Wise n' Shine: NBA picks, NHL predictions, college basketball and MLS best bets for Saturday, March 11

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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.

Welcome to a super Saturday of sports, Pickswise Nation. We have a packed schedule today with NBA, NHL, college basketball, XFL, soccer and UFC, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better!

About Last Night

NBA Best Bet cashes
Close finishes were a feature of Friday’s NBA games, with Miami cashing our 3-star pick of Heat -3 by rallying to beat Cleveland 119-115. Joel Embiid scored with 1.1 seconds left to give the 76ers a 120-119 win over the Trail Blazers, while the Nets beat the Timberwolves 124-123 in overtime.

Panthers rally to beat Blackhawks
The Panthers went 2-0 down early to the Blackhawks in the first of Friday’s 2 NHL games, but they came back to win 4-3 in overtime. The Ducks won 3-1 on the road against the Flames in the later game.

Top NCAAB teams roll
The top 8 ranked teams in the nation were all in action on Thursday and they all won, but the rankings didn’t hold everywhere, with #23 Duke beating #14 Miami 85-78 in an ACC semifinal and Vanderbilt beating Kentucky 80-73 in an SEC quarterfinal.

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Today’s Slate

Bucks vs Warriors on ABC tonight
There is a great 10-game slate in the NBA today, with the headline matchup between the Bucks and Warriors on ABC at 8:30 pm ET. Check out today’s NBA predictions.

15-game NHL slate
The NHL has almost everyone in action on Saturday, with 15 games to enjoy. The action starts with Red Wings vs Bruins on ABC at 1:00 pm ET, followed by Flyers vs Penguins at 3:30 pm ET. Oilers vs Maple Leafs is being shown on NHL Network at 7:00 pm ET. Check out today’s NHL picks.

NCAAB conference titles on the line
Missouri vs Alabama and Ohio State vs Purdue get the college basketball slate off to a great start at 1:00pm ET today, before Texas vs Kansas in the Big 12 Championship at 6:00 pm ET. Duke vs Virginia and Arizona vs UCLA also duke it out for titles later in the day and w
e have NCAAB picks for all the big games.

There’s soccer, XFL and UFC too
There are also picks for 19 Saturday soccer games across the EPL and MLS slates, so be sure to check out our soccer predictions. There’s also XFL Week 4 action and we have XFL picks for all 4 weekend games, and you can also read our  UFC predictions for UFC Fight Night 221.

NFL news: Bears trade #1 pick to Panthers

Carolina gives up a haul to pick first in NFL Draft
The NFL Draft has a new look this morning after the Panthers sent a haul including 2 first-round picks, 2 second-round picks and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Bears for the #1 overall pick. With the Panthers in need of a quarterback, the odds for the first player taken have been shaken up with CJ Stroud now a hot favorite to be heading to Charlotte at -300 odds with FanDuel Sportsbook, which has Bryce Young at +300 and Anthony Richardson at +450.

Best Bet of the Day

NBA: Indiana Pacers -5.5 over Detroit Pistons
7:00 pm ET, BS IN & BS DET

Indy just beat Houston at home by 9 points after OT, which was a lot harder than some people thought, but a win is a win. Tyrese Haliburton has been putting up huge numbers over the past several weeks and is the main reason why the Pacers are still in the play-in tournament hunt and they are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games. The Pistons are on a 10-game losing streak and have a long list of injuries. We have one team trying to make the postseason, while the other is tanking. Read our full Pacers vs Pistons predictions.

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Must-read

Our NBA mega parlay is ready to read, along with Same Game Parlays for the Celtics vs Hawks and Bucks vs Warriors games. Our NHL player props and today’s college basketball mega parlay and college basketball best bets are also available, along with our UFC Fight Night 221 Best Bets and a 4-fight parlay for the MMA action, and our Saturday EPL soccer parlay.

Football fans can check out our XFL Week 4 mega parlay while Sunday NASCAR preview for the Phoenix 500 is on offer too.

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

Stat of the Day

The Sacramento Kings have won 7 of their last 8 games and 4 of the last 5 on the road.

Quote of the Day

“That’s why he’s MVP of the league this year.”

James Harden was delighted with 76ers teammate Joel Embiid’s game-winner.

You can bet any of our Saturday sports predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you can get 10 x your first wager in bonus bets up to $200. Click here to join FanDuel right now.

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

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