Matthew Lowrimore
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One pick is taken from each sport and a winning ticket would give us a nice payout with odds of +976 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Let’s break down each of these plays.
Champions League: Lille vs Chelsea ML (-105), 4:00 pm ET
Chelsea has won 14 of its last 20 Champions League games, including 7 of the last 10 on the road, and a trip to Lille is not daunting. The French champions have won just 1 of their last 4 home games, a run that includes a 5-1 mauling by Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1. Lille needs to go on the front foot to spring a major surprise, but appears to lack the attacking talent to hurt a team of Chelsea’s quality, failing to score more than once in 7 of the last 8 games in all competitions. With the EPL title beyond them, retaining the Champions League crown has to be Chelsea’s top priority for the rest of the season, and there should be a strong desire to get the job done in a professional manner in France.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Lille vs Chelsea
College basketball: Bryant Bulldogs +3.5 (-110) vs Wright State Raiders, 6:40 pm ET
Bryant ranks 7th nationally in KenPom’s adjusted tempo metric and 5th in transition offense rate per Synergy. Wright State’s defense has struggled to defend in transition this season, ranking in just the 22nd percentile. Bryant also ranks 44th nationally in 3-point attempt rate, so this game could resemble a glorified pickup game. The high rate of 3-point attempts means their games come with a ton of variance, but hopefully they can knock down enough of them.
This game should be an enjoyable appetizer for Thursday. Expect Bryant to at least keep this game within a possession if not win outright.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Bryant Bulldogs vs Wright State Raiders
NBA: Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves -9 (-110), 8:10 pm ET
Karl-Anthony Towns made the headlines for Minnesota a couple of days ago, setting an NBA season-high with 60 points in the win over San Antonio (which Kyrie Irving matched last night). KAT was absolutely on fire in that game, but he probably won’t score that many tonight against the Lakers. He’s had a couple of solid performances against them already this season, averaging 28.5 points per game. Minnesota is keeping the pressure on the 6th-seeded Nuggets, and they’ve won 8 of their last 9 games overall and are 12-2 SU in their last 14 at home. They’ve also done well against the spread, covering in 7 straight against Western Conference opponents.
Anything but a clear win for Minnesota would be surprising. The Lakers are one of the worst teams in the league right now, and their only hope lies in 37-year old LeBron James carrying them on a bad knee. Take the home team with confidence.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
NHL: New Jersey Devils vs Calgary Flames 3-way ML (-195), 10:05 pm ET
Offensively, there is a slight edge to the Flames. Both teams rank in the top 10 in expected goals, with the Flames just ranking a few spots above the Devils. However, the Devils rank 17th in goals per game, while the Flames are 6th.
Defensively, the gap between the teams widens, also favoring the Flames, who are a top-5 team at keeping pressure away from their net, ranking 3rd in expected goals against whereas the Devils are 19th. The advantage grows for the Flames when looking at actual goals against as the Devils are in the bottom 7 while the Flames are 2nd. Take the better rested Flames on the 3-way money line.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for New Jersey Devils vs Calgary Flames
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