Happy Tuesday gamblers, it's Chris Bengel back in the saddle with you.
As an Eagles fan myself, I'm elated to see them back on the NFL's biggest stage in what has been a sensational season for the team. All bias asides, as an NFL fan it's hard to ask for a better quarterback matchup than Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes. Before Hurts injured his shoulder late in the regular season, he was an MVP contender. It'll be a ton of fun to watch two of the game's best go head-to-head in the Super Bowl, whether you have a rooting interest in the game or not.
Now let's dive into Tuesday's picks.
All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook
🔥 The Hot Ticket
Pelicans at Nuggets, 10 p.m. | TV: TNT
- Key Trend: Nuggets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 home games
- The Pick: Nuggets -7.0 (-110)
The Nuggets have dropped three of their last four games, but you know what? The Nuggets are just too good of a team to keep struggling, so we're riding with the Western Conference juggernaut in this spot.
The Nuggets are coming off a deflating loss to the Sixers in which Nikola Jokic was dominated by Joel Embiid. Jokic will probably be extremely motivated to have a strong performance against the Pelicans on Tuesday. When the two teams faced off last week, Jokic was efficient as he scored 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting while also securing 11 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. With Zion Williamson still out of the lineup for New Orleans, I'd expect a similar showing for Jokic.
Denver is one of the NBA's higher-scoring teams at 116.5 points-per-game. Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray is currently listed as questionable for Tuesday's contest due to a left knee injury. Keep an eye on that, but the Nuggets still have plenty of firepower to get the job done even if Murray can't go.
💰 More Picks
Clemson at Boston College, 7 p.m. | TV: ACC Network
The Pick: Clemson -4.5 (-110) -- Clemson has skyrocketed to the top of the ACC standings as the season comes down the home stretch. This group has lost just once over their last 11 games (a 87-77 decision to Wake Forest). Going on the road is never easy, but Clemson should have no problem taking care of business against an inferior Boston College squad tonight.
The Tigers average 74.7 points-per-game (fifth in the ACC). Senior forward Hunter Tyson is capable of a double-double on a nightly basis as he averages 16.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He's coming off of a 27-point performance in a win over Florida State this past Saturday. The Tigers also got a huge lift in Saturday's win as junior guard Chase Hunter returned after missing time due to a foot injury. Hunter ended up adding 26 points and drilling the game-winning free throw in the final seconds.
On the other hand, Boston College ranks second-to-last in the ACC at just 65.9 points per contest. The Eagles are also the worst three-point shooting team in the conference with just a 29.6 clip from deep. If the Tigers can race out to an early lead, it's hard to imagine the Eagles being able to keep pace given their deficiencies from beyond the arc.
Key Trend: Clemson is 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games
Lakers at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. | TV: TNT
The Pick: LeBron James Over 27.5 Points (-137) -- LeBron James is on the cusp of history. He is just 117 points from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record. I believe that James will make a large dent in that margin on Tuesday when the Lakers face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
James has netted at least 28 points in seven of his last 10 contests. In addition, the Lakers star has topped the 40-point mark in three of those games, so it's a pretty high probability that he'll be able to get the job done in this spot. It also helps that star big man Anthony Davis recently returned to the lineup and should continue to see more playing time as time goes on. Davis' presence certainly should take a little bit of the pressure off of James on the offensive end and could lead to even more points for him.
Key Trend: James has scored at least 28 points in seven of his last 10 games
