Phil Agius
NBA
Show Bio
Good morning, Pickswise Nation. It’s already a week since the Super Bowl but there’s no shortage of great sports action this Sunday. We have the NBA All-Star Game to entertain us tonight, plus NHL and college basketball slates, while the XFL is here to provide some football. On top of that, there’s EPL soccer and the Daytona 500, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better.
About Last Night
9-5 day of NHL picks
The big NHL slate took center stage on Saturday and the Pickswise cappers had a strong day, going 9-5 with our Saturday picks. The Blue Jackets upset the Stars 4-1, while the Kings let a 5-1 first-period lead slip against the Coyotes but rallied to win 6-5 in a shootout.
Kentucky takes down Tennessee
#1 Alabama blasted Georgia 108-59 in Saturday’s college hoops action, while #5 Kansas beat #9 Baylor 87-71. Texas and Virginia survived close games against Oklahoma and Notre Dame, respectively, but #10 Tennessee lost 66-54 to Kentucky.
Today’s Slate
NBA stars on show
The NBA all-star events on Saturday were won by Team Jazz (Skills Contest), Mac McClung (Dunk Contest) and Damian Lillard (3-Point Contest), but it’s the big one tonight as Team LeBron plays Team Giannis in the All-Star Game. Read today’s NBA picks.
6 games in the NHL
Today’s NHL slate starts at 2:00 pm ET with Predators vs Wild and Blues vs Senators and runs through to Blue Jackets vs Coyotes, which is being shown on NHL Network at 8:30 pm ET.
XFL Week 1 continues
The Roughnecks and Renegades were the first teams in the win column on the opening day of the new XFL football season, and there are two more matchups today, with Battlehawks vs Brahmas on ABC at 2:00 pm ET and Sea Dragons vs Defenders at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN. Read our XFL predictions.
There’s college basketball, soccer and NASCAR too
It’s quality over quantity in college hoops today with #3 Purdue hosting Ohio State at 1:00 pm ET on CBS before #2 Houston takes on Memphis at 3:00 pm ET on ESPN. Read today’s NCAAB predictions. We also have soccer picks for today’s EPL games and a great Daytona 500 preview for today’s big NASCAR race.
Best Bet of the Day
NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 over Chicago Blackhawks
6:00 pm ET, ESPN+
In one of the more lopsided matchups we could possibly get, it’s difficult to support anything but a convincing Maple Leafs win. They’ll be going into Chicago on the second game of a back-to-back, but with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Mitch Marner, there’s really no concern with that situation. It helps that they’re facing arguably the worst team in hockey. The Blackhawks are 1 point ahead of the Blue Jackets for the NHL’s worst record, but their play has just been abysmal. The Leafs should have no problem keeping Chicago in check, as they allow the 6th-fewest goals per game on the road. Check out our full Maple Leafs vs Blackhawks predictions.
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Must-read
Today’s NHL mega parlay and hockey player props are ready to read along with our Daytona 500 predictions, and if you’re not yet up to speed with the XFL, there’s still time to check out our XFL team guide and XFL betting guide.
Read all our great sports analysis as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.
Stat of the Day
The Ohio State Buckeyes have lost 12 of their last 13 games.
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