Best Bets, Odds Today: Top Picks, Predictions from Tuesday's Sports Slate
Check out our sports betting experts' top picks for today's slate based on the odds from our top-rated sportsbooks. Top picks from college basketball, the NBA, and the NHL.
There's a key Western Conference showdown in the NBA on Tuesday between the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets. The sports-betting menu also features a full NHL schedule and plenty of college hoops action.
Read on for our best bets for Tuesday, Dec. 6 based on the odds from our top-rated sportsbooks.
Today's Best Bets
- NBA: Mavericks +5.5 (-115 via BetMGM) vs. Nuggets
- NHL: Stars (-105 via DraftKings Sportsbook) vs. Maple Leafs
- College Basketball: Iowa (+130 via DraftKings) vs. Duke
Tuesday's College Basketball Best Bet
Iowa (+130) ★★★★
Duke rotates players who are 6-foot-10, 7-foot, and 7-foot-1 in its frontcourt, which has led to the nation's second-best offensive rebounding rate (41%). That could be a concern for Hawkeyes backers, as Iowa allows opponents to rebound 31.2% of their misses (265th).
However, Iowa is the country's least turnover-prone team (12.9% of possessions end in turnovers), and the Hawkeyes are fourth in adjusted offensive efficiency. The 6-foot-8 Kris Murray is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. Fran McCaffery will likely utilize his undersized bunch, forcing the bigger, slower-footed Blue Devils to get away from their strengths and play with smaller lineups.
Iowa returns over 61% of the players who logged the team's minutes in 2021-22. That will pay huge dividends in a game of this magnitude.
Tuesday's college basketball best bets done by Mike Spector
Check out our Illinois-Texas picks.
Tuesday's NBA Best Bet
Mavericks +5.5 (-115) ★★★★
The Mavericks might be on the second night of a back-to-back set, but they're playing extremely well lately, and their injury report is clean. Dallas thumped the Phoenix Suns while notching a 29-point win as a 3.5-point favorite on Monday. That followed an impressive 121-100 victory over the New York Knicks as a one-point favorite on Saturday.
The Mavericks are a league-worst 7-15-1 against the spread, and they're 3-7 ATS away from home on the season. But perhaps that record is starting to regress positively, as the Mavs have covered in three of their last four outings.
My projections make Denver a slight favorite, but the current spread is giving the home team too much credit. Nobody is playing better than Luka Doncic, who's leading the league while averaging 33.4 points per game. The MVP front-runner has scored 30-plus points in four consecutive contests, and he's certainly capable of keeping the Mavs within striking distance on his own.
Mavericks-Nuggets picks made by Shane Jackson.
Check out our Lakers-Cavaliers picks.
Tuesday's NHL Best Bet
Stars (-105) ★★★★
Picking against the Toronto Maple Leafs these days is hardly a path to riches. The Leafs have gone 11 straight games without a regulation loss and have an impressive 7-3-3 road record, controlling 52.1% of five-on-five score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals in those 13 road contests.
The Dallas Stars, on the other hand, are 7-2-3 on home ice despite controlling just 50.8% of the five-on-five score-and-venue-adjusted expected goals. The Stars have one regulation loss in the past 11 games, and they own the league's No. 3 goal differential (+26).
The Stars are a strong enough squad that the opportunity to get them as a home underdog offers good potential value. Dallas is priced at -105 at DraftKings, Caesars, BetMGM, and PointsBet. FanDuel initially had the Stars priced at -102 but that quickly shifted to -110.
NHL best bets made by Scott Cullen.
Check out Tuesday's top shot-prop picks.
Where to Bet on Today’s Best Bets
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