PICKS & PARLAYS

The UFC co-main event gets underway tonight in Mexico City, with Marlon "Chito" Vera looking to snap a three-fight skid against rising contender David Martinez. He's a significant underdog at +260. Can Chito's veteran durability manufacture an upset, or does Martinez's pace take over? Jack Borovitz breaks down the Vera vs. Martinez best bet for UFC Fight Night 268.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders will visit the Iowa State Cyclones on February 28th. Can the Red Raiders beat out Big 12 rivals Iowa State and score a huge upset for their ranking? McBets is backing Iowa State to shut down upset talk in this Saturday afternoon matchup.

The Raptors and Wizards and the Pelicans and Jazz are squaring off on Saturday, with RJ Barrett and Toronto looking for a big away win. Jeremiah Fears and the Pelicans visit the Jazz seeking to cash in on the tank-a-thon. McBets is targeting both players in his two game parlay.

The Los Angeles Lakers (34-24) enter Saturday night as 3.5-point road favorites at Chase Center against the Golden State Warriors (31-28), tipping off at 8:30 PM ET with Luka Doncic and LeBron James healthy and desperate to snap a three-game losing streak against a Golden State roster missing Stephen Curry for the 11th consecutive game, Jimmy Butler for the rest of the season, Seth Curry, and likely Kristaps Porzingis, leaving the Warriors to piece it together through Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, and De'Anthony Melton in a primetime ABC showdown that doubles as a Pacific Division seeding battle with real playoff implications for both clubs.

The Toronto Raptors (34-25) roll into Capital One Arena on Saturday, February 28, looking to right the ship after back-to-back losses to San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Standing in their way: the Washington Wizards (16-42), a team operating in full tank mode and currently missing four rotation players, including Alex Sarr, Trae Young, and Cam Whitmore. With Toronto sitting fifth in the East and fighting to keep pace with Cleveland, this is exactly the kind of game the Raptors need to handle cleanly. The line opened at Raptors -13.5, and the market has held there with Washington's injury report reading more like a hospital wing than a starting five.