Each day, one of our experts will offer up a best bet (or two or three) that mobile sportsbooks are offering. It might be a traditional spread bet, a player prop or one of the various odds boosts that books offer.
Here are our best bets for Monday, Jan. 9:
TOP PLAY
The play: CFP National Championship: Georgia (-13) over TCU
The odds/bet: -110 ($33 to win $30)
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Our take: The national championship betting line had held steady at 12.5 at FanDuel Sportsbook, and while it ticked up to 13 today, we still like Georgia to cover tonight against TCU even though they nearly lost to Ohio State in the semis.
Georgia’s secondary had issues with Ohio State’s passing game, and TCU isn’t lacking in aerial firepower with quarterback Max Duggan leading the way, Georgia still appears to have the upper hand on both sides of the ball.
Georgia’s defense should be able to bounce back and contain TCU enough to cover the spread, and their offense has enough juice with Stetson Bennett under center to where they project to cruise to their second-straight national title.
NBA PARLAY
The play: NBA: Pelicans (+1.5) over Wizards, Bucks (money line) over Knicks, Kings (-6.5) over Magic
The odds/bet: +629 ($10 to win $62.90)
The book: FanDuel Sportsbook
Time/TV: Pelicans at Wizards 7 p.m., Bucks at Knicks 7:30 p.m., Magic at Kings 10 p.m. (NBA League Pass)
Our take: While most will have their eyes on the CFP National Championship tonight, there appears to be value with some NBA lines, which is why we’ve decided to cook up a parlay here.
We included the Pelicans even though they’re on the road without Zion Williamson, as the Wizards are without their top scorer in Bradley Beal, and the Pels have shown that they have enough depth to compete without Zion.
The Bucks-Knicks line seems odd, but the Bucks offer value as underdogs against a Knicks team that I’m not sold on, and the Kings should be able to cover with ease at home against the rebuilding Magic.
HOW WE’VE FARED
Saturday’s best bets
- NFL 6-point teaser, Chiefs-Raiders OVER 46.5/Titans-Jaguars UNDER 46 (LOST $36)
- NCAA men’s basketball: Alabama -5½ over Kentucky (WON $20)
- English FA Cup: Wolverhampton three-way money line at Liverpool (LOST $5)
Saturday’s profit/loss: -$21 (1-2)
Final total for the week: +$97 (9-4)
Total for January: +$53 (9-6)
Total for 2023: +$53 (9-6)
NOTE: If a line or odds are minus, it considers the juice one must lay to place the bet. Ex: Team A is -160 on the money line, one would have to bet $160 to win $100 (or $16 to win $10). OR Team B is a 5-point favorite at -110, one would have to bet $110 to win $100 (or $11 to win $10.)
Conversely, on positive lines, if Team C is +140 on the money line, a $100 would bring in $140 (or $10 to win $14).
