In today’s Best Games to Bet On, we take a look a closer look a few powerhouse teams in the NBA and NHL. First up, the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls could trade places in the Eastern Conference following tonight’s tilt. [sc:NBA250 ]The Pacers are a win up on the Bulls and are sitting in third in the East and second in the Central Division, trailed closely by their Windy City rivals.
As for the New York Rangers, they are on a very steep slide at the moment. The team enjoyed an eight-game win streak to enter November and even went 10-4 in the month overall. Things have changed though since the holiday season commenced. They are 3-6-1 in their last ten and have sunk to fourth in the East with a danger of even falling out of a playoff spot to round out the year.
Read ahead for more on these two juggernaut matchups. If you’re a little more interested perhaps in say college football though, make sure to check out our full Bowl Season Preview and Picks here.
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Best Games to Bet On for December 30th, 2015
Indiana Pacers vs. Chicago Bulls (5:00 PM ET)
Line: Indiana Pacers (+3) vs. Chicago Bulls (-3); total: 201– view all NBA lines
Both teams are 6-4 in their last ten games and are each coming off a win. The Bulls are 12-5 at home though, which could be why they are favored in this one. Beware though, Chicago may have a nice home record but are brutal at the United Center Against the Spread. The team is 6-11-0 on their own wood and are 2-3 this season against divisional opponents. On top of all of that, the Bulls have already lost to Indiana 99-90 back in November.
The Pacers on the other hand seem to be cooling off in December. Their fearless leader Paul George is slipping at the wrong time, only posting an average of 11.5 points per over his past four games. Indiana also aren’t the ultimate road warriors so far this season. They’ve gone 8-7 ATS as a visitor and thus far have posted a 7-8 record overall.
Writer’s Prediction: Chicago wins and beats the spread 87-81.
New York Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (5:00pm ET)
Line: New York Rangers (+120) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (-130); total: 5 – view all NHL lines.
The New York Rangers are not the team they once were and are in danger whenever they’re on the road. At Madison Square Garden, the Blueshirts have one of the best home records at 14-5-1. On the road though, they are a mere 6-8-3 and are currently riding an eight-game losing skid when playing in visitor rinks. The team also dropped their last game in Tampa 2-1 in late November.
The Lightning are starting to trend in the right direction. They’re just 5-4-1 in their last ten mind you, but have a chance to end the year in a playoff position. They’re in an ideal spot to move ahead in the standings into January as well. The Eastern Conference is starting to fall apart with the Rangers, Canadiens, Red Wings and Senators all starting to falter. The team also weaves its way through a very weak Pacific Division next month with games against the struggling Flames, Oilers and Canucks.
Aside from what lies ahead, this game has Tampa Bay written all over it based on the Rangers recent struggles alone. If they can’t right the ship on the road, they could be in big trouble down the home stretch.
Writer’s Prediction: Tampa Bay rocks the Rangers 4-1.
