Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Good morning, Pickswise Nation. The Arnold Palmer Invitational is underway and Week 3 in the XFL is on the immediate horizon. Friday’s schedule also includes plenty of action in the NBA and NHL. 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
Luka, Kyrie both reach the 40 mark
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are already making history as teammates. They became the first Dallas duo to score at least 40 points in the same game as the Mavericks defeated the 76ers 133-126.
Penguins outlast Lightning
The most entertaining game on Thursday’s NHL slate saw Pittsburgh beat Tampa Bay 5-4 in overtime. The Lightning tied things up with 4:50 left in regulation, but the Penguins won on Jason Zucker’s goal 2:13 into OT. Among the other winners were the Bruins, Kraken, Predators and Stars.
Top-5 teams take care of business
Top-ranked Houston, #4 UCLA and #5 Purdue all won on Thursday. Houston destroyed Wichita State 83-66, UCLA raced past Arizona State 79-61 and Purdue held off Wisconsin 63-61.
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Today’s Slate
Two NBA games on ESPN
A huge 10-game lineup in the NBA is on offer, headlined by a doubleheader on ESPN that begins with Boston hosting Brooklyn before Memphis pays a visit to Denver. New York, Miami, Phoenix, Golden State, the Clippers and the Lakers are also taking the court. Check out all of our NBA picks.
Potential Stanley Cup Finals preview
New Jersey and Vegas are going head-to-head in an especially intriguing NHL game on Friday. There are a total of 5 games on the schedule. Don’t miss any of our hockey coverage on the NHL page.
Best Bet of the Day
NHL: Edmonton Oilers ML over Winnipeg Jets (-160)
9:00 pm ET, ESPN+
Winnipeg could really use the 2 points in this game because it has gone from second place in the Central Division to the last spot in the wild-card standings. Edmonton is in a similar situation; it currently sits in third in the Atlantic Division but only 4 points out of first place behind Vegas. The Jets come into this game struggling, as they have dropped 6 of their last 7 — which includes a bad loss to the Blue Jackets as well as blowing multiple leads to lose in OT at the hands of the Kings on Tuesday.The Oilers are the best team in the NHL at creating scoring chances since the start of February, ranking fifth in expected goals. Check out our full Jets vs Oilers predictions.
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Must-read
There is plenty of action on both the hardwood and the ice on Friday. Don’t miss our college basketball best bets and our NHL mega parlay at +950 odds. We also have Arnold Palmer Invitational Picks from golf expert Diane Knox Balas that are still worth checking out heading into Day 2 at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida.
Find more great content as it arrives throughout the day on the Analysis tab.
Stat of the Day
The Hurricanes rank 1st in the NHL xGF%, xGF per 60 minutes and xGA per 60 minutes. The Coyotes rank 30th in xGF%, 31st xGF per 60 minutes and 27th in xGA per 60 minutes.
Quote of the Day
Kenny Smith: “[The Bucks] are the deepest team in the NBA. They’re the team to beat.… I don’t see them losing the East this year.”
Charles Barkley: “I think the Bucks are the team to beat in the entire NBA, personally.”
— The NBA on TNT crew, as the Bucks’ 16th win in a row moved them a half-game ahead of the Celtics heading into Boston’s Friday night game against Brooklyn.
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