After a fairly quiet slate of NBA action yesterday, nine games will be tipping off tonight.
Most notably, the Los Angeles Clippers will test their impressive defense against the defending champion Boston Celtics. Another cross-conference matchup will take place in the 9:00 PM EST window, as the New York Knicks play the Denver Nuggets. Two notable matchups will also take place in the late slate: the Sacramento Kings play the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Brooklyn Nets face the Golden State Warriors.
You can check out every NBA matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook, but here are my favorite player props for November 25.
Franz Wagner Over 27.5 Points (-125)
The Orlando Magic are set to face the Charlotte Hornets tonight and continue to be without Paolo Banchero. In his absence, Franz Wagner has stepped into the franchise’s spotlight. In the first five games playing next to Banchero, Wagner averaged 17.8 points per game. In the 13 games without the former first-overall pick, Wagner has seen his scoring output grow to 25.8 points per game. He attempted just 12.8 field goal attempts per game through the first five games and has averaged 20.5 field goal attempts since. Wagner has especially come on strong in recent games scoring over 27.5 points in six of his last seven games.
So far this season, the Hornets are allowing 115.2 points per game, ranking 23rd in the NBA. These two teams have already faced off once this year. The Magic produced a 25-point victory in this game with Wagner finishing with 32 points.
Look for this trend to continue as Wagner and the Magic face off with the Hornets for a second time. The University of Michigan product has been playing at an All-Star level in recent games and the Magic need him to continue filling this role. With a poor defense in front of him and Wagner playing some of his best basketball, look for him to tally over 27.5 points for the third consecutive game and the seventh time in the past eight games.
James Harden Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-135)
The Los Angeles Clippers will be on the second night of a back-to-back and have a tough task against the Boston Celtics. Luckily, the Clippers received some extra rest as they blew out the Philadelphia 76ers 125-99 with the Sixers never showing signs of life. Harden only needed to play 27 minutes of game time in this matchup.
While the Celtics can beat you in a variety of ways, they are most dangerous beyond the three-point line. Boston is attempting 50.5 three-point attempts per game as a team which is 5.7 more than any other team in the league. Trading two points for three points is a losing battle for opponents when playing the Celtics and opponents must increase their three-point volume to keep up.
James Harden will be the top player expected to take on this responsibility. While Norman Powell has not officially been ruled out yet, he has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury and seems unlikely to play. Outside of Powell, Harden is the only player averaging over 3.6 three-point attempts per game. Harden is attempting 7.9 three-pointers per game and making an average of 2.5. Harden has gone over 2.5 made three-pointers in nine of the 18 games this year and made at least one perimeter shot in every game. Expect the former MVP to come out firing in an attempt to match the Celtics three-point output and for Harden to knock down at least three three-pointers tonight.
Jalen Brunson Over 26.5 Points (-110)
The New York Knicks will be looking to bounce back after being beaten 121-106 by the Utah Jazz the last time they were on the floor. They will have a tough task facing off against the Denver Nuggets tonight.
How Karl-Anthony Towns can stand up against Nikola Jokic will play a major role in deciding the outcome of the game. Towns has grown into the leading scorer on the Knicks but will be asked to contribute more on the defensive end than is typically the case. He has had his ups and downs defensively, and foul issues have popped up for Towns throughout his career. This will especially be put to the test against the three-time MVP who is averaging a career-high 30.3 points per game.
With this in mind, look for Jalen Brunson to take the leading scorer role tonight. Brunson is averaging 25. 1 points per game on the season but has gone over 26.5 points five times already this year. He also reached this number in 41 of the 77 games he played last season. As great as Towns is, the Knicks still go as Brunson goes. Expect this to be a focused effort from New York as they look to bounce back from a disappointing loss. Brunson has not played his best basketball yet this season and a 27+ point output is well within his range. Look for him to begin to get on track and eclipse 26.5 points tonight in a game that will require an all-hand-on-deck effort.
Domantas Sabonis Over 13.5 Rebounds (+110)
In the late slate tonight, the Sacramento Kings will face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder remain tied for the top seed in the Western Conference but continue to be without Chet Holmgren. There have already been concerns about Holmgren serving as the primary center due to his slim frame and the big man issues have only been magnified in his absence. The Thunder have been forced to play more small-ball lineups and rank 23rd in rebounding as a team. While Isaiah Hartenstein has made his return and tallied 14 rebounds in his 29 minutes last game, it is still going to be a work in progress to fully fit him into this Thunder team.
Expect Domantas Sabonis to take advantage of the opportunity and shine rebounding the basketball. Sabonis ranks second in the NBA in rebounding this season and enters this game averaging 13.1 rebounds per game. He has gone over 13.5 rebounds in five of the 15 games he has played this season and there is an argument this may be the worst rebounding opponent he has faced. Sabonis also is coming off back-to-back rebounding outputs of 15 and 18 over the past two games.
Expect Jalen Williams’ 6-foot-6 frame to be tasked with matching up with Sabonis for at least a portion of this game. While there is plenty of fight in Williams, Sabonis’ 6-foot-10 frame will stand out. Hartenstein will surely see his opportunity, but Sabonis is still a more talented rebounder even if this is a more fair size matchup. The Kings’ big man is one of the most talented rebounders in the sport and has an opportunity to prove this tonight. Look for him to take advantage of the smaller Thunder frontcourt and eclipse 13.5 rebounds for the third consecutive game and sixth time this season.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
