Contributing Writer

Hornets vs. Lakers same-game parlay predictions Feb. 19: Bet on Doncic and Ball at +325

The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers headline the first night of NBA action following the all-star break.

The pregame narrative: I’m bullish on the Lakers for the rest of the season and I’m taking them to cover an alternate spread in their first game back. I also have picks on Luka Doncic and LaMelo Ball in this +325 SGP.

Check out my Hornets vs. Lakers same-game parlay predictions for Feb. 19.

Hornets vs. Lakers predictions

Parlay: Lakers -9.5 | Doncic 3+ threes | Ball over 10.5 rebounds/assists (+325)

Embed: #109740

Lakers -9.5 (-220): I don’t know if it’s the hype surrounding the Lakers’ trade for Doncic or their recent play, but I’m buying in.

Since Jan. 21, L.A. is 10-2 with a +12.3 average point differential.

The Lakers covered this spread in 6/10 of those wins.

Fans haven’t seen the full potential of the Doncic and LeBron James duo yet, either.

Doncic played just 23 minutes in each of his first two games with the Lakers. The all-star break gave the Slovenian superstar extra time to settle into his new home while getting back to peak fitness.

The Hornets are 2-11 in their last 13 and 13-39 overall. I feel good buying some extra points in favour of the Lakers.

SGP legs

Doncic 3+ threes (-195): Even in Doncic’s lacklustre 16-point performance against the Utah Jazz, he was able to drain three triples.

That exemplifies his sky-high floor as one of the NBA’s highest-volume shooters.

Even in a year filled with injuries, Doncic averages 3.3 threes on 9.5 attempts per game. In 46 minutes through two starts with the Lakers, he has attempted 15 threes.

The hope here is Doncic has a slight uptick in minutes as his conditioning improves. But he’s capable of clearing this line even with a reduced workload.

Ball over 10.5 rebounds/assists (-143): To start, Ball averages 12.3 rebounds/assists, which is obviously above the number I’m looking for Wednesday.

Ball has dealt with an ankle injury that forced him out in the first quarter in two of his last three starts. But he’s had the entire all-star break to tend to the issue.

If Ball is good to go on Wednesday, I expect big minutes. If he’s ruled out, this leg will be void and there’s no harm.

In the past eight games where he’s played more than 20 minutes, he is averaging 14.4 RA and has cleared this mark seven times.

On Jan. 27, Ball played just nine minutes against the Lakers. He went 4-1 against this line in five previous meetings with L.A.

Picks made at 2:18 p.m. ET on 02/18/2025.

Champions League playoff picks and predictions Feb. 19: Expect goals in Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

The final four remaining spots in the Champions League Round of 16 will be decided on Wednesday.

The pregame narrative: Juventus has had an underwhelming season by its standard, but the club is heating up and I predict a strong defensive showing on the road. Because of that, I’m taking the under in this matchup. I also like the over when Real Madrid faces Manchester City.

Check out the best Champions League predictions for the Round of 16 playoffs.

Champions League predictions

Go to full Champions League betting markets.

Best Bet: PSV/Juventus under 2.5 goals (+115)

Juventus finished 20th in the UCL league stage and currently sits fourth in Serie A, but things are turning around as the games become more important.

In the first leg of the playoff round, Juventus beat PSV, 2-1. In that game, the Italian club recorded eight shots on goal compared to the Dutch side’s two.

I Bianconeri followed that performance with a 1-0 win on the weekend in Serie A over second-place Inter Milan.

Juventus has now won four straight games in February across all competitions, and I think that momentum is important leading into this second leg.

Since the Italian giant is -286 to qualify, I’ll make the prediction that Thiago Motta’s side plays a shutdown defensive game on the road.

The first game went over this total but Juventus had a majority of the offence. There’s no need to push to score here as a 0-0 or 1-1 draw does the trick.

Key stat: Juventus is tied for ninth in clean sheets (three).

Quick pick

Real Madrid/Manchester City over 3.5 goals (-125): I’m not sure who’s going to qualify here but I’m expecting more than a few goals.

Real Madrid took the first leg, 3-2, with some late-match heroics from Jude Bellingham. Now, Man City will be pressing to score on the road.

And I’m not counting the English side out.

Man City has seven of 11 matches since the calendar flipped to 2025.

10 of those contests had four or more total goals.

Real Madrid can score, too. Among UCL clubs, it ranks third in goals per match (2.6), while Manchester City ranks seventh (2.2).

Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are two of the top strikers in the world, and that’s just the beginning of the offensive talent these teams have to offer.

I don’t think I’m crazy to think another explosive contest is in the works with a spot in the UCL Round of 16 on the line.

Picks made at 12:54 p.m. on 02/18/25.

Champions League playoff picks and predictions Feb. 19: Expect goals in Real Madrid vs. Manchester City

The final four remaining spots in the Champions League Round of 16 will be decided on Wednesday.

