Matthew Lowrimore
NBA
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We have put together a 4-pick cross-sport parlay that will take you right through Thursday night, including action from college basketball, the NHL, and the NBA.
One pick is taken from each sport with a second pick from the NHL. A winning ticket gives us a nice payout with odds at +1543 with DraftKings; that’s more than 15/1! Let’s break down each of these plays.
College Basketball: Ohio State Buckeyes vs Wisconsin Badgers -3.5 (-110), 7:00 pm ET
Wisconsin plays slowly and takes great care of the ball, ranking 219th in average offensive possession length and 2nd in turnover rate. Furthermore, the Badgers rank 37th in KenPom’s offensive efficiency and score 0.9 ppp in the half-court (62nd percentile). Ohio State was able to hold the Badgers down in the first game, but the Buckeyes’ half-court defense has not been good over the course of the full season. They also struggle to defend the ball handler in pick-and-roll situations (11th-percentile) and that figures to be a problem against Wisconsin, which ranks in the 94th percentile offensively in those pick-and-roll situations.
Ohio State is 1-3 against the spread on the road and in conference this year, and the Buckeyes score 5 fewer points than their season average in their road games. Meanwhile, Wisconsin scores almost 5 points over its season average at home and is 3-1 ATS in conference play. The Badgers should take this one.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for this matchup
NHL: Winnipeg Jets vs Detroit Red Wings ML (+120), 7:35 pm ET
Detroit is an impressive 12-5-2 at Little Caesars Arena but a less than stellar 4-11-3 away from the Motor City. The offense tends to be better at home, as they are scoring 3.05 goals per game at home compared to 2.33 goals per game on the road.
Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is coming off a game in which he surrendered 7 goals, so he may not have his best stuff right now. Additionally, he owns a below-average .898 save percentage in 7 career games against the Red Wings. All in all, the value in this matchup is on the home team. Back the Red Wings at plus money.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for this matchup
NBA: Golden State Warriors vs Milwaukee Bucks -2 (-110), 7:35 pm ET
We have a small spread here and this game could really go either way with guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry more than able to win any game late. Neither one of these teams is in really great form, either. This one could hinge on Draymond Green not being available for the Warriors to help to limit Antetokounmpo. If the Greek Freek has one of his monster games and gets enough support, the Bucks can win at home. Curry is not going to shy away from the spotlight, but if Antetokounmpo is the best player on the floor that will be deciding factor. Take Milwaukee.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for this matchup
NHL: New York Rangers vs San Jose Sharks ML (+105), 10:35 pm ET
Offensively, these teams are carbon copies of each other. They rank in the bottom half of the league in expected goals and right around average in goals scored and goals per game. Defensively, both teams rank near the middle of the pack in expected goals against. Even if Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin is back for this game, 5 days off is a lot without game action and with these teams being closely ranked everywhere else, go with the home team and take the Sharks money line.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for this matchup
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