Sports Handicapper William Burns's Picks & Predictions

(#564) Boston Celtics | ATS | . 

Orlando played yesterday in Florida and now heads up north to the cold in Boston on Sunday. That's going to be a very tiring weekend for a Magic team that's still without their best player in Paolo Banchero right now. I do believe that the Magic have the ability to accomplish great things this year when fully healthy. However, this is not a good spot whatsoever. 

Boston needs this game badly for confidence. It has not been a pretty season for the Celtics who seem to be having a hard time coping without Tatum. Derrick White needs to step up and he's more than capable of doing so. The oddsmakers have the C's as the home fav. this evening and I agree. Give me a coaching masterclass by Joe Mazulla and a Boston double digit win. 

Burns' Prediction: 119-104 Celtics.

(#681) Akron Zips | ATS | . 

Through five games, I've really liked what I have seen by this Akron team so far. The four wins have all been by 14+ points and I believe that another one is coming on Sunday evening. The road test against Purdue should really help the Zips in the near future, especially in this tournament against opponents that have not battled against a team like that so far. 

Evansville comes into this game having just knocked off Oregon State on the road. Now, yes that seems like a big win but it was a single digit dog in that game. The Purple Aces have also played Purdue, but got annihilated in the first game of the season. I believe that this team is significantly worse and the change of speeds. 

Talking about the change in speeds, Akron is going to want to push, push & push and that's not going to suit Evansville's style of play whatsoever. The speed will be too much for the Purple Aces to handle and that will ultimately lead to what should be a beatdown. 

Burns' Prediction: 92-65 Akron.

(#1) Carolina Hurricanes | ML | . 

Despite being on the road this weekend, Carolina should be feeling extra great about itself off the big win over Winnipeg on Friday evening. That's now 8-3-1 on the road this season and the Canes now hold first place in the Metropolitan Division. Carolina is spraying the opposing teams goal at the moment, averaging the most shots on goal per game and second amount of goals. 

Buffalo, on the other hand, is dead last in the Atlantic right now. Even though that might be the most competitive division at the moment, the Sabres currently have the 4th least amount of points in the NHL right now. The Sabres will most definitely not put up nine goals like they did in their last game against Chicago. I love the Canes, even at this heavily juiced price. 

Burns' Prediction: 4-1 Hurricanes.

(#201210) Lazio | 3-WAY ML | . 

Lecce is struggling in front of goal at the moment. Over its past three contests in the Serie A, it's scored just a single goal. Don't get me wrong, Lecce is 1-1-1 over those three games. But, that's most definitely not sustainable against the better teams in the league, especially on the road. 

Looking at today's opponent, Lazio has also dealt with some problems in front of goal recently. However, being at home should help tremendously in this one. Over its past three home games, Lazio has scored six goals with two wins and a draw. Give me the home side on Sunday. 

Burns' Prediction: 2-0 Lazio.

(#259) Atlanta Falcons @ (#260) New Orleans Saints | UNDER | . 

Although I believe that the Falcons could finally wake up in this game after scoring 27 in the loss last week, this should be a defensive war on Sunday afternoon. Atlanta's offense has been extremely underwhelming this season, averaging less than 20 PPG this season to this point. It's pretty much over considering that the Panthers & Bucs are playing great football this year. 

New Orleans, on the other hand, has been stepping up its defense as of late. Having just allowed seven points in their last game against the Panthers, the Saints should be well prepared coming off last week's bye. New Orleans is averaging only 15.5 PPG itself. I've got the "under" on Sunday afternoon in this divisional contest. 

Burns' Prediction: 20-10 Falcons.

(#246) Detroit Lions | ATS | . 

New York will be without Jaxson Dart again this weekend and the line is starting to get even bigger. The Giants did play well under Jameis Winston for a while in their last game but ended up on the losing end. Now, they are on the road and this is going to be a very tough test against one of the best teams in the NFL. 

The Lions are definitely in need of a game like this. They are 6-4 this season, which isn't anything special. However, they still are averaging the 4th most PPG in the NFL (29.2) this season and I expect them to absolutely explode this weekend. Detroit's defensive numbers have been fantastic as well. Lay the points and expect an easy double digit win. 

Burns' Prediction: 38-16 Lions.

(#255) Jacksonville Jaguars @ (#256) Arizona Cardinals | OVER | . 

Jacksonville is coming off a very impressive performance against the Chargers last weekend, putting up 35 points en route to a commanding win. The Jaguars are now averaging 31.3 PPG over their three games played in the month of November. That being said, this offense has found its groove and I expect more of the same against a struggling defense. 

Last weekend, Arizona failed again to get back in the win column. However, even though the Cardinals have been losing, they still have been respectable offensively scoring 20+ points in all five home games this season. Arizona should have some hope to get going considering that the Jags have allowed 71 points in those three games this month even despite just allowing six last week. 

In the end, both offenses should be able to score in this matchup. Both teams will be expecting a good result out of this game and both teams are more than capable of scoring some points. This is my #1 NFL. TOTAL OF THE YEAR in 2025-26. Hammer the "over." 

Burns' Prediction: 34-26 Jags.