NCAA/NBA Basketball Parlay of the Day: Friday, January 25th

basketball parlay: ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 18: Jeff Green #32 of the Washington Wizards dunks against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on December 18, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Disclaimer: Every basketball parlay in this series is going to be a simple 4-legger, so we won’t be getting too crazy nor diving into the hellish world of teasers or 10-leggers.

A 4-leg basketball parlay is RISKY so approach with caution and avoid tossing full unit bets on these picks. With that said, who doesn’t want to toss down a little basketball parlay that can pay you out exponentially more money. After all, sports betting is supposed to be fun. Why not live a little?

Last night’s parlay got off to a rough start courtesy of the Wizards Jeff Green. With Golden State favored by 9 and up 11, Jeff Green buried a brutal (and utterly pointless) 3 pointer with 30 seconds to go that ended up costing the Warriors the cover by a single point. To make matters worse, his toe was on the line and it should have been a 2. Bad beat to the max.

With that said, let’s get back at it tonight with another 4-legger across our NCAA and NBA matchups,

Basketball Parlay of the Day

Wizards @ Magic (-4)
Quinnipiac @ Marist (-3)
Heat (-8.5) @ Cavaliers
Butler (+2) @ Creighton

Washington Wizards vs Orlando Magic – 7:00pm ET

The Wizards and Magic have done battle twice on the season so far, splitting the two matchups so far.

The Wizards were responsible for busting last night’s parlay and as a result find themselves on the list once again. The Wizards got lucky with a backdoor cover against the Warriors and get to travel to face the rested Magic for the tail end of a back to back.

The Magic have been an extremely competitive team as of late. Despite dropping 4 of their last 5 games, only one of those was lost by more than double digits and they’ve dropped games to some of the better teams in the league.

The Wizards should be exhausted on the tail end of their back to back and the Magic are much better than their record would indicate. Moreover, the home team has won in a blowout in each of the matchups between these two teams on the year. Look for that trend to continue as the Magic beat up on a gassed Wizards squad.

Basketball Parlay Pick #1: Orlando Magic (-4)

basketball parlay: PHILADELPHIA, PA – NOVEMBER 10: Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats is introduced before a game against the Quinnipiac Bobcats at Wells Fargo Center on November 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Villanova defeated Quinnipiac 86-53. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Quinnipiac Bobcats vs Marist Red Foxes – 7:30pm ET

Quinnipiac and Marist match up for the first time on the year in MAAC play. Both teams struggled out of conference play (as did EVERY team in the MAAC), but have both looked considerably stronger since turning to conference play.

Quinnipiac has had the luxury of playing mostly bottom feeders in the MAAC so far, but do have a quality win over Monmouth. The Bobcats are an extremely inefficient offense and barely make 40% of their shots from the field. The do have a decent defense that at least puts their offense in a position to win games, but more often than not, the offense isn’t up to the task.

Marist has had the unfortunate luck of drawing some of the stronger MAAC programs to start the year. Though they have picked up two wins over conference cupcake Manhattan, they’ve been on the road for the majority of their tough conference tests. A perennial bottom-feeder in the MAAC themselves, Marist has shown significant improvement this year. A relatively efficient offense, Marist couples that with a grinding style of play that poses a tough matchup for teams that rely on getting up and down the court.

Quinnipiac is by no means a high-tempo offense, but they do need to get up and down the court at a decent clip to help offset their mediocre offense. Marist will slow this game down and has shown they can score at a much more efficient clip. Look for a low-scoring and ugly game that sees Marist pull away for the cover comfortably.

Basketball Parlay Pick #2: Marist Red Foxes (-3)

basketball parlay: INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 18: Larry Nance Jr. #22 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates with Cedi Osman #16 after making the game winning basket in the 92-91 win against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 18, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Miami Heat vs Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:30pm ET

The Heat and Cavaliers have squared off twice this season so far with the Heat blowing the Cavaliers out on both occasions.

Since giving the keys to the offense to Justice Winslow, the Heat have looked like an entirely different basketball team. Although they’ve dropped two consecutive games to quality opponents in the Celtics and Clippers, the Heat should be looking to get back on track with a statement blowout of the lowly Cavs.

The Cavs just aren’t good right now. Not only are they losing every game in sight, they aren’t even keeping themselves remotely competitive in most match-ups. With an incredibly depleted front-court, the possible return of big men Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. for tonight’s game at least give the Cavs some hope.

All that said, even an improved front court for the Cavs shouldn’t be nearly enough to cover this spread. The Cavs offer minimal defensive resistance from their guards and wings so expect Winslow to have a field day. Even if Thompson and Nance suit up, Hassan Whiteside is an athletic freak down low and should be able to have himself a big day regardless of who the Cavs roll out. Heat by 20.

Basketball Parlay Pick #3: Miami Heat (-8.5)

basketball parlay: INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 15: Butler Bulldogs players react from the bench against the Indiana Hoosiers in the second half of the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 71-68. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Butler Bulldogs vs Creighton Blue Jays – 8:00pm ET

In a classic defense vs offense match-up, Butler and Creighton lock horns for what should be one of the most exciting college games on the slate for tonight. These two teams met once before on the year with Butler walking away with an easy win.

Butler is the defense in this match-up. Allowing just 67.9 points per game on the year, they do a great job of shutting down the majority of high-powered offenses that they face. While they have dropped games to some very solid opponents, outside of Nova and Georgetown (two outstanding offenses), they’ve held all their opponents to under 80 points.

Creighton on the other hand, brings the offense. With an offense that averages over 80 points per game and a defense that gives up 78 points per game, Creighton loves to lure teams into a reckless shootout. Led by leading scorer Ty-Shon Alexander, the Blue Jays are a threat to explode on the offensive end on any given night.

Despite the dangerous Blue Jay offense, Butler has already shown the ability to absolutely shut down anything Creighton has to throw at them.

Despite taking to the road for this match-up, defense travels (college basketball 101) and Butler should be expected to come out firing on that side of the ball. Look for a repeat of the go-round between these two teams despite the change in scenery.

Basketball Parlay Pick #4: Butler Bulldogs (+2)

Total Payout: +1230 (varies from book to book)

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Check back in tomorrow for another edition of the “Basketball Parlay of the Day” series on Fantasy CPR!