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The 2021-22 NBA season goes on Wednesday, November 17, when Dallas and Phoenix open their three-game regular-season series, so we have prepared the best Mavericks vs. Suns betting pick along with the latest team stats and news.



The Mavs head to Footprint Center as 6.5-point road underdogs on <a href="https://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betdsi/">BetDSI Sportsbook</a>, while the totals are listed at 220.0 points. Dallas is without Maxi Kleber (oblique) and might miss Luka Doncic, who’s suffered an ankle injury last time out. On the other side, the Suns cannot count on Dario Saric (knee).



<h2>The Mavericks aim for their third straight W</h2>



The Dallas Mavericks improved to 9-4 SU and 5-8 ATS on the season following a 111-101 home victory over the Denver Nuggets this past Monday. They overcame a 13-point second-half deficit, as Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 29 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field. The Mavs made 50.0% of their field goals and handed out 30 assists against one of the better defensive teams in the league.



Dallas has won five of its last six games overall, including the previous two. During that six-game stretch, Luka Doncic has averaged 26.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists a night, so his eventual absence would be a huge blow for the Mavericks’ offense.



The Mavs are tallying 107.6 points per 100 possessions (19th in the NBA) on 44.1% shooting from the field (tied-21st) and 33.3% from beyond the arc (tied-22nd). They rank sixth in the league in 3-point attempts per game (39.3).



<h2>The Suns look unstoppable </h2>



The Phoenix Suns (10-3; 8-5 ATS) are rolling on a nine-game winning streak following a 99-96 victory at the Minnesota Timberwolves last Monday. They narrowly failed to cover a 4-point spread, but it was an ugly game, as both teams shot way below 40 percent from the field.



Chris Paul dominated the T-Wolves down the stretch, tallying 19 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Deandre Ayton returned from a five-game absence caused by the leg injury and posted a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Devin Booker accounted for 29 points and five assists.



Booker is leading the way for the Suns this season, averaging 22.9 points, 6.0 boards, and 5.5 dimes per contest. The Suns are scoring 111.0 points per 100 possessions (4th in the NBA) on a 47.0% shooting from the field (tied-2nd) and 35.0% from beyond the 3-point line (14th).



Trends:



Dallas:



<ul><li>0-6 ATS in the last six games against Phoenix</li><li>6-12 ATS in the last 18 games overall</li><li>2-5 ATS in the last seven games on the road&nbsp;</li></ul>



Phoenix:



<ul><li>7-1 ATS in the last eight games overall</li><li>7-1 ATS in the last eight home games against Dallas</li><li>6-1 ATS in the last seven games against the Western Conference&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-dallas-mavericks-vs-phoenix-suns-pick">Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Pick</h2>



Luka Doncic has had a lot of problems with his ankles in the past, so we’ll consider his as questionable for Wednesday’s clash. If Luka hits the sidelines, the Suns shouldn’t have any problems winning this game by seven or more points, but covering the spread would be a tricky task if Doncic suits up.



The Suns are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 outings as favorites of 6.5 or fewer points. They’ve dominated the Mavs as of late, going 6-0 straight up and ATS in their last six encounters.



Pick: Take Phoenix Suns -6.5 at -110&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Total:



The Suns rank 11th in the NBA in points allowed per 100 possessions (105.5), while the Mavericks are right behind them (105.7). Phoenix plays at the fourth-fastest pace in the league, averaging 101.8 possessions per 48 minutes. The Mavs, on the other side, are tallying 97.6 possessions per 48 minutes (22nd in the league).



Hereof, I don’t expect to see a proper high-scoring affair. The Mavs will try to slow down things and keep in mind that Dallas is taking good care of the ball, making the fewest turnovers per 100 possessions (12.7). The under is 4-1 in the last five meetings between Dallas and Phoenix.



Pick: Go under 220.0 points at -110&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Odds, Pick, Prediction 11/17/21

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At 2:10 from American Family Field in Milwaukee, we have an NL Central matchup between the Cardinals and Brewers. Heading into Sunday's game, the Cardinals are 15-24, while the Brewers come in with a record of 24-15. St. Louis will be sending Miles Mikolas to the mound vs. Bryse Wilson for the Brewers.

