Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Good morning, Pickswise Nation. The World Cup is back! Following a 2-day hiatus, the quarterfinals in Qatar get underway on Friday. We also have plenty of NHL, NBA and college basketball action before football resumes this weekend. It’s another big day in the world of sports, so let’s get right to it and make your next bet better with Wise n’ Shine!
About Last Night
Baker Mayfield stars on Thursday Night Football
Two days after being signed by the Rams, Baker Mayfield created a borderline miracle by leading his new team back from a 16-3 deficit in the final minutes to stun the Raiders 17-16. Mayfield’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson cashed our Rams +6 bet along with our Jefferson receiving yards prop bet.
Jets win 3rd in a row
It was another productive night for the Pickswise NHL experts, who went 4-1 on their picks. Over 6 in the Jets-Blues game was a 3-star best bet winner, as Winnipeg won its 3rd in a row and 7th out of 8 by beating St. Louis 5-2.
Jamal Murray dagger crushes Blazers
Congrats to any and all bettors who had Denver on the money line instead of giving the 1 point. Nuggets -1 would have been a push, as they edged the Trail Blazers 121-120 on a 3-pointer by Jamal Murray with 0.9 seconds left.
Today’s Slate
Brazil, Argentina on collision course
The quarterfinal round of the World Cup kicks off today. Brazil is going up against 2018 finalist Croatia and Argentina is facing the Netherlands. Here are our World Cup predictions.
NBA doubleheader on ESPN
There are 10 games in both the NBA and NHL on Friday. Competition on the professional hardwood includes a doubleheader on ESPN, with the Lakers visiting the 76ers and the Bucks facing a road test against the Mavericks. Don’t miss any of our NBA picks.
Bedeviling their opponents in the NHL
The Devils (21-4-1) will try to keep their hot streak going when they host the Islanders on Friday. New Jersey has earned points in an unbelievable 19 of its last 20 games (18-1-1). You can find our hockey coverage on the NHL page.
A good one in college basketball
We have a modest schedule in college basketball before things pick up on Saturday and Sunday, but Gonzaga has an intriguing matchup on its hands in the form of Washington. Check out all of our college basketball previews.
Best Bet of the Day
NHL: San Jose Sharks vs Anaheim Ducks Over 6 (-120)
10:00 pm ET, ESPN+
The Sharks have the 2nd-best record toward the over this season, trailing only the Canucks. That’s who San Jose just faced on Wednesday night, resulting in a 6-5 final. With that in mind, expect another high-scoring contest when the Sharks visit the Ducks. San Jose is allowing the 6th-most goals per game, which is something even Anaheim can take advantage of on Friday. At the other end of the ice, Anaheim has been the worst goaltending team all season and is still 1 of just 2 teams allowing more than 4 goals per game. The Sharks may not be a complete team, but they can at least put up goals. Check out our full Sharks vs Ducks predictions.
Must-read
There may not be any football today, but we have taken a look ahead at opening lines for Sunday’s NFL Week 14 schedule and college football bowl games. You should also see Jared Smith’s best bets, our NFL millionaire money line parlay and our Navy vs Army best bets.
We have also produced Same Game Parlays for each of today’s World Cup quarterfinal showdowns. Don’t miss our +782 SGP for Brazil vs Croatia and our +1569 play on Argentina vs Netherlands.
Check out more great content as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.
Must-watch
Don’t forget to check out our daily show Let’s Bet It! on our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/c/Pickswise at 10:00 am ET.
Lauren Jbara and Jared Smith are your hosts today and they will react to Thursday Night Football while also looking ahead to more NFL Week 14 action along with the college basketball schedule. As always, they will also make their Plays of the Day.
You can access the show at any time through Spotify and Apple Podcasts (search for Let’s Bet It Presented By Pickswise).
The Week 14 edition of Pickswise Playbook, our weekly NFL preview show, is also available. It features former NFL star Tank Williams, so don’t miss it!
Stat of the Day
Brazil has won without allowing a goal in 7 of its last 11 games.
Quote of the Day
“It’s not about me – or the Netherlands – against Messi. It’s about the Netherlands against Argentina.”
— Dutch center back Virgil van Dijk ahead of his team’s World Cup quarterfinal contest against Lionel Messi and Argentina on Friday
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.
