Caleb Wilfinger
Show Bio
Good morning, Pickswise Nation, and welcome to another wonderful Friday of sports! The NFL Divisional Round isn’t quite here yet, but we now have action in the NBA and NHL to keep you entertained, plus more college hoops action. Let’s get into making your next bet better!
About Last Night
Wild night in college basketball
What was looking like a pretty uneventful night in college basketball turned into a surprising night of upsets, including out west, where Gonzaga was upset as a 15-point home favorite by Loyola Marymount. This capped off a night that included an outright win on the road for Indiana over Illinois and a massive home victory for Michigan State over Rutgers.
Celtics capture NBA Finals rematch
It was a slower night in the NBA, but one that still featured a few notable games, including a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. After trailing for most of the game, Boston was still able to pull out a victory in overtime, avenging a loss in San Francisco from earlier in the season.
Solid night of NHL picks
Our NHL team stayed hot on Thursday with another strong showing, finishing a combined 6-5 on sides and totals for the night, including a 2-0 mark on our best bets and player props. Pickswise NHL handicapper Tyler Mortimer is now 11-4 over his last 15 hockey selections, so be on the lookout for his Senators-Penguins preview today!
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Today’s Slate
Fun day in the NBA
We’ve got a 9-game slate in the NBA on Friday including the Knicks vs Hawks and Warriors vs Cavaliers. Read today’s NBA picks.
Quiet night on the ice
With only 4 teams taking the ice tonight, Friday’s NHL lineup is lighter than usual. The biggest matchup of the night features the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche, but there’s also an Ottawa vs Pittsburgh matchup to keep you entertained. Check out today’s NHL picks.
Light college basketball slate
Before we get to Saturday’s loaded college basketball slate, we do have a nice appetizer on Friday in the form of Villanova vs St John’s. Before betting on all the games this weekend, be sure to check out our NCAAB predictions.
Best Bet of the Day
NHL: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+150) over Vancouver Canucks
10:00 pm ET, ESPN+
The second stop on the Colorado Avalanche’s three-game road trip brings them to Vancouver to play the Canucks on Friday night. The Avalanche have slowly been clawing their way back into the playoff conversation with three straight wins and four wins in their last six games. This all comes after a brutal stretch of five straight losses after the holiday break. The Canucks have been bad in their own right, especially now with rumors about coaching changes and trades. The Avalanche are flat-out a better team on both sides of the ice. Look for them to control the game and pick up a comfortable win. Check out our full Avalanche vs Canucks predictions.
You can bet on today’s NHL slate at DraftKings Sportsbook, which has a great sign-up offer where you can bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets instantly! Click here to take advantage and get your bonus bets right now.
Must-read
We’ve got a plethora of content on hand for the NFL Divisional Round, featuring Same Game Parlays for Jaguars vs Chiefs and Giants vs Eagles on Saturday. Looking dive even further into the NFL playoff games? Our coverage also includes expert predictions for every game, best anytime touchdown scorer bets, plus Prop Holliday’s best prop plays for Saturday games between the Jaguars vs Chiefs and Giants vs Eagles.
The Australian Open is heating up and our tennis expert is back with more best bets for Day 6 of the year’s first major, including a pick for Andy Murray vs Roberto Batista Agut.
Read all of our great sports analysis 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 youtube.com/c/Pickswise at 10:00 am ET.
Jared Smith and Lauren Jbara are your hosts today and they will be joined by Nick Alberga, Host of Leafs Morning Take and writer for The Leafs Nation and Daily Faceoff. The trio will talk about the 2022-23 NHL season before diving into the NFL Playoffs before you find out their Plays of the Day.
Meanwhile, with the NFL Divisional Round just a day away, make sure you check out Pickswise Playbook below as Jared, Lauren and ex-NFL star Tank Williams talk through all 4 games and give their best bets.
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 Vancouver Canucks have lost 8 of their last 10 games heading into Friday’s matchup with the Avalanche.
You can bet on all today’s sports at PointsBet Sportsbook, which has a great new customer offer where you can get up to $500 in second-chance bets! Click here to take advantage.
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.