Milwaukee is the favorite at -147, and the over/under line is at 8 runs. If you're looking to watch this game on TV, it is being carried by BSMW.<h3>MILWAUKEE BREWERS VS ST. LOUIS CARDINALS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Milwaukee Brewers Moneyline -147This game will be played at American Family Field at 2:10 ET on Sunday, May 12th.<h3>HOW TO BET THE CARDINALS VS BREWERS:</h3><ul><li>We have the Brewers winning by a score of 5 to 4</li><li>However, if you're looking for a run line pick, we like the Cardinals to cover</li><li>As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over</li></ul>It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Brewers vs Cardinals series. Milwaukee went into the matchup as -191 favorites and squeaked out a 5-3 win. The Brewers offense only had two more hits than the Cardinals and struck out nine times, but still picked up a win.

St. Louis had a two-run 5th inning and added their final run in the 6th. As for the Brewers, they scored three runs in the 3rd and added two more in the 7th. Both teams went scoreless in the 1st and 2nd innings.

Freddy Peralta got the start for the Brewers and went six innings while giving up three runs and striking out eight. Hoby Milner got the win out of the bullpen, and Trevor Megill got the save. Andrew Kittredge took the loss for the Cardinals out of the bullpen.<h3>Cardinals Records & Stats</h3>St. Louis is on the road today vs. the Brewers, and they have dropped seven straight games, and all of these losses have come vs. NL Central teams. Overall, the Cardinals are 15-24, putting them 5th in the NL Central, nine games behind the Brewers. The Cardinals are just 6-10 as the road underdog this season, and they are only 5-14 in day games.

So far, the Cardinals have really struggled at home, going 6-11. They have been a bit better on the road, coming in with a mark of 9-13. St. Louis has dropped three straight games as the underdog, and they are 8-12 when favored this year. Looking at their overall series record, the Cardinals are 5-7 and have dropped three straight series.The Cardinals are 18-21 against the run line this season, with a -1.3 run differential. They are 10-12 vs. the run line on the road, where they are 5-0 against the run line in their last five games. As the favorite, they are just 7-13 vs. the run line, but as the underdog, they are 11-8.St. Louis has been a part of 20 games this season where the over/under line was set at 8 or higher, and the over has hit in 13 of those games. The Cardinals have gone over the total in four straight games, and their games have averaged 8.1 runs per game this season. Today's over/under line is set at 8 runs, which is right in line with the average line for Cardinals games this season.Right-hander Miles Mikolas gets the start for the Cardinals today as he faces the Brewers on the road. This year, he has made eight starts and has a record of 2-5 with a 6.43 ERA. Looking at his overall numbers, Mikolas has a WHIP of 1.48 and opponents are batting .318 off him this year. In his three quality starts, Mikolas has a record of 1-2. His ERA at home is 8.61 compared to 6.14 on the road. The last time he pitched, he gave up six earned runs in four innings of work.St. Louis comes into the game with the league's worst home run total and are also near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. This includes being 29th in runs per game (3.4) and 17th in batting average (.218). So far, they have been a very streaky offense, as they have scored 10+ runs in four games but have also been held to one run or fewer in four games. Nolan Arenado has been a bright spot for the team, as he is batting .270 for the season and has a team-high 20 RBIs.

Willson Contreras has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 6/14 in his last five games. This has helped him move into the team lead in home runs, with six, which is 7th best in the league. However, he will be looking to improve on his on-base percentage of .398. Nolan Arenado has also been swinging the bat well, going 8/30 in his last eight games.<h3>Brewers Records & Stats</h3>With an overall record of 24-15, the Brewers hold a 1.5-game lead over the Cubs for the NL Central lead. The Brewers have taken the first three games of this series vs. the Cardinals. So far, they have gone 11-5 against other teams in the NL Central.

