Greetings fellow gamblers, it's Chris Bengel back with you. I hope everyone had a great holiday and received all of the gifts they wanted. Unfortunately, I was hoping for a fantasy football championship, but that was not in the cards.
I'm trying to move forward and I have a few avenues to make us some money on this Tuesday, so let's get into the picks!
All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
🏀76ers vs. Raptors, 7:30 p.m. | TV: NBA.TV
The Pick: Under 213.5 points (-110): Recent COVID-19 outbreaks have dominated the sports landscape and the NBA has been no exception. The Raptors have been hit extremely hard. Entering Tuesday's contest, the Raptors have seven players in COVID-19 protocols. It's worth noting that star forward Pascal Siakam did clear protocols, but it's unknown if he's going to play against the 76ers. Even if Siakam does suit up, it's likely that he'll be on a minutes restriction. For those reasons, I love the under in this matchup.
On the Sixers' side of things, Joel Embiid continues to lead the way and has been a force as of late. He's had to be, as the Sixers have been without multiple players due to COVID-19 protocols. Andre Drummond, Danny Green and Shake Milton missed Sunday's game against the Wizards and are expected to miss Tuesday's contest as well. With the amount of talent that is missing from Tuesday's game, I don't expect a track meet up and down the court. The under should cash.
Key Trend: The under is 6-2-1 in the Sixers' last nine road games against a team with a losing home record
💰 The Picks
🏀 NBA
Lakers vs. Rockets, 8 p.m. | TV: NBA.TV
The Pick: Lakers -5.5 (-110) -- It's not often that I ride a team on a five-game losing streak ... but that's exactly what we're doing in this spot. The Lakers have dropped five consecutive games, but nearly completed a double-digit comeback against the Nets on Christmas Day. Los Angeles is one of the higher scoring teams in the NBA (110.0 points-per-game) despite the Russell Westbrook experiment looking like an absolute disaster. Even in their most recent game against Brooklyn, the Lakers were able to rebound from a slow start and put 115 points on the scoreboard. I expect LeBron James to impose his will on the lowly Rockets in this one.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are a team that has dropped eight of their last 10 games. In addition, the Lakers came away with wins in their previous two games against Houston. In those contests, the Lakers won by an average margin of six points -- with the first meeting being a 10-point win. The Rockets will also be without forward Jae'Sean Tate, who averages 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds on the season.
Key Trend: The Rockets are 0-4 ATS in their last four games
🏀 College basketball
Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. | TV: ACC Network
The Pick: Notre Dame -4 (-110) -- Pittsburgh has been one of the more brutal teams in the ACC during the early portion of the 2021-22 season. The Panthers currently rank last in points-per-game (60.7) and shoot a lowly 40.6 percent from the field. This is a group that has lost to teams like The Citadel, UMBC and Monmouth this season -- and have yet to record a double-digit victory. This just isn't a good basketball team and that's the reason that the Panthers will finish near the bottom of the ACC.
On the other hand, Notre Dame hasn't exactly lit the world on fire overall, but I'm confident to ride with them in this situation. After losing four of their first seven games, the Fighting Irish have been victorious in three of their last four games and one of those triumphs was a 66-62 win over No. 10 Kentucky. Notre Dame is also the best free-throw shooting team in the ACC at a 76.1 percent clip while Pittsburgh is the worst free-throwing shooting team in the conference. If this one ends up being close, Notre Dame should be able to do enough to cover the small number.
Key Trend: The Fighting Irish are 6-1 ATS in their last seven road games against a team with a losing home record
