Wise n' Shine: NBA picks, NHL predictions and college basketball best bets for Friday, February 24

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Phil Agius

NBA

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I've been writing about the NFL and a host of other sports for the UK's top daily betting paper the Racing Post for more than 20 years. An incurable Browns fan (1-31 survivor), I also specialise in all kinds of motorsport betting including F1, MotoGP, IndyCar and NASCAR. For Phil Agius media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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Good morning, Pickswise Nation, and welcome to a fantastic Friday of sports. We have NBA, NHL, college basketball and EPL soccer action to enjoy today, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better!

About Last Night

NBA Best Bet winning streak continues
The Pickswise team cashed a 4th straight NBA Best Bet on Thursday as the Lakers comfortably covered a 6-point spread in their 124-111 win over the Warriors. Our cappers went 6-2-1 with their ATS/ML picks. There were some exciting finishes on Thursday night, with the Celtics holding off the Pacers 142-138 after OT and the Jazz beating the Thunder 120-119, also after OT.

9-2 night in the NHL
Our NHL handicappers also had a terrific Thursday, going 9-2 with our picks and cashing the Best Bet of over 6.5 in the Flames vs Golden Knights game, thanks to an overtime goal that gave Vegas a 4-3 win.

NCAAB, soccer and XFL wins too!
Our college basketball picks went 2-1-1 on Thursday, while we got XFL Week 2 off to a winning start with our Battlehawks +3 pick as they beat the Sea Dragons 20-18 to move to 2-0. Our midweek soccer success continued, with Manchester United ML cashing at +130 against Barcelona, taking our record over the last 3 days to 5-0!

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Today’s Slate

NBA doubleheader on ESPN
There’s a solid 8-game slate in the NBA tonight, with Heat vs Bucks on ESPN at 7:30 pm ET and Nets vs Bulls at 10:00 pm ET on the same channel. Read today’s NBA picks.

Avalanche vs Jets in the NHL
It’s quality rather than quantity on the ice today, with a great matchup between the Avalanche and Jets on ESPN+ at 8:00 pm ET and Wild vs Maple Leafs at 7:00 pm ET. Read today’s NHL picks.

Quiet day on the college hardwood
It’s a case of the calm before the Saturday storm in college basketball, but #16 Xavier plays Seton Hall at 7:00 pm ET on FS1 and we have college basketball picks for the game. The weekend EPL soccer slate also starts tonight with Wolves vs Fulham, so be sure to check out our soccer predictions.

Best Bet of the Day

NBA: New York Knicks +1.5 over Washington Wizards
7:00 pm ET, MSG/NBCSW

New York won its last 3 games before the all-star break and the addition of wing Josh Hart via trade is looking like a stroke of genius. Washington had been playing better heading into the break, too, winning 4 of 5, but it’s a surprise that Washington is the favorite. The Wizards’ home numbers are nothing special (11-14-1 ATS), while New York has been one of the better road teams in the NBA this season (19-10 ATS). As road underdogs, the Knicks are winning half of the time and covering even more than that. They are the better team and they should be able to get a win. Read our full Knicks vs Wizards predictions.

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Must-read

For today’s action, we have our NBA mega parlay and first-basket best bets along with today’s NHL mega parlay and NHL player props. The MLS season starts tomorrow, so be sure to check out our MLS season preview.

Read all of our great sports analysis as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.

Stat of the Day

The Heat have lost 6 straight games when playing the Bucks in Milwaukee.

Quote of the Day

“Why not Washington? Look at all the talent.”

New Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy explains his sideways move from the Chiefs.

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Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news and best bets. Check out our expert NFL Picks, NBA Picks, Soccer Picks and NHL Picks pages for our latest game picks.

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