Best Bets for Today - Top Plays Across College Basketball, NHL and NBA for Monday December 15 2025
Monday’s slate is a proper mixed bag: a spicy Sunshine State rivalry on the ice with key names missing, a college hoops mismatch where the only real question is how ugly it gets, and an NBA game in Salt Lake where Utah’s offense can run hot — but their defence has been a revolving door. After going through the numbers you sent over, these are the three plays that stand out most for Monday 12/15/25. To catch even more of our best bets make sure you check out our best bets page.
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My Best Bets
- Panthers vs Lightning Under 6.5
- VCU -31.5
- Mavericks -1.5
Panthers vs Lightning
This is one of those matchups where the injury report matters as much as the standings. Florida comes in 16–13–2, Tampa 18–11–3, but both sides are missing pieces that normally drive pace and finishing.
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tony Karpinski | +2,389.00 |
| 2 |  Joe Duffy | +1,960.00 |
| 3 |  The Insiders Room | +1,788.00 |
| 4 |  Terry Edelmann | +1,748.00 |
| 5 |  Mike Fink | +1,583.00 |
Florida is without Matthew Tkachuk (IR-NR), and that’s a massive loss in terms of shot volume, net-front chaos, and power-play bite. Tampa’s blue line is also banged up (Hedman IR, Cernak IR-LT) and the biggest note is Vasilevskiy listed IR (Dec 15) — which likely means more Jonas Johansson (2.59 GAA, .904 SV%) and a Tampa game plan built around structure and limiting chances rather than turning it into track meet hockey.
Even with that, Tampa’s defensive profile is still strong: 2.56 GAA as a team and an 85.4% penalty kill. Florida’s goaltending numbers have been shakier (Bobrovsky .886 SV%), and that’s exactly why I like the total here instead of picking a side — these rivalry games often tighten up, and both clubs have reasons to play more controlled.
With key offensive/transition pieces missing and Tampa’s default identity leaning “defence first,” I’m taking Under 6.5. Check out the full Panthers vs Lightning pick.
Niagara vs VCU
This is about as lopsided as a lined game gets. Niagara is 2–8, riding a seven-game losing streak, and scoring just 61.4 PPG while shooting 41%. VCU is 6–4, but the bigger point is their profile is built to bury teams like this: 83.7 PPG, a major rebounding edge (39.0 vs 26.7), and a clear athletic/physical advantage at home.
Niagara’s path to hanging around would require slowing the pace, hitting shots they haven’t been hitting, and keeping VCU off the line — but VCU’s pressure and activity (8.4 steals per game) is exactly the sort of thing that turns a “normal blowout” into a 30+ kind of night.
It’s a massive number, but the matchup screams mismatch from the opening tip. I’m laying it with VCU -31.5. Check out the full Niagara vs VCU pick.
Mavericks vs Jazz
Utah can absolutely score — Markkanen at 27.6 PPG is a problem every night — but the Jazz are also giving away points like it’s charity: 125.8 opponent PPG on the season. That’s the story of this matchup. Dallas doesn’t need to be perfect offensively; they just need to be normal and they should get enough stops to win.
Dallas comes in 10–16, but they’ve been playing better lately (W2, 6–4 last 10), and they’ve got multiple ways to create offence even without Kyrie (out long term). Cooper Flagg has been productive (17.5 PPG), and if Dallas gets any help from the GTD bigs (Gafford / Anthony Davis), it’s a big boost against a Utah frontcourt already missing Nurkić and Niang.
Utah’s home record is decent, but if you’re asking me to pick which team I trust late, it’s the one that doesn’t have to win a shootout every night.
Give me Mavericks -1.5. Check out the full Mavericks vs Jazz pick.
My Best Bets for Monday 12/15/25 are in, and it’s a clean three-pack across NHL, college hoops, and the NBA. If you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of these plays, you’ll want to take advantage of the bet365 bonus code so you’re maximizing each position you play.
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