The day has arrived as ESPN finally enters the sports betting world.
While we await the official launch of ESPN Bet, set for 3 p.m. ET Tuesday, be sure to use the ESPN BET promo code NPNEWS in order to get $250 in free bets with a bet of any amount.
In the meantime, here are three ways to use your sign-up offer:
Minnesota (7-2) has NBA wins over the likes of Miami, Boston, Denver and Golden State this season.
We saw the Timberwolves beat the Warriors on Sunday with a well-balanced scoring effort led by Anthony Edwards’ 33 points.
The Warriors are just 6-5 this year and have given cause for concern outside of Stephen Curry, who’s questionable entering this game with right knee soreness.
Until Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and others start contributing to what’s been a lackluster offense, this Warriors team will only go as far as Curry takes them.
Pick: Timberwolves (+105) — Nick Goodling
This was a premium college basketball matchup just a week ago but surprising losses by both teams have taken some of the luster off of it.
No longer can I back Michigan State given its shocking loss to James Madison and struggles against Southern Indiana.
Instead, I’m targeting the total.
Last year, these teams were both inside the top 40 in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, but their pace was lumbering, with rankings in Adjusted Tempo and average possession lengths near the back end for all D-I schools.
Neither school underwent offseason overhauls, so pace of play is predictable based on last year’s performance. And if that’s not good enough, look at what Duke did against high-flying Arizona (150 total points). Michigan State is the opposite of Arizona.
Expect defense to dominate this game.
Pick: Under 142.5 (play to 140) — Charlie Disturco
There’s no phrasing lightly just how poor these San Jose Sharks have been.
After clinching their first NHL victory 12 games into the season, the Sharks have been 1-2 and are -7 in goal differential.
San Jose is 3-12 against the puck line. Opposing teams have covered against them in all 12 of their regulation losses. They are at rock bottom in almost every major stat metric.
The Florida Panthers come to town with a top-five expected goals percentage. They have won seven of their last nine games and have been sustaining offensive zone pressure at a top-10 rate.
Take these patterns to continue as the Cats are off to the races looking to make another deep push.
Pick: Panthers -1.5 (+105) — Sean Treppedi