Good morning Pickswise Nation and congratulations to World Series winners the Houston Astros and MLS Cup champions Los Angeles FC!
There are no major prizes to be handed out today, but everyone has had an extra hour to prepare for today’s sporting slates, so let’s make the most of it! We have everything you need for the NFL Week 9 games, while there is also NBA, NHL, soccer and NASCAR action today. Let’s get straight to making your next bet better.
About Last Night
Astros win World Series
All the action happened in the 6th inning as the Houston Astros won the World Series with a 4-1 Game 6 win over the Philadelphia Phillies last night. A Kyle Schwarber home run put the Phillies 1-0 up, but Houston hit back with 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th, including a 3-run HR from Yordan Alvarez, and held on to win the game 4-1.
The Astros ML was a 3-star play for our handicapper Keith Schmelter, and we also cashed our Same Game Parlay at +425 odds and YRFI/NRFI Best Bet on the game!
The Astros are +600 second favorites at FanDuel Sportsbook to win again next year, behind only the +500 LA Dodgers, with the Braves +800, Yankees +900 and the Phillies a longshot against at +1800.
Bulldogs dominate against Vols
The big game of the day in college football lived up to its billing as #3 Georgia took down #1 Tennessee 27-13 in the rain at Sanford Stadium. Alabama was another big name to lose, going down 32-31 against LSU in overtime, while #4 Clemson lost 35-14 at Notre Dame. DraftKings Sportsbook now has Georgia at +110 odds for the National Championship, with Ohio State at +180.
Bucks move to 9-0
The Milwaukee Bucks stayed unbeaten at 9-0 with a 108-94 victory over the Thunder, while the Suns beat the Trail Blazers 102-82 to reach 7-2.
Bruins are beaten
The Avalanche completed a sweep of the Blue Jackets in Finland to reach 6-4-1, and while the Golden Knights beat the Canadiens 6-4 to go 11-2-0, the Bruins were beaten 2-1 by the Maple Leafs.
Today’s Slate
Titans vs Chiefs on Sunday Night Football
Not only do we get more time to study this week’s Sunday NFL slate, there are no morning games this week. Bills vs Jets and Colts vs Patriots are two key AFC games on the 1:00pm ET slate, with Rams vs Buccaneers the big game at 4:25pm ET (CBS). It’s Titans vs Chiefs on Sunday Night Football at 8:20pm ET on NBC. LeBron heads back to Cleveland
Today’s 4-game NBA slate starts with LeBron James taking the Lakers to his old team the Cavaliers at 3:30pm ET, with Jazz vs Clippers rounding off the night at 10:00pm ET.
3 NHL games today
There are just 3 NHL games today, with Maple Leafs vs Hurricanes at 5:00pm ET on ESPN and Panthers vs Ducks on NHL Network at 9:00pm ET.
Best Bet of the Day
NFL: Green Bay Packers -3.5 over Detroit Lions
1:00 pm ET, FOX
The Packers have lost 4 straight, but are still favored for this game, and the reason is the Lions’ terrible defense. They rank 30th in DVOA against the run and dead last against the pass. You can’t sell out to stop the run because Aaron Rodgers will burn you, and you can’t drop back into heavy coverage all the time because Aaron Jones will lead the way. The Packers, on the other hand, have a good enough secondary to handle the coverage while also stacking the box at times.
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.
Mark Zinno & 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 9 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 Cardinals have lost 4 of their last 5 games as a home favorite.
Quote of the Day
“We won. We’re the best. Ain’t nothing they can say about it now.”
It’s hard to argue with the point made by Astros pitcher Ryan Pressly after his team’s World Series win.