Basketball Parlay of the Day: Wednesday, January 30th
By Anthony Koon
![NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: The Syracuse Orange bench reacts in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies during their game at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 05: The Syracuse Orange bench reacts in the second half against the Connecticut Huskies during their game at Madison Square Garden on December 5, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/24b23955a25c974ee9bb554b9491d7a64d77672aad0c220311b18d6b983ee13f.jpg)
Disclaimer: Every basketball parlay in this series is going to be a simple 4-legger. A 4-leg basketball parlay is RISKY so approach with caution and avoid tossing full unit bets on these picks.
Another basketball parlay night, another 3 out of 4 games hitting, so close to that hefty payout. We’re back at it again tonight with a big slate of NCAA and NBA games to choose from.
Basketball Parlay of the Day
- Syracuse (-3) @ Boston College
- Pacers @ Wizards – UNDER 218
- UCLA (-5.5) @ Washington State
- Hawks @ Kings (-5.5)
Syracuse Orange vs Boston College Eagles – 8:00pm ET
Syracuse had been rolling after their Duke win before dropping a game to a very tough Virginia Tech team. The Orange are heavily reliant on their zone defense for which Virginia Tech and their 41% from 3 were a perfect matchup. However, Boston College is far weaker from deep, only shooting 31% on the year.
Speaking of Boston College, their only shot to stay in the game is going to be if they somehow can catch fire from deep. Syracuse is going to make life tough on the Eagles offense and will be more than content to let the majority of BC players chuck up 3 pointers instead of getting easy baskets at the rim. BC is far from a great 3 point shooting team and seeing as how they don’t possess a roster capable of bullying the Orange, that lack of shooting will likely come back to hurt them tonight.
BC isn’t terrible, but has struggled in ACC play. Their recent form plus the matchup should make this game extremely tough to cover. Expect Syracuse to clamp down defensively and cover this spread on the road as they are by far the better team.
Basketball Parlay Pick #1: Syracuse Orange (-3)
Indiana Pacers vs Washington Wizards – 8:00pm ET
The Pacers and Wizards have met up twice on the year so far with the Pacers picking up wins on both occasions. However, this iteration of the Pacers is significantly weaker with the loss of Victor Oladipo which throws a wrench into betting the point total.
Despite losing Oladipo, the Pacers still will try to play at a slow pace and grind out low scoring games. Meanwhile, the Wizards have a tendency to play to their opponent’s pace. In the absence of John Wall, the Wizards don’t necessarily have an offensive identity. Bradley Beal has filled in admirably as a top option, but despite actually playing better since Wall went down, the team is unquestionably more dangerous with him in the lineup.
Look for the Pacers to establish a slow and steady pace early on and for the Wizards to match that pace. The Pacers are still a great defensive team even without Oladipo and should be able to hold Beal and the rest of the Wizards in check. Forget the point spread and hammer the under.
Basketball Parlay Pick #2: UNDER 218
UCLA Bruins vs Washington State Cougars – 10:00pm ET
Washington State has been flat out bad this year. Especially since entering conference play, their only win has come at home over fellow conference doormat Cal. Meanwhile, UCLA has been up and down this season. While they looked great in wins against Oregon and Arizona, they were blown out by rival USC amidst a 3 game losing streak in Pac-12 play.
This is a play simply based off of how incompetent the Cougars have been. The Bruins are far from a dominant basketball team, but the fact remains that anyone not named Cal in the Pac-12 should steamroll Washington State. Look for the Bruins to pick up a road win while covering in this one.
Basketball Parlay Pick #3: UCLA Bruins (-5.5)
Atlanta Hawks vs Sacramento Kings – 10:00pm ET
Our last matchup of the evening features two exciting young teams at different stages in the rebuilding process. The Hawks are led by young rookie point guard Trae Young and are at the earliest stages in the rebuilding process. With a plethora of young talent, the Hawks simply need a few more years to develop into a consistent threat.
On the other side, the Kings are closing in to the end of a long rebuilding process. After spending years curating top 5 draft picks, the Kings find themselves owners of a treasure trove of young NBA talent. With many of their young stars taking a big step this season, the Kings are likely a true #1 option away from being a legitimate contender in the West.
The Kings are simply the better basketball team here and get the matchup at home. The Hawks just won a game and haven’t won back to back matchups this year. Don’t expect that to change or for them to be able to keep it within 6 points for the cover.
Next. NCAA Basketball Best Bets Jan 30. dark