At home, the Brewers are 10-7 this year and have gone 14-8 on the road. Milwaukee has won three straight games overall, and they have won five straight at home. As the favorite, the Brewers are 11-6 this year and 13-9 as the underdog. So far, they have gone 6-4 in series and have dropped two straight series.The Brewers have been a solid team against the run line this season, going 21-18 overall. They've been especially good on the road, going 14-8, while they've struggled to cover at home, going just 7-10. They've been a good bet as an underdog, going 15-7, while they've struggled as the favorite, going just 6-11. They've been on a run line win streak of five games at home and two games overall.With an average combined run total of 9.3 runs per game, the Brewers have seen the over hit in 24 of their 39 games this season. The over/under line for today's game is set at 8 runs, and in games where the line has been set at 8 runs, the over has gone 0-3. Their last five games have all gone over the total, and the over has hit in 61.5% of their games this season.Through four starts, Bryse Wilson has a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.40 for the Brewers. He has made 10 appearances this season and has a WHIP of .93. Wilson has turned in two quality starts this year and is averaging 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time he took the mound, Wilson didn't allow a run. He went six innings vs. the Royals, giving up just one hit and three walks. Wilson finished with a no-decision in that outing. Before that, he had allowed at least one homer in three straight starts.William Contreras is currently on a five-game hitting streak and has gone 8/18 in his last five games. For the season, he is batting .342 with a team-high 30 RBIs. Willy Adames and Rhys Hoskins are also near the top of the Brewers' leaderboards in home runs, with Adames having seven and Hoskins nine. Adames is batting .265, while Hoskins is at just .233.

As a team, the Brewers are 4th in scoring at 5.1 runs per game and have been one of the league's best home run-hitting clubs. Overall, they are batting .255, which is also 4th in the league. In terms of on-base percentage, they are 3rd in the league, and their team OPS of .756 is also 3rd in the MLB.

St. Louis Cardinals vs Milwaukee Brewers Betting Pick & Prediction 5/12/24

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Hawks and Scarlet Knights. The game is starting at 6:30 ET on BTN, and it's hosted by the Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, NJ. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under for this game is set at 145.5 points, and Rutgers is favored by -20 against Monmouth in a non-conference matchup.<h3>MONMOUTH HAWKS VS RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Monmouth Hawks +20This game will be played at Jersey Mike's Arena at 6:30 ET on Friday, November 15th.<h3>WHY BET THE MONMOUTH HAWKS:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 77-70 in favor of the Scarlet Knights.</li><li>Even though we have Rutgers winning straight-up, we like Monmouth at +20.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 145.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 147 points.</li></ul><h3>Is a Road Win Possible for the Hawks?</h3><h3>Monmouth Hawks Recent Game/Games</h3>

Monmouth dropped a 79-66 decision to Northern Illinois on Tuesday, November 12th. The Hawks, who were -2.5 favorites going into the game, not only lost but also failed to cover the spread. The total points for the game came in just under the O/U line of 148.5, with a combined 145 points. 

After trailing 42-34 at halftime, Monmouth couldn’t close the gap in the 2nd half, scoring 32 points while allowing 37. The Hawks will need to regroup as they look to bounce back from this road loss.Monmouth's offense struggled in their last game, shooting just 31.1% from the field and 25% from three-point range. They managed only 6 assists, but grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and went 24/36 from the free-throw line. Abdi Bashir Jr. led the way with 25 points, despite shooting 42.9% overall and 25% from deep. Quentin Jones added 22 points, hitting 50% of his shots and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc.Monmouth's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 79 points while allowing their opponent to shoot 47% from the field. The Hawks allowed 14 two-point field goals on 28 attempts, a 50% shooting rate. From beyond the arc, Monmouth's opponent hit 9 of 20 threes, shooting 45%. The Hawks also sent them to the free-throw line 35 times, where they converted 24 free throws (68%). Monmouth gave up 8 offensive rebounds in the game.<h3>Can Rutgers Live Up to the Hype at Home?</h3>Rutgers picked up a 75-65 win over Saint Peter's on Monday, November 11th. Playing at home, the Scarlet Knights were -16.5 favorites but didn’t cover the spread. The total points for the game were 140, exceeding the O/U line of 133. After trailing 42-37 at halftime, Rutgers clamped down defensively, allowing just 23 points in the 2nd half while scoring 38 to secure the win.Rutgers put up 75 points in their last game, shooting 48.2% from the field. They were strong inside, hitting 60% of their two-point attempts, but struggled from beyond the arc, going just 3 of 16 for 18.8%. Dylan Harper led the way with 24 points, despite shooting 1 of 6 from three. Marcus Randolph added 22 points, connecting on 4 of 8 from deep, while Lathan Sommerville contributed 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting.Despite giving up 65 points, Rutgers struggled to contain their opponent inside, allowing them to shoot 60% on two-pointers with a 24/40 performance. However, the Scarlet Knights did a good job defending the perimeter, holding their opponent to just 18% shooting from three-point range, with only 3 made threes out of 16 attempts. Rutgers sent their opponent to the free-throw line 25 times, where they converted 18 of those attempts for 72%. The Scarlet Knights also gave up 9 offensive rebounds in the game.

