Bucks anchor this hockey-hoops parlay for Thursday night

Thursday night doesn’t exactly feature a full slate of NHL and NBA games to pick from, but we’ve got two we love in a parlay. And best of all, when you combine both legs, you get greater than even odds. Not bad, right?

The Sharks are the best team in all of hockey against the over and the Panthers are fourth best, so adjust the over/under via the alternate line, and take the over of 5.5 goals here. The final score has been six or higher in each of Florida’s last eight games and 12 of its last 13 while the final score has been seven or higher in each of San Jose’s last three games and six or higher in 18 of its last 20.

Both teams average more than three goals a night and both rank in the bottom 10 of the league in goals allowed. These two teams met back in November, and yes, we know that was a while ago, but the final score added up to seven, and we expect the final score to be around the same on Thursday night. Heck, the over of six goals might hit midway through the third period.

As for the final leg of our parlay, take the Bucks by three via the alternate spread line against the struggling Lakers. We know LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record on Tuesday night, but don’t forget the Lakers also lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder and are now five games below .500.

Meanwhile Milwaukee has won eight straight games and is just 1.5 games back of Boston for first in the East. And the Bucks have Khris Middleton back. Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo are one of the best duos in all the NBA, but they’ve had a hard time staying healthy. They’re both healthy right now, and all we can say to opposing teams is good luck.

Los Angeles might come out with an extra pep in their step after acquiring point guard DeAngelo Russell in a three-team trade on Wednesday, but that doesn’t scare us enough to avoid taking Milwaukee by three in this one. Seventeen of the Bucks’ last 18 wins have been by three or more, and we don’t see that trend changing on Thursday night against a Lakers squad that has allowed the third-most points in the league.

The Parlay: Milwaukee Bucks (-2.5) AND San Jose Sharks/Florida Panthers (over 5.5 goals) (+126 odds via BetMGM)

Bet $100 to win $126