December is here, which means Christmas is just around the corner. To kick off the final month of 2021, here are the best bets for Thursday and Friday night.
Thursday:
Bulls @ Knicks
The Pick: CHI -2
The Bulls have been one of the nice surprises this season for the NBA. The team is 14-8 and both Lonzo Ball and DeRozan have been excellent for their new team. The Knicks have fallen back to mediocrity following a 5-1 start to the season. New York has not had a winning streak since October and just can't seem to find their groove. These two teams are 1-1 against each other this season, both of those meetings occurred in Chicago. The Bulls will win this game.
Oral Roberts @ TCU
The Pick: ORU +8.5
The Golden Eagles have not endured a great start to the year, but they do have a top 100 offense. The team is scoring is over 80 points a game. TCU is off to a 5-1 start on the season but has not beat any team ranked in the top 200. This could be a potential upset game. Oral Roberts has enough firepower to hang with the Horned Frogs and keep this one close.
Saint Mary's @ Utah State
The Pick: SMC +1
Saint Mary's has spent a long time playing second fiddle to Gonzaga. Maybe it is time that we start to give them some more credit. Once again the Gaels are off to a strong start with wins over Oregon and Notre Dame, the only loss is to streaking Wisconsin club. Utah State registered six wins through November with a notable win over Oklahoma. Other than the win in Norman, the Aggies have done little else of note. Utah State also took an ugly loss to UC Davis to kick off the season. I like the Gaels in to win this game.
Bruins @ Predators
The Pick: NAS -105
By this point in time, it is well known the respect that I have for the Predators. The emergence of Juuse Saros has changed the trajectory of the team's future. Not so long ago the Predators looked ready to enter a long rebuild period. After a very hot start to the season the team has cooled down a bit, but plenty of wins are still being recorded. Nashville is 7-3 at home this year and is only allowing two goals a game. Boston has also been very wishy-washy this year and has struggled to maintain a consistent winning streak. In a battle of teams looking to create some momentum go with the Predators.
Devils @ Wild
The Picks: OVER 6 Goals
MIN -175
The Wild are on fire right now, the team has won four straight and the offense is red-hot as the team is scoring almost five goals a game. The Wild have hit the over at home nine out of ten home games this season. The Devils are consistently giving up over three goals a game and should be liable to give up even more against Minnesota. New Jersey has lost six of eight and is struggling to win games against teams with winning records. Take the over and the Wild in this one.
Friday:
Iowa @ Purdue
The Pick: OVER 160
The two teams with the best offenses in the Big Ten kickoff conference play on Friday. Purdue has the top-ranked offense in the nation and the Hawkeyes are just behind them with the fourth-ranked unit. So far when the Boilermakers take on a team with a top-fifteen offense, the resulting total averages out to 165.5 points a game. Both teams are averaging over 90 points a game, every sign says to take the over so that's what we are gonna do.
Oilers @ Kraken
The Pick: EDM -125
It was bit surprising to see the line in this one. The Oilers are one of the best teams in the NHL and the Kraken are one of the worst. Edmonton is on a three-game win streak right now and the offense is continuing to churn. The first meeting with the Kraken was a resounding 5-2 victory for the Oilers. Seattle has started to pick up the pieces from their horrendous start to the season with wins in four of their previous six matches. However, there is no reason to believe that Seattle has the firepower to take down the mighty Oilers. I like Edmonton to notch the road win in this one.
Oregon @ Utah (Pac-12 Championship Game)
The Pick: UTA -2.5
Much time has passed since Oregon upset Ohio State and the shine of the victory has long since worn off. Since then the Ducks have been exposed as frauds in some respects. This is not the world-beating team that took down the Buckeyes. When the Utes met the Ducks only two weeks ago, Utah beat the shit out of Oregon. A 7-38 rout doesn't happen by accident, Utah is clearly the better team and will be looking to win their first Pac-12 title since joining the conference. Utah will make history on Friday night.
Recording of TNF Pick:
Cowboys @ Saints: DAL -6