Monmouth Hawks vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA Basketball Betting Pick & Prediction 11/15/24

Don't miss out on the NCAA showdown between the Blue Hose and Highlanders. The game is starting at 4:30 ET on ESPN+, and it's hosted by the Highlanders at Donald N. Dedmon Center in Radford, VA. Get ready to place your bets! The over/under line for this matchup is currently at 138.5 points, and Radford is favored by -7.5 to win at home against Presbyterian.<h3>PRESBYTERIAN BLUE HOSE VS RADFORD HIGHLANDERS BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Presbyterian Blue Hose +7.5This game will be played at Donald N. Dedmon Center at 4:30 ET on Saturday, January 27th.<h3>WHY BET THE PRESBYTERIAN BLUE HOSE:</h3><ul><li>We have this one finishing with a projected score of 75-69 in favor of the Highlanders.</li><li>Even though we have Radford winning straight-up, we like Presbyterian at +7.5.</li><li>The over/under is currently sitting at 138.5 points, and we like the over with a projected 144 points.</li></ul><h3>Will the Blue Hose Come Through as Road Underdogs?</h3>Presbyterian enters this game with a record of 9-12, including a five-game losing streak. In Big South play, they are just 1-5, and on the road, they are 4-5.

So far this season, the Blue Hose have been the underdog in 12 of their 21 games. In those games, they have gone 2-10.Presbyterian has been solid against the spread this season, going 9-9. On the road, the Blue Hose have an ATS mark of 6-3. Over their last 10 games as the underdog, Presbyterian has a record of 4-6 vs. the spread.This season, the over/under record for Presbyterian games is 11-7. So far, 12 of their games have finished with more points than today's line of 138.5. In their last three games, the average scoring total is 151 points.Coming off their recent game, the Presbyterian offense tallied 70 points in a matchup against Longwood. Their field goal percentage for the game was 48.1%, and they made 7 threes. Samage Teel led the scoring for the Blue Hose, contributing 23 points. Additionally, Marquis Barnett chipped in with 13 points.The Blue Hose's defense is presently ranked 205th nationally, allowing an average of 73.9 points per contest. Presbyterian's three-point defense is currently 64th in the country at 6.1 made threes per game. In terms of overall field goal percentage, opponets have hit 41.6% of their shots vs. Presbyterian.<h3>Will the Highlanders Pull Through as the Favored Home Team?</h3>Radford enters this game with a 12-9 record and a 2-4 mark in Big South play. The Highlanders are 6-2 at home this season, and they have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games on their home floor.

Radford is favored by 7.5 points in this game, and they have gone 7-2 as the favorite this season. They will look to bounce back from an 81-69 loss to UNC Asheville.Radford has an ATS record of 11-7-1 this season, going 3-4-1 at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Highlanders have gone 4-5-1 vs. the spread.Radford's over/under record this season is 12-6-1 and the average scoring total in their games is 143.6. So far, 11 of their games have finished with more points than today's line of 138.5. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 139 points.In their previous game, the Highlanders' offense finished with 69 points, which is right in line with their current average of 73 points per contest. The top scorer for the Highlanders was DaQuan Smith with 15 points, while Kenyon Giles also chipped in with 14 points.At present, the Highlanders' defense is nationally ranked 119th, allowing 70.5 points per game. The Radford defense is coming off a game in which they gave up a total of 81 points and allowed UNC Asheville to connect on 7 threes.

Presbyterian Blue Hose vs Radford Highlanders Betting Pick & Prediction 1/27/24

There are four different names for the UFC event on August 29. Whether you call it UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakic, UFC Fight Night 175, UFC on ESPN+ 33, or UFC Vegas 8, the UFC APEX will once again be the site for this week’s 11 bouts in the Octagon.

