The NBA’s traditional season took a brief pause on Saturday to allow the NBA Cup to step to center stage. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks secured semifinal victories and will square off on Tuesday for the right to be crowned the second NBA Cup winner.
In the meantime, the NBA will resume its regular season with a seven-game slate today. Most notably, the New York Knicks will face the Orlando Magic, the Dallas Mavericks will play the Golden State Warriors, and the Memphis Grizzlies will play the Los Angeles Lakers. The first game will tip-off at 5:10 PM EST between the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans with games continuing until the Lakers and Grizzlies face off at 9:40 PM EST.
You can check out each matchup and all prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my favorite prop bets of the day for the Sunday slate.
Jalen Suggs Over 29.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-120)
The Orlando Magic will host the New York Knicks today, with the two teams sitting in third and fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Injuries have quickly become a concern for the Magic, as Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner remain sidelined with their oblique tears. Orlando continues to play competent basketball on a nightly basis, but the injuries have forced some other names to step up.
Jalen Suggs has been at the epicenter of this for the Magic. The fourth-year guard has taken a stride forward this season and is averaging 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. While Banchero and Wagner are more talented, Suggs is the heart and soul of the Magic. He has taken a statistical step forward in the absence of the two stars. In the first game following Wagner’s injury Suggs finished with 26 points, four rebounds, and two assists. In the most recent game, he recorded 32 points, nine rebounds, and one assist.
Overall, Suggs has recorded over 29.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists eight times this season including both games without Wagner and Banchero. Suggs is showcasing the ability to scale up in his offensive role and will take on this responsibility again tonight. The 26 field goal attempts he shot last game marks a season-high and expect a similar level of volume against the Knicks. Count on Suggs to be at the epicenter of Orlando’s production and for him to record more than 29.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists for the third consecutive game.
Deni Avdija Under 11.5 Points (-105)
The Portland Trail Blazers will travel to Phoenix to face the Suns tonight. The Suns have also dealt with injury issues this season but look to be back on track. While it is not because of injuries, the opposite has been true about the Trail Blazers. Portland enters this matchup with an 8-17 record and sits in 13th place in the Western Conference. Portland has especially struggled on the road as a team. They are just 3-10 in away games and have been held to 102.5 points per game, the second-worst rate in the NBA, when playing on the road. In addition, the Suns rank 24th in pace across the past 20 games meaning there will not be an abundance of offensive opportunity.
So far this season Deni Avdija is averaging 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. While his output has been strong, expect him to struggle a bit tonight. The Suns are a different team with Kevin Durant on the floor and that will be the case tonight. Avdiha has been held below 11.5 points in 10 games already this season.
Expect Phoneix to control this game from just about start to finish. Look for Portland to have some success with their perimeter creators but for the interior impact to be limited. Opponents rank 21st in field goal percentage when facing the Suns and Avdija has shot above his typical average in recent games. Look for this matchup to be a bit of a reality check for Avdija and the Trail Blazers as he is held to under 11.5 points.
Julius Randle Over 6.5 Rebounds (-130)
The Minnesota Timberwolves will face off with the San Antonio Spurs tonight. It has not been the smoothest transition for Julius Randle following the offseason trade, but the three-time all-star is averaging 205 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists across his first 24 games.
While Victor Wembanayama is always a threat when factoring in rebounds, expect Rudy Gobert to get this matchup and for Randle to have a chance at a strong output on the boards. Overall this year, San Antonio ranks 13th in rebounding as a team. To add to this Zach Collins is listed as doubtful for this game while Keldon Johnson will remain out.
Randle has averaged 7.3 rebounds per game on the road this year and the Spurs rank 10th in pace across the past five games so expect an uptick in rebounding opportunities. The rebounding battle will be a key deciding factor in this matchup. Randle has tallied over 6.5 rebounds in ten games already this season including two of the past three games. Look for him to impose himself on the glass tonight and record over 6.5 rebounds in this matchup with the Spurs.
Anthony Davis Over 39.5 Points & Rebounds (-120)
The Los Angeles Lakers have skidded following their strong start to the season. LeBron James has been out for back-to-back games and is listed as questionable for this game. Regardless of James’ status, the Lakers season continues on and they are set to play the Memphis Grizzlies tonight.
Whether or not James returns to the lineup, expect Anthony Davis to be at the epicenter of production for the Lakers tonight. Davis is averaging 27.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per game so far this season and has a favorable matchup against the Grizzlies. Memphis ranks third in rebounding but 23rd in opponents’ rebounds per game. Davis has recorded over 39.5 points and rebounds in 15 of the 24 games he has played this year. He will be among the best rebounders that Memphis has played this year and the Lakers continue to be run through Davis offensively.
This will be the third matchup between these two teams already this season. Davis was inactive for the first matchup and held to 21 points and 14 rebounds in the second game. The nine-time all-star has battled plantar fasciitis this season, but the Lakers have had just one game since last Sunday and he is more rested than he has been for most of the season. Look for Davis to impose himself with the matchup with Jaren Jackson Jr and be at the epicenter of the Lakers’ production. Los Angeles needs him to be the driving force on both sides of the floor and look for him to deliver by producing over 39.5 points and rebounds 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.
