National Lacrosse League Betting Picks: NLL Week 15 Best Bets for Saturday

Week 15 in the National Lacrosse League continues on Saturday and we’re looking to continue some early success this weekend. We went 3-0 in our Friday best bets, bringing our NLL best bets record to 48-37 for +9.62 units. Let’s dive into the two games I’m betting on Saturday.

If you’re an avid bettor who’s new to lacrosse or a lacrosse fan who’s new to betting, check outmy guide on how to bet on lacrosse for some tips to use when placing a lacrosse bet.

Rochester Knighthawks vs. Albany FireWolves

Odds via ESPNBet

Albany secured a win on Friday night, but it has a quick turnaround. The FireWolves travel to Rochester to take on the Knighthawks and while the sportsbooks are starting to factor in rest disadvantages when setting spreads, I think there is still value in betting this total of 23.5.

The short rest should hurt the Albany defense more than their offense. While Doug Jamieson is still likely to start, there is a possibility Coach Glenn Clark chooses to sit his starter the day after Albany secured a franchise-best 10th win with a playoff berth all but ensured at this point. Jamieson saw 49 shots on goal on Friday night, so even if he does play on Saturday, I expect Rochester to put pressure on a tired Albany defense. Furthermore, Rochester takes the highest amount of shots on goal per game at 58.8 and has the second-highest experimental offensive efficiency score according to LaxMetrics. 

While the FireWolves rank middle of the pack in opposing shooting percentage allowed, Rochester’s defense has been the second-worst, allowing goals on 20.8% of opposing shots. Furthermore, the Knighthawks have a league-worst 13.9 goals against average and eight of Rochester’s games 10 games have finished with totals over 23.5.

Bet this game to also safely go over 23.5 at -130 on ESPN Bet or bet365.

Pick: Over 23.5 

San Diego Seals vs. Halifax Thunderbirds

Odds via FanDuel

San Diego hosts the Halifax Thunderbirds on Saturday night in a game that will play a big part in playoff seeding. The Seals are 1.5-point favorites, yet I think they’ll be able to have a multi-goal win over Halifax this weekend.

San Diego looked great in their one-goal loss to Toronto, despite missing Curtis Dickson. Dickson didn’t appear on this game’s injury report and should be good to go on Saturday night. San Diego’s offense is third in experimental offensive efficiency and has one of the deepest offensive lineups in the NLL. While the Thunderbirds also feature a lot of weapons on offense, they’ve been far less efficient and rank fourth-worst in experimental offensive efficiency.

While the Seals have some injuries on defense, the unit has played just fine in front of goaltender of the year candidate Chris Origlieri, allowing the second-fewest goals per contested shot (defensive shooting percentage) according to LaxMetrics. Meanwhile, Halifax’s defense ranks in the bottom-five of that same metric and Warren Hill has been inconsistent in net so far this season.

Trust San Diego to win by margin as a short favorite at home on Saturday night and bet Seals -1.5 at -104 on FanDuel.

Pick: San Diego Seals -1.5