Top to bottom, this looks like a pretty solid fight card, which you can enjoy on ESPN+. We’ll take a look with odds from <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline">BetOnline Sportsbook</a>, which has numbers listed for 10 of the 11 fights as of Tuesday. We’re getting this preview out a bit earlier this week, so things are subject to change with weigh-ins, withdrawals, and, of course, the potential for COVID, like we saw last week with OSP vs. Menifield.

Sean Brady starts us off as a -380 favorite for his fight against Christian Aguilera in the welterweight division. Brady is looking to improve his record to 13-0 after two unanimous decision wins to open his UFC career. He isn’t a big striker, but he is a terrific wrestler with seven wins by decision and five by stoppage. Aguilera won over Anthony Ivy just 59 seconds into the start of his UFC career. Aguilera had a long stint in LFA and has 11 career knockouts, but the cardio will be a big question taking on a decision machine in Brady.

Polyana Viana and Emily Whitmire were supposed to fight at UFC 248, but Whitmire had medical issues with the weight cut and wound up being hospitalized the day of weigh-ins. Now the two will fight at flyweight, which is the division Whitmire was in when she joined UFC. Whitmire, who is only 4-3 in her career, is the -121 favorite here with +101 on the underdog Viana. Early line movement shifted the favorite here, as Viana lost in 69 seconds to Veronica Macedo in her first flyweight fight in over four years. Viana has lost three in a row and has mostly fought at strawweight, which could be why the market is against her.

Alex Cacares and Giga Chikadze were supposed to fight last week and will instead fight this week. Chikadze is the -235 favorite here, with +200 on Cacares. Cacares topped Chase Hooper at UFC 250 back in June. Chikadze was also victorious during the pandemic with a win over Jimmie Rivera in May. He also beat highly touted LFA fighter Jamall Emmers in March at UFC 248. Chikadze should win this one as well. Cacares is just 11-10 in his UFC career.

Alessio Di Chirico is -119 against Zak Cummings in another fight that has seen early line movement. Cummings was originally the favorite, but this line has now shifted and he is -101 in the bout. Di Chirico lost two in a row to end 2019 and hasn’t felt the feeling of winning in over two years. Cummings last fought at UFC 242 and lost to Omari Ahkmedov. While you have to respect the early movement, the ground game for Cummings is pretty solid and Di Chirico only has one knockout win since joining UFC seven fights ago. I disagree with the early move here.

In the second women’s fight, Mallory Martin is a big -300 favorite against Hannah Cifers. We saw a massive upset in the women’s division last weekend with Shana Dobson over huge favorite Mariya Agapova. Cifers lost to Agapova by first-round sub last time out for her third straight loss and third loss of 2020. She also lost to Mackenzie Dern and Angela Hill. Martin, though, seems to be a step down. I’d give Cifers better than a +250 shot to win this fight. When you consider that +250 implies less than a 29% chance that Cifers wins, it sure seems like she could win this fight more often than that. Cifers at +250 is a nice upset gamble.

The last fight of the prelim card should be a good one between Maki Pitolo and Impa Kasanganay. Kasanganay is a two-time Dana White Contender Series fighter and his most recent win over Anthony Adams on August 11 was enough to get him on this card. Kasanganay is definitely stepping up in class here against a real UFC fighter, but is still the -130 favorite with a perfect 7-0 record. Pitolo just fought and lost to Darren Stewart in 3:41 back on August 8. He’s +110 with both fighters on a quick turnaround. Kasanganay is pretty new to MMA, but this is his eighth fight in 20 months. You have to think the quick turnaround favors him since he is more accustomed to it. At -130, he’s a good bet.
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Ion Cutelaba (+275) vs. Magomed Ankalaev (-335); Total: 1.5 (-130/100)

This is a rematch between Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev. Give Ankalaev credit for taking a rematch here despite knocking out Cutelaba in just 38 seconds in the first fight. But, the circumstances surrounding the stoppage made it only right. The referee stopped the fight far too early as both fighters were throwing shots, but Cutelaba appeared to be wildly swinging and not sure of his surroundings.

Ankalaev was named the winner, but both fighters, fighters from around the sport, and other UFC officials completely disagreed with the decision. So, they’ll settle it now after Cutelaba has recovered from COVID-19. The fight was originally set for UFC 252.

