Why Paul George will stay hot against the Spurs, plus other best bets for Tuesday

Good afternoon, it’s Chris Bengel back with you as another week of football is in the books. Did everybody else take as much of a beating on the sports betting front as I did? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing to the Washington Football Team wasn’t exactly what I expected to happen.

Still, the most egregious thing in the NFL as of late has been the play of the Los Angeles Rams. This is a franchise that pushed in all their chips and parted with just about all of their draft capital in order to do so. Matthew Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. were all brought in to help win the team a Super Bowl. I suppose it’s too early to say that it can’t happen, but their play in recent weeks doesn’t lead me to believe that it will.

Perhaps the Rams were doomed when they used that GIF of John Malkovich’s character, Teddy KGB, from the movie “Rounders” pushing all his chips in to announce the Miller trade. If you haven’t seen the movie, Teddy KGB loses that particular poker hand, so it’s not exactly the most appropriate GIF to use if you’re pushing in all your chips in exchange for a championship.

Anyway, now it’s time to put all of our chips in on Tuesday’s picks.

All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook

🔥 The Hot Ticket

🏀Spurs vs. Clippers, 10:30 p.m. | TV: NBA.TV

The Pick: Clippers -7.5 (-110): Kawhi Leonard remains out of the lineup, but the Clippers still have gotten off to a solid start. Paul George has been terrific so far and is tied for fourth in scoring across the league with 26.5 points-per-game. In addition, George is shooting 35.7 percent from beyond the arc and is knocking down just over three long-range shots per contest. It also doesn’t hurt that the Clippers have an insane amount of depth and possess six players that are averaging double figures.

On the other hand, the Spurs have the third-worst record in the Western Conference and are in the midst of a rebuilding phase. Three of the team’s last five losses have come by at least eight points. The Spurs are allowing 109.5 points-per-game and opponents are shooting 46.5 percent from the field against them. With the Clippers having talented perimeter shooters like George, Luke Kennard, and Terance Mann, it’s hard to imagine the Spurs not surrendering a large amount of threes in this one. Take the Clippers and the points.

Key Trend: Clippers are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games following a double-digit home loss

💰 The Picks

🏀 NBA

Warriors vs. Nets, 7 p.m. | TV: TNT

The Pick: Kevin Durant Over 29.5 points (-125) — Tuesday’s contest features two of the most dangerous offenses that the NBA has to offer. In addition, it also offers two of the most lethal scorers in the sport in Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. This is a game that should be a back-and-forth affair, which bodes well for a player like Durant.

Durant can score 30 points in his sleep, which makes me feel really good about reaching this number. In 14 games this season, the Nets star has reached the 30-point mark in seven of those contests. Durant also has scored at least 30 points in five of the team’s last seven games. It’s hard to imagine that this matchup between two teams that could reach the NBA Finals won’t produce gaudy scoring numbers. After all, Durant is coming off a 33-point performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

Key Trend: Durant has scored at least 30 points in five of his last seven games

🏒 NHL

Flames vs. Flyers, 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN+

The Pick: Under 5.5 goals (-115) — Hockey is one of the more strategic sports to bet on because of the goaltending matchups. That’s exactly why I’m taking the under in this one. Carter Hart will be in net for the Flyers and the team will be attempting to shake off a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Stars. In his last contest, Hart turned in a sensational performance as he stopped 39 of the 40 shots he faced in a 2-1 win over the Hurricanes. Hart’s 2.32 goals-against-average is good for the 11th-best mark in the NHL and has only allowed more than three goals in one start this season.

While it hasn’t been confirmed as of this writing, it’s likely that Jacob Markstrom will be in net for the Flames. Backup Dan Vladar has started each of Calgary’s last two games, so it’s hard to imagine that Markstrom won’t be between the pipes. Markstrom has been extremely impressive this season with a 5-3-3 record to go along with a 1.81 goals-against-average, which is good for second in the NHL behind Carolina’s Frederik Andersen. The Flames netminder has also recorded four shutouts on the season, so there’s very little doubt that this could be a low-scoring game.

Key Trend: The under is 4-0 in the Flyers last four games when their opponent allows two goals or less in their previous game