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Wise n' Shine: What you need to know to bet better on Wednesday, November 17

Wise n' Shine: What you need to know to bet better on Wednesday, November 17

Phil Agius
Phil AgiusAuthor
UpdatedSep 15, 2026
Reading time3 min

Wednesday’s midweek sports action includes NBA, NHL, college football and college basketball games, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better!

About Last Night

Perfect start to college football Week 12
The Pickswise college football cappers went 3-0 on the sides on Tuesday’s slate, picking Toledo and Miami (Ohio) as favorites and underdogs Eastern Michigan all covered (and Eastern Michigan won straight up!). Those selections also cashed our Tuesday college football mega parlay at +903 odds!

Cappers sweep NBA spreads, going 3-0
Did I just say Pickswise went 3-0 on NCAAF games? We went 3-0 on the sides in the NBA too! Our picks of the Warriors, Jazz and Clippers all covered by wide margins, landing our Tuesday NBA parlay at +597 odds in the process.

NHL team has a winning night too!
The NHL picks didn’t go 100% on the 11-game slate but 7-4 was a great result too, especially with 2 of our 3 3-star picks winning.

Today’s Slate

Lakers vs Bucks on an 11-game NBA slate
There’s a feast of NBA action today, with 11 games including an ESPN doubleheader of Lakers vs Bucks (7:30pm ET) and Mavericks vs Suns at 10pm ET. Read our picks for all today’s NBA games.

Close spreads on Wednesday’s college football
The sportsbooks are finding it hard to pick a winner in Northern Illinois vs Buffalo (7pm ET, ESPN2) and Central Michigan vs Ball State (7pm ET, ESPNU), which both have very small spreads, but our experts think they have! Read our previews of today’s college football games. You can also read our picks for all today’s college basketball, which includes Central Arkansas vs Baylor.

Blackhawks battle Kraken
The 3-game NHL slate includes the Blackhawks against the Kraken on TNT at 8pm ET. Read our predictions for today’s NHL games.

Best Bet of the Day

Portland Trail Blazers -1 vs Chicago Bulls
10pm ET

The Trail Blazers are a different team when they play at home and on the road. The Trail Blazers are 6-9 against the spread overall and 5-2 ATS at home. The Bulls are a good team, and coming off huge wins against the Clippers and the Lakers. But that means they are getting national media attention and it is a great time to fade them, especially against a team such as the Blazers, who play so well at home. It would be asking a lot for the Bulls to win 3 straight games on the road in challenging environments. Read our full game preview for Bulls vs Blazers.

Must-watch

You won’t want to miss today’s edition of  our daily sports betting show Let’s Bet It! on our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/c/Pickswise. Hosts Jared Smith, Lauren Jbara, and Alex Glaze help you to identify the best plays every day to make your next bet better.

Must-read

Our NFL Week 11 coverage is hitting top gear now with the Pickswise Power Rankings and Jared Smith’s Back to the Futures feature available right now, plus our experts debating whether Cam Newton could lead the Panthers to the playoffs in The Burning Question.

NCAAF fans are also covered with Ricky Dimon looking ahead to the College Football Game of the Week as Michigan State meets Ohio State. Be sure to head over to the Analysis tab for even more great sports betting content.

Stat of the Day

The Portland Trail Blazers are 1-7 on the road, but when they play in the Moda Center, they are 6-1.

Boost of the Day

Giannis Antetokounmpo to record 50+ points/rebounds/assists

DraftKings Sportsbook has some enhanced odds for bettors who expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to go off when the Bucks play the Lakers (7:30pm ET, ESPN). You can bet on him to get 50+ points, rebounds and assists at boosted odds of +250 (was +220).

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

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