Good morning, Pickswise Nation, and welcome to another wonderful week of sports. Just 4 teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl glory, and today’s sports schedule includes NBA, NHL, college basketball, soccer and tennis, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better.
About Last Night
Bengals and 49ers get it done
If the lineup for the NFL’s Championship games next weekend seems familiar, it’s because 3 of the 4 teams were there last year too! The Bengals booked a repeat showdown with the Chiefs in the AFC with a convincing 27-10 win over the Bills in snowy Buffalo. The 49ers returned to the NFC title game with a 19-12 win over the Cowboys, meaning only Super Bowl champions the Los Angeles Rams have not returned, replaced by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Oddsmakers are finding it hard to separate the teams, with FanDuel Sportsbook making the Chiefs favorites at +250, ahead of the Bengals and Eagles, both at +260, and the 49ers at +310. It was a super Sunday for Pickswise as our handicappers went 3-1 on NFL picks, 3-1 on Best Bets and Prop Holliday was 4-2 with his prop picks. Check out the early lines for this week’s NFL games in Early Birds with Jared Smith
NHL mega parlay cashes at +910 odds!
It was a great day on the ice for Pickswise as we cashed both our Sunday NHL mega parlay at +910 odds AND our regular daily parlay at +430. In addition, we went 2-0 on NHL player props, putting us on a 9-2 run with those plays! The Devils got past the Penguins 2-1 in OT, while the Coyotes upset the Golden Knights 4-1.
Nuggets struck down by Thunder
There were some exciting NBA games on Sunday, with the Thunder beating the Nuggets 101-99, the Suns overcoming the Grizzlies 112-110 and the Nets beating the Warriors 120-116.
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Today’s Slate
7-game slate in the NBA
Today’s 7-game NBA slate includes Hawks vs Bulls at 8:30 pm ET on NBA TV and Grizzlies vs Kings on the same channel at 10:00 pm ET. Read today’s NBA picks.
Quiet day in the NHL
We have just 4 games in the NHL today, but there are some solid matchups including Panthers vs Rangers, Islanders vs Maple Leafs and Sabres vs Stars. Check out today’s NHL picks.
There’s college basketball, soccer and tennis too
There’s some great college hoops action today, with Kansas vs Baylor on ESPN at 9:00 pm ET. Read today’s NCAAB predictions. We also have soccer picks for today’s Tottenham vs Fulham EPL game on USA Network at 3:00 pm ET. The Australian Open tennis action continues too, and Ricky Dimon has tennis picks for Day 9 after hitting his 6th straight parlay play on Sunday!
Best Bet of the Day
NHL: New York Rangers ML over Florida Panthers
7:00 pm ET, ESPN+
The Panthers have been playing great hockey, winning 4 of their past 5 games, but they are dealing with a lengthy injury report heading into Monday’s contest with the Rangers. Third-string netminder Alex Lyon was able to pick up the win over the Wild, but he should have a much tougher time against a dangerous Rangers attack. The Rangers last played on Thursday and they still have a dangerous lineup along with one of the league’s premier goaltenders in Igor Shesterkin. This is a great scheduling spot and matchup for the Rangers. Check out our full Panthers vs Rangers predictions.
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Must-read
As mentioned above, we’re already looking ahead to the NFL Championship game odds in Jared Smith’s Early Birds, while today’s coverage includes our NBA mega parlay, NHL mega parlay and NHL player props as we look to extend that winning run!
Keep an eye out for more great sports analysis as it arrives throughout the day on the 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 Mark Zinno are your hosts today and they will be joined by PFF lead analyst Sam Monson (@PFFSam) to react to the weekend action and look ahead to Championship Sunday before revealing their Plays of the Day.
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 Islanders have lost 8 of their last 9 games.
Quote of the Day
“I’ll hop right into the treatment and try to do whatever I can to be as close to 100% by next week.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ ankle injury is going to be talked about a lot this week.
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Pickswise is the home of free sports picks, news and best bets. Check out our expert NFL Picks, NBA Picks, Soccer Picks and NHL Picks pages for our latest game Picks.