We have seen an adjustment here, as Ankalaev was more like -225 or so for the first fight. He was the more accurate striker early in the ill-fated first fight and that seems to have influenced the market. Ankalaev is 13-1 in his career and 4-1 in UFC. Cutelaba is only 4-4 in his UFC fights. This price is too high given what we just saw, even though Ankalev was going to win. But, also, given what we just saw, this fight probably ends quickly. The two came out throwing. This is probably my favorite bet on the card.

Pick: Under 1.5

Bill Algeo vs. Ricardo Lamas

This is the fight without odds at time of writing. ROC champion Bill Algeo will slot in for Ryan Hall, who withdrew last weekend from this fight. Algeo did appear on Dana White’s Contender Series in June 2019 and lost to Brendan Loughnane. He went over a year without fighting before besting Tim Dooling in his CFFC debut, but he’s probably not on the level of Ricardo Lamas, even with the 38-year-old’s recent struggles.

He’s stepping down in class here and it may preserve his UFC career a little bit because he likely would have lost to Hall.

Ji Yeon Kim (+250) vs. Alexa Grasso (-300); Total: 2.5 (-375/300)

We haven’t seen Ji Yeon Kim in a while. She beat Nadia Kassem last October at UFC 243 with just her second career knockout win. That would seem to say more about Kassem, who has not fought since. Kim is 3-2 in her UFC career, but Alexa Grasso will probably be the best opponent she has faced to date. We could make a case for Antonina Shevchenko, but her recent hiccups make it close.

Grasso has had some issues of her own. She’s lost three of her last five fights, but some believe she beat Carla Esparza last September when the two went 15 minutes to a majority decision. The 27-year-old Grasso really needs this fight. She’s trending in the wrong direction with her UFC career and she gets a fighter in Kim that has only had one impressive UFC performance.

Pick: Alexa Grasso

Robbie Lawler (+200) vs. Neil Magny (-235); Total: 2.5 (-243/193)

Robbie Lawler returns after more than 12 months away to attempt to break his three-fight losing streak. Lawler went 25 minutes with Colby Covington in an admirable performance back on August 3, 2019, but came up on the short end. He tapped out against Ben Askren at UFC 235 coming back after more than a year off.

You really have to wonder about the 38-year-old Lawler here. A legend of the sport, he’s on another long layoff and he isn’t getting any younger. He won’t have the championship rounds here and maybe three rounds will serve him better than five rounds, but he still faces long odds here against Magny.

Magny was set to face Geoff Neal, but Neal got sick at the start of August and had some touch-and-go moments. Lawler is in on short notice, which should help Magny even more. He probably doesn’t need the help against an over-the-hill fighter like Lawler, but this is a different type of fight for him. Neal would have been a scary fight for Magny. Lawler is less of one, as he isn’t the same striker anymore. Lawler has 20 career KO/TKO finishes, but hasn’t had one of those in over five years, a span of seven fights.

Pick: Neil Magny

Anthony Smith (+245) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (-285); Total: 1.5 (-155/125)

Remember when Anthony Smith went 25 minutes with Jon “Bones” Jones? He got soundly beaten up in that fight, but he didn’t get knocked out. Since then, he’s split fights against Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira. Now he’ll draw in as a big underdog against Aleksandar Rakic. Rakic lost by split decision to Volkan Oezdemir near the end of 2019.

Rakic was 1-for-9 on takedowns in that fight. He landed more significant strikes, but the appearance of failure ultimately gave Oezdemir the win. Smith, a veteran of 48 pro MMA fights, has 12 submission wins and four losses. He got Oezdemir to tap out back in October 2018.

Maybe Smith’s recent inconsistency is playing games with this line. Rakic ripped off 12 straight wins before the Oezdemir loss and some believe he actually won that fight, but this is a tough draw for him. As much as Smith may have fallen short of recent expectations, his fight IQ is extremely high. He’s only 32, so the gas tank shouldn’t be a concern if this fight goes long like his other ones have.

The chin is the question for Smith. Rakic has nine knockout wins and has a slight reach advantage. If Smith can stay away and get the fight to the ground, he can have some success. If he can’t, then it’s Rakic by KO. That may be the way to look here. Cut down on the juice with Rakic by KO. The longer the fight goes, look to live bet Smith.

Pick: Rakic by KO; live bet Smith as the fight goes deeper

UFC on ESPN+ 33: Smith vs. Rakic Betting Odds, Picks, & Predictions

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