The pregame narrative: Juventus has had an underwhelming season by its standard, but the club is heating up and I predict a strong defensive showing on the road. Because of that, I’m taking the under in this matchup. I also like the over when Real Madrid faces Manchester City.

Check out the best Champions League predictions for the Round of 16 playoffs.

Champions League predictions

Go to full Champions League betting markets.

Best Bet: PSV/Juventus under 2.5 goals (+117)

Embed: #109726

Juventus finished 20th in the UCL league stage and currently sits fourth in Serie A, but things are turning around as the games become more important.

In the first leg of the playoff round, Juventus beat PSV, 2-1. In that game, the Italian club recorded eight shots on goal compared to the Dutch side’s two.

I Bianconeri followed that performance with a 1-0 win on the weekend in Serie A over second-place Inter Milan.

Juventus has now won four straight games in February across all competitions, and I think that momentum is important leading into this second leg.

Since the Italian giant is -286 to qualify, I’ll make the prediction that Thiago Motta’s side plays a shutdown defensive game on the road.

The first game went over this total but Juventus had a majority of the offence. There’s no need to push to score here as a 0-0 or 1-1 draw does the trick.

Key stat: Juventus is tied for ninth in clean sheets (three).

Quick pick

Real Madrid/Manchester City over 3.5 goals (-121): I’m not sure who’s going to qualify here but I’m expecting more than a few goals.

Real Madrid took the first leg, 3-2, with some late-match heroics from Jude Bellingham. Now, Man City will be pressing to score on the road.

And I’m not counting the English side out.

Man City has seven of 11 matches since the calendar flipped to 2025.

10 of those contests had four or more total goals.

Real Madrid can score, too. Among UCL clubs, it ranks third in goals per match (2.6), while Manchester City ranks seventh (2.2).

Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe are two of the top strikers in the world, and that’s just the beginning of the offensive talent these teams have to offer.

I don’t think I’m crazy to think another explosive contest is in the works with a spot in the UCL Round of 16 on the line.

Picks made at 12:20 p.m. on 02/18/25.

UFC Fight Night 251 picks and predictions: Bet on Youssef Zalal to dominate co-main event bout

Jared Cannonier and Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues headline another UFC fight card at the performance centre in Las Vegas.

The pre-fight narrative: The two middleweight contenders will duel for position in the division standings. But I’m looking elsewhere for my picks and backing Ketlen Souza on the undercard before taking the value on Youssef Zalal to finish his fight with Calvin Kattar.

Check out my UFC Fight Night 251 predictions for the Feb. 15 card in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 251 predictions

Click link to add selection to betslip. Note: Lines have changed/market no longer available if grey.

UFC 251 predictions	Odds
Souza to win	-112
Zalal to win by finish	+260

UFC picks made at 1:50 p.m. ET on 02/14/25.

Go to full UFC betting markets.

Best Bet: Souza to win (-112)

Let’s start this by analyzing Souza’s opponent, Angela Hill.

Hill is 17-14-0 and a long-time veteran of the UFC strawweight division but she’s now 40 years old and things haven’t gone her way since late 2021.

In that time, she has gone 4-5 and struggled with the fighters ready for the next step. I believe Souza fits that description.

She lost her UFC debut in 2023 by first-round kneebar. But that was a sign of inexperience and she’s shown improvements since.

The 29-year-old is coming off the biggest win of her career, defeating Yazmin Jauregui by first-round knockout.

Jauregui entered with an 11-1 record and the Mexican prospect was a -500 favourite, according to Tapology.

In the previous bout, Souza dominated Marnic Mann for three rounds, outstriking her 80-31. She’s in her prime and has power in her punches. A rare trait for the women’s lightest weight class.

Hill is a savvy vet but I can’t see her being able to deal with the strength and pressure coming back her way.

Key stat: Souza lands 5.1 significant strikes per minute with 66% accuracy, per UFC Stats. That would rank higher than any strawweight with five-plus fights.

UFC quick pick

Zalal to win by finish (+220): This is Zalal’s second stint in the UFC which is hard to believe considering the Moroccan is 28 years old.

He lost three straight bouts between 2020-21 before drawing another in 2022 leading to his release from the promotion shortly after. His next three years looked like this:

Zalal won three regional MMA fights and then signed back to the UFC.

After signing with UFC, he won another three fights.

Since his UFC release, he’s finished all six of his bouts.

It was quite the two and a half years for the featherweight and I believe Zalal, who has a clear grappling advantage, is primed for a push at the title.

His opponent, Kattar is a strong boxer but his takedown defence is non-existent and he’s a fish out of water on the mat.

Kattar is 1-3 in his last four but his most recent bout against Aljamain Sterling was the most telling. Sterling landed 8-of-13 takedowns in his first fight up a weight class and cruised to a decision victory.

Zalal is much more of a finisher but possesses the same grappling pedigree.