We have put together a 4-pick cross-sport parlay that will take you right through Monday, including picks from the NFL, NHL, NBA, and college basketball. One pick is taken from each sport and a winning ticket would give us a very nice payout with odds of +1180 at DraftKings Sportsbook.
College basketball pick today: Purdue Boilermakers vs Michigan State Spartans – Under 133.5 points (-105), 2:30 pm ET
The under is my favorite play of this game because both teams have been playing at an extremely slow pace. According to KenPom, Purdue is ranked #324 in adjusted tempo and is ranked #329 in average offensive possession length.
Likewise, Michigan State is ranked #303 in adjusted tempo and is ranked #252 in average offensive possession length. Although Michigan State likes to get easy buckets in transition, I expect this game to be played mostly in the half-court and it to be a classic Big 10 battle down low. Both defenses are ranked in the top 40 of KenPom’s defensive adjusted efficiency rankings and giving up less than 66 points per game. For that reason backing the under will be the play for this afternoon.
NHL pick today: New York Rangers 3-Way over Columbus Blue Jackets (-125), 7:00 pm ET
Although there were just 3 games on Sunday, the Rangers come into tonight’s matchup against the Blue Jackets on the 2nd night of a back-to-back. Despite that, we’re still going to back them, even on the road. This is simply too big of a mismatch to play any other way.
Columbus did pull off the upset way back at the start of the season when Boone Jenner and Zach Werenski were both healthy. However, the Jackets have won just 10 games since then, while the Rangers have won 21 contests and are surging their way up the Metro Division standings. Even with the Rangers playing 2 nights in a row, they are simply too talented to expect them not to go into Columbus and get the win.
NFL pick today: Dallas Cowboys vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Over 45.5 points (-110), 8:15 pm ET
The main aspect I like about this over, regardless which team jumps out to a lead, is that both teams are likely going to turn up the aggression and will respond quickly, especially Tom Brady and the Bucs. Tampa is also finally getting healthy along the offensive line, which is key against the Cowboys elite front that’s 2nd in pass-rush win rate and 3rd in pressure rate this season. Because both offenses have plenty of strengths, backing the over will be the play tonight.
NBA pick today: Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers – Over 236 points (-110), 10:40 pm ET
I’m not expecting any defense whatsoever in this game. The Rockets just don’t have the talent to compete on that end. The Lakers do to an extent, but they prefer to play a much faster pace in home games this season.
LA ranks 2nd in pace with 104.4 possessions per game, while the Rockets are at 102 per game ranking 13th. Defensive efficiency has been a disaster for Houston, considering they are 28th in the NBA allowing 114.8 points per 100 possessions.
The Lakers have also dropped in the bottom 10 of the NBA in that category since Anthony Davis went down with his injury. Playing on the 2nd day of a back-to-back also contributes to an increase in tempo, therefore backing the over will be the play tonight.