National Lacrosse League Betting Picks and Predictions: NLL Week 21 Friday and Early Saturday Best Bets

The 2024-25 National Lacrosse League regular season comes to an end this weekend. We went 3-0 last week, bringing our overall record to 57-47 for +8.465 units. Let’s finish the regular season strong with some picks for Friday and early bets for Saturday.

Note: The odds presented below are those at the time when Hutton sends his picks out to DubClub subscribers and are subject to change. Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis. Picks are sent out at least 20 minutes in advance of articles published on Bet On Lacrosse.

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Halifax Thunderbirds at Toronto Rock

Halifax Moneyline/Spread	-245 / -2.5
Toronto Moneyline/Spread	+194 / +2.5
Total	22.5
Time	Friday · 7 p.m. ET
TV	ESPN+/TSN

^{Odds via FanDuel}

The Halifax Thunderbirds travel to Toronto to close out the season. The Rock have nothing to play for but pride, having been eliminated last week. The Thunderbirds are playing for a home playoff game and could potentially slide to the sixth seed with a loss. I think Halifax wins and will likely cover, but I’m not laying the points with a T-Birds team that is still dealing with a goalie dilemma and lost to this Toronto team (albeit with a slightly stronger roster), 15-12 a month ago. Instead, I’m betting this game to go over the total, which is as low as 22.5 at a couple of sportsbooks.

Halifax has the third-least efficient defense and whether Warren Hill or Drew Hutchison has started hasn’t seemed to matter. Hill’s -6.9 goals saved above average and Hutchison’s -5.37 goals saved above average are fifth-worst among current starters. Regardless of who gets the start, Toronto should be able to do their part in pushing this total over.

Ranking fourth-worst among starters with -7.07 goals saved aboove average is Toronto’s current starting goalie Troy Holowchuk. Toronto traded some key defensive pieces at the deadline and three of their five games since then have gone over 22.5. They’ll also face a Halifax offense that ranks second in goals per game, fifth in offensive efficiency and has made a living scoring in transition—an area Toronto has struggled to defend.

Games featuring Halifx are averaging 25.12 goals per game and 12 of their 17 games have gone over 22.5, including their last meeting with Toronto. Trust both offenses to find success and bet Over 22.5 at -115 on FanDuel or -118 on BetRivers.

Pick: Over 22.5

Buffalo Bandits at Georgia Swarm

Buffalo Moneyline/Spread	-165 / -1.5
Georgia Moneyline/Spread	+135 / +1.5
Total	23.5
Time	Saturday · 7:30 p.m. ET
TV	ESPN+/TSN+

^{Odds via Caesars}

The Buffalo Bandits travel to Georgia to face the Swarm having already locked up the top seed in the playoffs. I don’t expect them to just hand Swarm the win they need (especially since doing so could lead to a rematch in the playoffs next week), but I wouldn’t be surprised if they manage the workload of some of their veterans on defense.

Georgia needs a win to give them the highest probability of securing a playoff spot and I expect a strong showing from their offense, which has been averaging 13 goals per game in their last four games. Despite the Swarm’s success on offense, they’ve given up even more on defense, allowing an average of 14.5 goals per game during that stretch. Brett Dobson has struggled recently and he’ll have his work cut out for him against a Buffalo offense that ranks first in offensive efficiency (13.655 goals per 85 possessions) and goals per game (13.6 per game).

This season, 23 of the 34 games featuring the Bandits or Swarm have gone over 23.5, and there’s a great chance this game does as well. Bet this game to go Over 23.5 at -115 on Caesars.

Pick: Over 23.5

Philadelphia Wings at Vancouver Warriors

Philadelphia Moneyline/Spread	+130 / +1.5
Vancouver Moneyline/Spread	-160 / -1.5
Total	22.5
Time	Saturday · 8 p.m. ET
TV	ESPN+/TSN+

^{Odds via Caesars}

Vancouver hosts the Philadelphia Wings in the final game of the regular season. While the Wings aren’t mathematically eliminated just yet, they need a win and a lot more to happen to sneak into the playoffs—a tall task against one of the hottest teams in the NLL and my second-ranked team in this week’s power rankings.

The Warriors boast the most efficient defense and are the only team allowing an average of less than 10 goals per game. The offense has stepped it up recently as well, averaging 12.6 goals per game during their five-game win streak. Philly broke an eight-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Georgia, but the way the Swarm have been playing lately, I don’t expect the Wings’ success to continue against Vancouver. I expect the Warriors to be able to build and maontain a lead en route to their sixth straight win.

While the Warriors are favored on most sportsbooks, bet365 and ESPN Bet accidentally have Vancouver as 1.5-point underdogs. If you have access to either sportsbook, it’s worth betting Warriors +1.5 at -130.

You even have an arbitrage opportuntity for a potentially massive payout if you also bet the Wings moneyline at +140 or better. I wouldn’t recommend betting both on the same sportsbook since you’ll risk getting severely limited in the future. But if you aren’t limited at any of the books with Warriors +1.5 and Wings moneyline at +140 or better and can get enough down on either side to make it worth it, you can set yourself up to potentially cash both if Philadelphia wins by exactly a goal.

All that said, I love Vancouver to win and cover the 1.5-point spread as a favorite and secure a home playoff game. So, for those looking to just bet one side and don’t have access to bet365 or ESPN Bet, bet Warriors -1.5 at -110 on Caesars.

I also think Warriors to win the championship at +1000 or better (currently +1100 on bet365) is a great look, considering the lowest they can finish is sixth and they have arguably looked like the best team through five weeks now. If you didn’t already bet them at +3000 a month ago when I suggested, now might be the last time to get this good of a price.

Pick: Vancouver Warriors -1.5

2024-25 NLL Season Best Bets: 57-47 for +8.465 units
All bets are to win 1 unit or more (i.e. 1.2 units at -120, 1 unit at +120) unless otherwise specified.

Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis!