Wise n' Shine: NFL picks, World Cup Final predictions, NBA, NHL and college basketball best bets for Sunday, December 18

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Phil Agius

NFL

Show Bio

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 another super Sunday of sports. We saw the biggest comeback in NFL history last night and today we have the World Cup Final and another NFL slate — what a weekend! We have everything you need to enhance your enjoyment of today’s NFL Week 15 games, plus the action in the NBA, NHL and college basketball too, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better.

About Last Night

Vikings rule North with crazy comeback
The Minnesota Vikings made the biggest successful comeback in NFL history on Saturday, battling back from 33-0 down to the Indianapolis Colts to win 39-36 in overtime. They clinched the NFC North title in the process. In Saturday’s later games, the Browns dented the Ravens’ AFC North hopes with a 13-3 home win while the Bills beat the Dolphins 32-29 as snow fell at the end of the late game. The Pickswise team went 2-1 against the spread in a strong start to the weekend, with the Vikings frustratingly failing to cover the -4 spread!

Cavs beat Mavs in OT
The Cavaliers are making a habit of comeback wins, and rallied again to beat the Mavericks 100-99 last night, keeping them unbeaten in 5 OT games this season. The Suns outshone the Pelicans 118-114 in the late game.

NHL player props on a 4-1 run
It was another 2-0 day on NHL player props, for our expert Mark Lammey, which gives us a 4-1 record over the last 3 days. The Ducks upset the Oilers 4-3 while the Panthers beat the Devils 4-2.

Strong finish by the Beavers
Oregon State finished a great season with a 30-3 win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl, but Boise State failed to cover as a 9.5-point favorite against North Texas, winning the Frisco Bowl 35-32.

Today’s Slate

World Cup Final takes center stage
The scene is set for an epic World Cup Final between Argentina and France in Qatar today. Kick-off is at 10:00am ET, so be sure to check out our World Cup predictions, including 3 soccer prop picks for the big game.

11 Sunday games in the NFL
Despite games on Thursday and Saturday this week, NFL Week 15 still has an 11-game Sunday slate with early matchups including Cowboys vs Jaguars and Lions vs Jets, while the later games include Titans vs Chargers and Bengals vs Buccaneers before the Giants meet the Commanders on Sunday Night Football at 8:20 pm ET on NBC. Read all of today’s NFL picks.

7-game slate in the NBA
Today’s 7-game NBA slate includes the Warriors trying to improve a dreadful 2-14 road record in Toronto at 6:00 pm ET. Read today’s NBA picks.

Rangers vs Blackhawks on ESPN
It’s a quieter day in the NHL with 5 games but NHL Network is showing Senators vs Wild at 2:00pm ET and ESPN has Rangers vs Blackhawks at 7:30pm ET. Check out today’s NHL picks.

College basketball action
There’s some great college hoops action today, with Texas, Auburn and Baylor among the teams taking the court. Read today’s NCAAB predictions.

NFL Week 15 Promo Codes

Find all the latest Sportsbook Promo Codes and Bonuses for NFL Week 15, including sportsbooks live in your state.

Best Bet of the Day

NFL: Kansas City Chiefs -14 over Houston Texans
1:00 pm ET, CBS

The Houston Texans continue to fight hard, but you need more than just heart to beat the Chiefs. The Houston offense is bereft of any legitimate talent now that Dameon Pierce is out for the next 2 weeks. The QB tandem of Davis Mills and Jeff Driskell should struggle to move the ball downfield and after watching last week’s game against Dallas, the Chiefs are not going to look past them. Offensively, the Chiefs are still a juggernaut. This backfield of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon should have no trouble running on a defense that allows the most rushing yards per game (165.8). Check out our full Chiefs vs Texans predictions.

Must-read

Our comprehensive coverage of today’s NFL action can be accessed via the hub of our NFL Week 15 betting guide, which has links to all our expert analysis, picks, parlays and prop bets — including Jared Smith’s NFL best bets, our Week 15 NFL mega parlay and Prop Holliday’s best NFL prop bets.

We also have a World Cup Final Same Game Parlay for Argentina vs France, plus an NBA mega parlay, NHL player props and NHL mega parlay.

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

Must-watch

Don’t forget to check out our daily show Let’s Bet It! on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/Pickswise at 10:00 am ET.

Lauren Jbara and Jared Smith are your hosts today and they will be joined by Pickswise NFL props expert Bobby “Prop Holliday” Stanley to look at all today’s NFL line moves and the best props and teasers before revealing their Plays of the Day.

The Week 15 edition of Pickwise Playbook, our weekly NFL preview show, is also available — featuring former NFL star Tank Williams. So be sure to check that out, too!

You can also access the shows at any time through Spotify and Apple Podcasts (search for Let’s Bet It Presented By Pickswise).

Stat of the Day

The over is 8-2 in the Eagles’ last 10 games.

Boost of the Day

Either Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe to score the first goal of the World Cup final

FanDuel Sportsbook has a great odds boost for the soccer World Cup final between Argentina and France. FanDuel has enhanced the odds of either of soccer superstars Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe scoring the first goal of the game from +190 odds to +3o0. Only goals scored in regulation time and stoppage time count.

Pickswise is the home of free NFL Picks and NFL Odds. Check out the latest NFL Prop Bets and NFL Parlays as well as expert NFL Underdog Picks and NFL Computer Picks.

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