Friday’s Best ESPN BET Bets: Penguins-Panthers, Saint Peter's-Duquesne, Bulls-Spurs

Though the Patriots/Steelers couldn’t cover the historic Under last night (it was dead before halftime), we still managed to go 2-1 on the evening. The Blackhawks were able to pick up a win and the Lakers dismantled the Pelicans, covering the -2 spread by 40 points! We move to 35-29 on the year, a 54%-win percentage.

For those of you thinking that is not that impressive, 53-55% is the standard win percentage for most handicappers in sports. The best of the best handicapper’s average about 60%. If someone is saying they are hitting more than 70% lifetime, they are probably embellishing their record.

As for those LA Lakers, a few days ago I gave out the Lakers to win the NBA In-Season Tournament at +240 before the semifinals game. Now with the Bucks losing to the Pacers, the Lakers are now the clear favorite to take home the title tomorrow night at -180. If you took the Lakers and want to hedge a bit on the Pacers, they are +140 to win tomorrow.

I have been known to hedge some bigger bets in my time, which is when you bet a smaller percentage on the opposing team who is facing a team you have a future wager on or another type of bet. More than likely the bet is to just get your money back. Most of the time it is a win-win situation. Some bettors don’t like to hedge and just let it ride. It is a “to each their own” philosophy.

Now time for the picks!

Pittsburgh Penguins at Florida Panthers (-160) O/U 6.5 – 7:00 PM on SportsNet Pittsburgh

The roller coaster ride of the Penguins season makes its next stop in South Florida to face off against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Florida Panthers. The Pens have dropped 3 straight games including a 4-1 decision to the Lightning, which we cashed the Under 6.5 in.

Though the Pens play has been up and down this year, they have gotten up for big time opponents this year. They have had some bad losses but they have also beaten the likes of Colorado and Vegas this year, though those games were played at home.

Hopefully the closed door meeting the team had after the loss to the Lightning finally gives this team a spark. I believe it will, at least for one game, and the Penguins win as underdogs tonight against the Panthers.

Penguins Money Line +132, Pittsburgh Penguins 4 – Florida Panthers 3

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Saint Peter’s Peacocks at Duquesne Dukes (-14.5) O/U 130.5 – 7:00 PM on ESPN+

Two years ago, Saint Peter’s were the darlings of the NCAA Tournament, making it all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual National Championship Runner-Up North Carolina. Along the way they upset Kentucky, Murray St and Purdue.

Fast forward to today, things are a lot different for the Peacocks. Their head coach during that run Shaheen Holloway left after the 2022 season for Seton Hall and they have not been the same since. Their combine record between last year and this year is under .500.

The Dukes have shown that they can make moves in the A-10 in hopes of earning their first NCAA Tournament berth in nearly 50 years. They were very impressive in their win over Marshall this week. I believe Duquesne will win this game, but the spread is way too large to lay the points with the Dukes.

The Peacocks hang around and cover in this one.

Saint Peter’s Covers +14.5, Saint Peter’s Peacocks 65 – Duquesne Dukes 75

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Chicago Bulls (-2.5) at San Antonio Spurs O/U 224.5 – 8:30 PM

Star rookie Victor Wembanyama has been as good as advertised for the San Antonio Spurs so far this year. He is showing that he has the capacity of being the superstar everyone thinks he can be while still adjusting to the NBA style of play. The problem is the team around Wembanyama is not NBA caliber at this point.

Coming into tonight’s game at home against the Chicago Bulls, the Spurs are riding a 15-game losing streak, a new low for Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich. The Bulls haven’t been so hot either this year, sitting at 8-14 this season. Chicago is actually coming into this game on a 3-game win streak, and that is without one of their franchise players Zach LaVine, who has missed the last 3 games and will be out until the end of the month.

With former Spurs star DeMar DeRozan leading the Bulls as of now, I believe Chicago will hand the Spurs their 16th straight loss and cover in the process.

Bulls Cover -2.5, Chicago Bulls 115 – San Antonio Spurs 103

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Steps to Get the ESPN BET PA Promo Code

Here’s how to get started:

• Click this link to begin the registration process. Signing up without code PITTSPORTS will mean just a $200 bonus, not $250, so that’s why it’s so important to use it.
• Players may make a deposit of at least $10 to qualify for the promotion. Payment options include PayPal, online checking and more.
• Place at least a $1 wager on any game. Doing so will trigger and activate the bonus offer.

While this offer applies to Pennsylvania players, it’s also available in 16 other states: NJ, MA, VA, MD, WV, KS, KY, LA, TN, AZ, CO, IA, IN, IL, MI, OH.