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Tides’ Takes: Free NHL & NBA Betting Picks For Today (3/29/22)

Timothy Buell Tue 3/29 11:00am PT
Image Credit: Imagn

ScoresAndOdds analyst Timothy Buell gives free expert advice and betting picks for Tuesday’s NHL and NBA slates. Use our Caesars code for $1100 first-bet insurance.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Welcome to this new article for ScoresAndOdds, where we will offer betting picks and advice for multiple sports that are happening on a given day.

Now that the NFL season has unfortunately come to an end, we will be focusing on NHL odds and NBA odds and props. We will also be throwing in some traditional parlays and some same game parlays as we see fit.  

Make sure to use our tools at ScoresAndOdds to find the best lines at your favorite legal sportsbook! 

Today we have five NBA and nine NHL games. Let’s get started with the betting picks!

Free NBA Betting Picks For Today

Milwaukee Bucks @ Philadelphia 76ers

This game is far and away the best game of the night. As a huge fan of the NBA, I am excited to watch this one. These two teams are currently tied for #2 seed in the East and this game should have a really good playoff type atmosphere. I am going to side with the home team in this one. I do realize that the Bucks are likely a better all around team than the 76ers but I think this will be the Embiid show. 

The last time these two teams met on Feb 17th Embiid put up 42 points and 14 rebounds with Philly coming out with the win in Milwaukee and that was before James Harden played with him. I expect an even better performance from Philly this evening even though Harden hasn’t looked his best since coming over.  They are still a better team with him than without him and the 76ers should be able to come away with the win tonight in Philly. 

Editor’s note: Betting odds are subject to change and the picks and corresponding lines referenced are accurate at the time this article was written.

Detroit Pistons @ Brooklyn Nets

Obviously the Nets are the far superior team when looking at this matchup and I fully expect them to win this game straight up.  However, the Pistons are playing much better basketball as of late and are playing their starters heavy minutes and are not full blown tanking like some other teams in their situation.

Normally I don’t look much into ATS trends when making my bets but I did find this interesting, the Pistons are 15-3 in their last 18 games ATS, as the Nets only win by three points, on average, when they are the pre-game favorite. Both of those stats make a lot of sense to me. The Nets have been a pretty big disappointment this season and have not been the powerhouse we all expected them to be.  I think this game stays relatively competitive with the Nets winning the game outright by between 8-10 points.

Free NHL Betting Picks For Today

Carolina Hurricanes @ Tampa Bay Lightning

The Hurricanes won the last time these two teams met a week ago in Carolina. I think the Lightning get their revenge tonight with the Hurricanes playing on the second night of a road back to back after beating Washington last night. I like that the Lightning have loaded up their top line with Kucherov, Point, and Stamkos playing together at 5v5 and on the power play. I also like that the Lightning have the goaltending matchup in this one. 

Vasilevskiy is by far the superior  net minder in this matchup.  With Anderson starting in net last night the Canes should be starting Antti Raanta who is certainly a viable back up goalie but is nothing compared to Vasilevskiy.  The Lightning are going into playoff mode and are ramping up for a huge playoff run that could solidify their status as a true dynasty if they win three straight Stanley Cups.  This is the type of game they want this time of year, especially on home ice.   

Colorado Avalanche @ Calgary Flames

I am hoping that we get these two teams in the Western Conference Finals in a few weeks because they are the best two teams in the West and personally I love to watch these two teams play.  Tonight, I like the Flames to win this game. The Avalanche shutout this same Flames team last time they met in Colorado.  Now, they travel to Calgary, and this time, Jacob Markstrom will be in net. Dan Vlader got the start in the last game and showed us why he is the clear number two on the depth chart. 

I think the Flames make a statement tonight and mentally won’t want to lose two in a row to their conference foe. Nathan MacKinnon is a top-three player in hockey and can produce points against any matchup in hockey, but I think the Flames have the best depth in the league, and have three lines that can really score.  The depth and superior goaltending for the Flames will win out in this matchup 

NHL Player Prop

This time of year in both the NBA and NHL projections can become a little more fragile given that some teams like to cut minutes on certain players without notice. Every prop bet that I make, I try to find players that have remained consistent in their roles and minutes. Caufield fits both of those criteria for me and even though this matchup isn’t the best on paper I like that Florida plays with a ton of pace. 

There should be a lot of open ice in this one, which should offset the possession discrepancy that should favor the Panthers.  Caulfield has gone over this total in 12 of his last 15 games and maintained a very secure shot floor since getting promoted to top line and top power play work. 

PICK: Cole Caufield over 2.5 shots on goal, DraftKings

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