Friday November 1 Best Sports Betting Picks, Predictions for NHL, NBA, College Football

At last check, no over/under existed for how many times revelers at today’s Los Angeles Dodgers World Series parade will hear Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”

Had the Dodgers not capitalized on some free outs from the New York Yankees during the fifth inning of Wednesday’s Game 5 clincher, the SoCal set would have been pining for their victory anthem tonight something fierce.

Alas, baseball season has ended, yielding its share of the spotlight to the usual sports of November and beyond.

Today, we look at hockey in Finland, whose denizens, “Eskimo” and otherwise, enjoyed Newman’s sounds a few years back—an early-season NBA showdown and college football on blue turf.

However you wager, may no one fall short, people. 

FLORIDA PANTHERS VS. DALLAS STARS

This stateside matinee happily awaits prime time in Tampere, Finland, where it will be contested in the opener of a back-to-back NHL Global Series event between two of the NHL’s top clubs.

In a game within a game, Finnish fans figure to see a clash between countrymen as well. Back from a lower-body injury, center Aleksander Barkov captains the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers and is likely to go against Stars defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell.

Dallas also employs forward Roope Hintz, a son of Tampere who boasts eight points in nine games. That’s three points off Matt Duchene’s club lead, which hardly mattered during a practice this week in which Hintz briefly donned a gold helmet, a tradition of top scorers in European leagues.

“It was a cool joke from the boys, and I told them I could do one drill with it,” Hintz said.

On this night, there’ll be no fooling as Hintz keeps the figurative crown on a sheet of home ice away from his professional home.

Roope Hintz anytime goal scorer (+230), BetMGM

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES AT DENVER NUGGETS

Averaging a triple-double over four games counts as a small sample size, sure, but there’s no denying Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic frequently comes up big in the long run.

On Friday, he’ll have the added motivation of facing a Minnesota team that ousted the Nuggets from the playoffs in a Western Conference semifinal last season, ending Denver’s NBA title defense.

Jokic contributed 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists during Wednesday’s 144-139 overtime victory in Brooklyn. In 34 career games versus the Timberwolves, including 31 starts, he averages 21.9 points, 10.7 boards and 6.5 assists.

As with Denver, Minnesota has allowed opponents to reach triple digits in each game this season, which opens the game and boosts an “average” night at the office for Jokic.

Nikola Jokic over 47.5 combined points, rebounds and assists (-110), BetMGM

SAN DIEGO STATE AT NO. 15 BOISE STATE

Boise State remains in position to secure the College Football Playoff spot for the highest-ranked school outside the Group of 5 entering this Mountain West matchup.

The 6-1 Broncos’ lone loss, 37-34 at Oregon in Week 2, keeps looking better as the Ducks hold down the No. 1 spot in the polls.

Now Boise State gets an uneven, 3-4 Aztecs team on its home field, where the Broncos have prevailed by no fewer than 21 points in three victories.

Heisman hopeful running back Ashton Jeanty rushed for 128 yards at UNLV last week, one off his season low, and should help the heavily-favored Broncos (-23.5) set an early tone.

Ashton Jeanty first touchdown (+100), BetMGM