December has arrived and we are shifting closer and closer to the NBA stepping into center stage of the sports world. While plenty of eyes will be distracted by Week 13 of the NFL season and the fallout of a wild day of College Football, there is a full 10-game slate of NBA games between some of the league’s best.
The opening two games will be tipping off between the Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets as well as the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies at 3:30 PM EST. Perhaps the most intriguing game tonight will be a rematch between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference as the 17-3 Cleveland Cavaliers play the 16-3 Boston Celtics.
The top two teams in the Western Conference are also squaring off as the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Houston to face the Rockets for the second time this season. The Lakers will also play the Jazz, the Mavericks will face the Trail Blazers, and the final game tonight will take place in Los Angeles between the Clippers and Nuggets.
You can check out each matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook, but here are my favorite player props for December 1st.
Donovan Mitchell Over 25.5 Points (-120)
The Cleveland Cavaliers started the season 15-0 which is the second-longest undefeated streak in NBA history, trailing only the 2015-16 Warriors who were 24-0 to start the season. It was the Boston Celtics who handed Cleveland their first loss of the season on November 19th. The two teams will now face off for the second time this year and sit as the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
While everyone on the Cavaliers roster deserves some praise, Donovan Mitchell is at the heart of everything they do. The five-time All-Star is averaging 24.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game on the season. He has gone over 25.5 points eight times already this year. While eight out of 19 games is not overly impressive, Mitchell has seen his minutes limited in several games due to it being a blowout. In the first matchup with the Celtics, Mitchell finished with 35 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
This will be a matchup in which both teams will be ready to bring their best shot. For the Cavaliers, this will mean a heavy dose of Donovan Mitchell. The star guard attempted 29 shots against the Celtics in the first matchup which is the most he has attempted all season and well above his average of 19.2 field goal attempts per game. Mitchell is at his best when the lights are the brightest and this a game where he will be ready for the challenge. Expect a strong scoring output as he looks to go toe-to-toe with the NBA’s best and for Mitchell to record over 25.5 points tonight.
Jakob Poeltl Over 10.5 Rebounds (-135)
The Toronto Raptors will face off with the Miami Heat tonight and quietly have been one of the more fun teams to watch across the league this year. While this has not translated into many wins, Toronto is heading in the right direction and has more legitimate NBA talent than is often the case for rebuilding teams. Jakob Poeltl fits this category and has quietly had a really good season thus far, averaging 15.9 points and 11.9 rebounds across his career-high 32.4 minutes of play. Poeltl is tied for fifth in the NBA in most rebounds per game.
Miami is not an overly impressive rebounding team. They rank 13th in rebounds as a team and also are 20th in opponents’ rebounds per game. Bam Adebayo is the only player on the Heat roster averaging over 5.6 rebounds per game. This will be the second consecutive matchup between these two teams this season. They faced off on Friday which resulted in a 121-111 victory by the Heat. Poeltl was limited to just 10 rebounds but made use of his size by scoring 24 points in the game.
Heading into today’s matchup, expect a stronger rebounding output for the Raptors big man. Poeltl has not been held to fewer than eight rebounds in a game this season and has gone over 10.5 rebounds in 11 of the 20 games played this year. Count on a better rebounding performance today and for Poeltl to get back on track by recording over 10.5 rebounds against Miami.
LeBron James Under 23.5 Points (-105)
The bar of expectations for LeBron James is incredibly high. At 39 years old, the 20-time All-Star is averaging 22.3 points, 9.1 assists, and 8.2 rebounds per game. He has been vital to Los Angeles’ 11-8 start to the season and still has flashes where he can carry the team. However, the age concerns are looking more legitimate than ever before. While this may be nothing more than an effort to preserve his body for the season, James has taken his foot off the gas in recent games.
James has been held to under 23.5 points in 12 of the 19 games this season. This includes each of the past four games. The last time he was on the floor, the Lakers were facing off with the Oklahoma City Thunder and James was limited to just 12 points in 33 minutes of play. This marks his lowest-scoring output of the season.
While the Jazz are not as impactful of a defense as the Thunder, James has not been in attack mode nearly as much this year. He did record 26 points against Utah earlier this year, but he has played far more passively of late. Expect this to be a matchup in which James impacts the game in a variety of ways, but does not operate with a score-first mindset. his scoring prop is a high bar for any player and one that is a bit too lofty for James at this stage of his career. Expect him to stay under 23.5 points for the fifth consecutive game and capitalize on the -105 odds.
Russell Westbrook Over 20.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-110)
There was a wide range of opinions when the Denver Nuggets elected to sign Russell Westbrook this offseason. Despite some concern, the former MVP has found his role on this Denver team and is contributing at a high level. So far this season he is averaging 12.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game. He has gone over 20.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists seven times this season including four of the past five games.
The Nuggets are set to face off with the Clippers tonight. Los Angeles has found its identity as a defensive-minded team and ranks fourth in opponents’ points per game this season. Denver is more limited for offensive creators than in past years and Westbrook has continued to grow in his level of importance to the team.
This will be the first matchup between this pair of Western Conference teams this season. With some added motivation after never fully finding his stride with the Clippers last year, expect Westbrook to be in attack mode. He is playing high-level basketball of late and fills a need for this Nuggets team. Look for his opportunity in the offense to continue to expand and for a strong statistical output from the two-time scoring and three-time assist champ today. Count on him to eclipse 20.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists for the fifth time in six games as he gets some revenge against his former team tonight.
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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.
