While the NFL will steal the Sunday spotlight once against with the season winding down, the NBA season is starting to hit its full stride and will have a jam-packed slate of games today. The Philadelphia 76ers will face off with the Chicago Bulls at 1:00 PM EST to headline 12 total NBA games throughout the day.
Most notably, the Cavaliers will face the Heat, the Nuggets will look to bounce back against the Hawks, the Suns will face the Magic, the Timberwolves will play the Warriors, and the Rockets will take on the Clippers. Games will be tipping off throughout the afternoon and lead to a full slate of night games.
You can check out each matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook, but here are my favorite player props for December 8.
Evan Mobley Over 30.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-110)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a 21-3 start to the season and hold the best record in the NBA. Evan Mobley’s leap is one of the key driving forces of the strong start. The former third-overall pick is averaging 18.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He is coming off his best performance of the season last night against the Hornets in which he finished with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists in the victory over the Hornets.
Cleveland will be looking to build off their strong start and are facing the Miami Heat. The Heat sit at 11-10 so far this year but have been a bit of a mixed bag on a game-by-game basis. Miami ranks sixth in opponents’ points per game and 13th in total rebounds per game. Mobley will be primarily matched up with Bam Adebayo who has taken a step back this season. The three-time All-Star is averaging 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game which are each below his standard as a player and what he produced last year.
At 7 feet tall and with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Mobley will have a slight size advantage over Adebayo’s 6-foot-9 frame and 7-foot-2 wingspan. Mobley has played with an increased physicality and desire rebounding the basketball and this has also carried into his offensive attack. He is attempting a career-high 13.0 field goal attempts this season with 2.3 shots per game coming from beyond the arc. Mobley has recorded over 30.1 combined points, rebounds, and assists in eight of the past 13 games and looks to have truly turned a corner. Expect this level of output to continue today against the Heat and for Mobley to eclipse 30.5 points, rebounds, and assists.
Royce O’Neale Under 6.5 Rebounds (-148)
Amid the injuries to some of the Suns’ superstars, Royce O’Neale has provided some stability for the franchise. The veteran guard is averaging 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. While O’Neale is a good rebounder for his size, this season’s output is above his 4.9 career average and he has only recorded more than 6.0 rebounds per game in one of his eight seasons in the NBA.
Looking at this matchup, the Suns will face off with the Orlando Magic. While the team continues to be without Paolo Banchero and now will miss Franz Wagner, they are loaded with athletic big men who are effective rebounders. The Magic have held opponents to the fourth-fewest rebounds per game this season and the fewest offensive rebounds this season.
While Phoenix needs O’Neale to be a productive rebounder, expect the size to play a role in this game. O’Neale’s 6-foot-6 frame will struggle against the likes of Goga Bitadze, Wendell Carter, Jonathan Isaac, and Moritz Wagner who each measure in at 6-foot-10 or above. They attack the boards in a team-oriented manor and this has been a driving force toward many of their victories. O’Neale has been held under 6.5 rebounds in 11 of the 22 games thus far. Expect this to be a matchup where he falls on the wrong side of this output.
Malik Monk Over 16.5 Points (-125)
The Sacramento Kings received a jolt of life to their offense when Malik Monk returned from a seven-game absence due to injury. The former Kentucky guard has picked up right where he left off and is averaging 21.6 points per game in the seven games since he has returned, recording over 16.5 points in each of the past six games. Monk has been in attack mode since returning. After attempting just 16 or more shots just once in the first 12 games of the season, Monk has reached this number three times across his first seven games back.
Looking at today’s matchup, the Kings will face off with the Utah Jazz. Utah ranks 26th in opponents’ points per game this season and 23rd in opponents’ field goal percentage. Their youthful collection of guards each has an offensive-minded approach and Monk will provide a difficult challenge on the other side of the floor.
With the home crowd behind them, expect Monk to be in attack mode and produce a strong scoring output. The Kings are still establishing their offensive hierarchy but Monk is higher up on the pecking order than some have accepted. Look for the 26-year-old to continue proving this today and for Monk to record over 16.5 points for the seventh consecutive game against a poor defense.
Ivica Zubac Over 24.5 Points & Rebounds (-120)
The Houston Rockets will face off with the Los Angeles Clippers with both teams in the mix for the top of the Western Conference. Both teams have played above expectations so far this season and will carry this into the matchup with each other. Ivica Zubac deserves more credit for his output this season as he has perfectly adjusted to the James Harden-led offense and is in the midst of a career season.
Through the opening 24 games, Zubac is averaging 14.5 points and 12.2 rebounds while playing 32.3 minutes per game. Each of these is a career-high mark. Zubac has been the beneficiary of Harden’s ability to play-make out of the pick-and-roll and has been spoonfed shot opportunities at a greater rate than any other time in his career. Zubac’s 10.8 shot attempts per game are also a career-high and he is connecting at a 60.8% rate. Expect these pick-and-roll opportunities to be plentiful in this matchup.
Houston will likely put Jabari Smith on Zubac for stretches to provide a shot-blocking threat but expect Alperen Sengun to be the primary matchup. Zubac has a slight height advantage and four-inch reach advantage compared to the Rockets center. Zubac has recorded over 24.5 points and rebounds in 16 of the 24 games this season. This will mark the third matchup between the Rockets and Clippers this season with Houston coming out victories being held to less than 24.5 points and rebounds in both games.
However, this will be the first matchup between the two teams in Los Angeles. Expect a different plan of attack from the Clippers and for Zubac to be further unlocked as an offensive option. The Clippers are at their best when he is involved in the offense and look for them to establish this early. Expect Zubac to record over 25.5 combined points and rebounds for the 17th time this season and for his best output against the Rockets to occur in tonight’s game.
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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.
