lane, allowing more perimeter shots, while over 60% of Gonzaga's points have come from inside the arc, the 28th highest in the nation.
For their similarities, both teams rebound well and rank in the top 20 in perimeter defense. Adem Bona is a force down-low for UCLA, with a 12.2% block rate, the 25th highest among all DI players. Gonzaga prefers the interior look but the Bruins own the fourth-best near-proximity defense in the country. This is no Syracuse.
With both teams losing their opening game, neither squad wants to go home with two losses. That said, this is the third game in as many days with a remarkably late, midnight Eastern start time. I expect UCLA to control the pace and eliminate the second-chance opportunities for the Zags. I won't take the Bruins outright, but they showed their ability to compete by going shot for shot against Marquette. This will be a one-possession game in a low-scoring affair.
Play: UCLA +5.5 (-110)
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