Media by Associated Press – Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell plays during an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in
Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
There is plenty of opportunities Thursday night for teams to pick up important victories. For a team like Penn State men’s basketball, the Nittany Lions need to boost their resume for March Madness, and beating Ohio State, which has been a disappointment this season, would be a good start.
The Edmonton Oilers and Cleveland Cavaliers are also looking for wins against top foes.
Penn State Nittany Lions (+114) at Ohio State Buckeyes
Penn State has never met a 3-point shot it didn’t like, which is great for the Nittany Lions when they are hot. When things aren’t dropping, other teams have been able to exploit Penn State on defense. The Nittany Lions have won two straight games against Illinois and Minnesota and are 2-0-1 against the spread in their past three games.
Because of Penn State’s high volume 3-point shooting, the Nittany Lions have seen the total go over the number in seven of their past ten games. Penn State’s top two scorers, Jalen Pickett, and Seth Lundy, are excellent 3-point shooters, making 37.7 percent and 44.1 percent of their shots from the perimeter this season.
Ohio State is in a total tailspin. The Buckeyes have lost eight straight games and have gone 1-9 over their past ten games, including three straight-up losses at home.
Penn State needs a win and will pull a mild upset.
Denver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers (-141)
The Cavaliers and Nuggets have both been in good form recently. Cleveland has won eight of their past ten games, and Denver has won seven of its past ten games. The Cavaliers have been good at home this season, going 25-6 straight up. Cleveland is 32-26-3 against the spread this season.
The Cavaliers lost the first meeting with Denver 121-108. The Nuggets are .500 away from home this season. Denver makes 39.2 percent of its 3-point shots to lead the Western Conference.
The Nuggets are led by two-time defending MVP Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in scoring, who put up 24.7 and 20.2 points per game, respectively. Denver is on a three-game winning streak, including two road victories.
Edmonton Oilers (-106) at Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins need a spark. Pittsburgh hasn’t been playing well over the past few weeks and has compiled a 4-5-1 record that has sent them tumbling out of the Eastern Conference Wild Card.
While the Penguins are 15-8-4 at home this season, Edmonton may be the wrong opponent at the wrong time for the Penguins. The Oilers were on a tough stretch of four straight losses, but three were in overtime or in a shootout, but Edmonton has been scoring goals at a breakneck clip, scoring four or more goals in its past four games.
The Penguins have struggled with late-game collapses and haven’t been consistent in generating shots on net. Edmonton will grab a win on the road.
- Parlay Pick: +614
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