The NBA Cup Championship is set to take place tomorrow night as the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder compete to be crowned the second-ever winner of the in-season tournament. In the meantime, six games of regular season action will take place on tonight’s NBA slate.
NBA trade season has officially arrived as the December 15th date for which players who signed contracts this offseason are now eligible to be traded. The Brooklyn Nets were quick to capitalize on this after overperforming to start the season and sent Dennis Schroder to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for injured guard De’Anthony Melton. Brooklyn will be back in action tonight without their leading playmaker and third-leading scorer as they face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In addition, the Philadelphia 76ers will battle through their injury issues and face the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball has been upgraded to questionable for this game after being out since November 27th with a calf strain. The Miami Heat will face the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls will play the Toronto Raptors to cap off the early slate. In the late window, the Sacramento Kings will host the Denver Nuggets before the Los Angeles Clippers host the Utah Jazz.
You can check out each matchup and all prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my favorite prop bets of the day for the Monday slate.
Kelly Oubre Jr Over 14.5 Points (-115)
Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Philadelphia 76ers this season. They enter this matchup with the Hornets without Joel Embiid (sinus fracture), Jared McCain (torn meniscus), Caleb Martin (shoulder), and Adem Bona (knee). The brief stretch of the Sixers looking like they are getting closer to full health is over and they are still awaiting an official timeline for Embiid’s facial injury.
The NBA season will continue and the Sixers need to generate offense from somewhere. While Tyrese Maxey and Paul George will lead the charge, look for Kelly Oubre Jr to see his offensive role grow as well. The starting guard has adjusted to a more defensive-minded role on this Sixers team, but is capable of scaling up offensively and will do so in Embiid’s absence. After averaging 20.3 points per game in the 2022-23 season with the Hornets, Oubre’s average dropped to 15.4 points per game in his first season with the Sixers. His scoring output has reduced again this year and he is averaging just 12.8 points per game thus far. Even still, he has recorded as many as 28 points in a game this season and will have plenty of additional shot opportunities tonight. Oubre recorded 15 or more points in 37 of the 68 games he played last season with the Sixers and in 40 of the 48 games the season prior with the Hornets.
The 11.1 shot attempts per game Oubre is currently attempting is the lowest since the 2017-18 season. Look for the Sixers to rely on him more heavily without Embiid, McCain, and Martin. Philadelphia will be desperate for offense and Oubre is capable of producing at a level the team will need him to. He has scored at least 11 points in each of the past nine games and the additional shot volume will pave the way for an increased scoring output. Look for him to record 15+ points tonight and make the most of his opportunities for more shots available within the offense.
Jakob Poeltl Under 16.5 Points (-105)
Lost in the shuffle of the Toronto Raptors’ rebuild has been the strong play of Jakob Poeltl. The veteran big man is averaging 15.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He ranks seventh in the NBA in rebounding and his 4.04 offensive rebounds per game leads the entire league. Overall, he has recorded over 16.5 points in just 11 of the 25 games he has played this year.
While Poeltl deserves more respect for his level of play, this is a tough matchup for him tonight. He will face another veteran big man who is playing at a very high level- Nikola Vucevic. The Chicago Bulls big man is averaging 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and will be set to go toe-to-toe with Poeltl.
While Vucevic will not be confused for an All-NBA quality defender, Poeltl has had a great deal of his offensive success using his size advantage. This will not be the case against Vucevic’s 6-foot-10 frame. Poeltl has been held to under 16.5 points in each of the past two matchups and six of his last 10 games. Expect more notable performances from other members of the Raptors and Poeltl’s to be kept in check offensively in this game. He has never averaged more than 13.5 points per game throughout a season and Poeltl’s offensive output looks to be in the process of coming back down to earth. Look for this to continue tonight in this even matchup with Vucevic and be held to under 16.5 points tonight.
Evan Mobley Over 24.5 Points & Rebounds (-110)
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been among the biggest surprises in the NBA this season- holding the best record from just about start to finish. Evan Mobley has been a driving force in this, taking a notable stride forward in his development. The former third-overall pick is averaging a career-high 18.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. Mobley left the December 8th matchup with the Miami Heat and also missed the previous game, but is listed as probable for tonight’s game.
He will face off with a Brooklyn Nets team whom he has had success against already this year. During the November 9th matchup with the Nets, Mobley finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds. He also has recorded over combined 24.5 points and rebounds in six of the seven games played before the injury.
Looking at the season as a whole, Brooklyn ranks 20th in opponent points per game and 30th in rebounding. The Nets should take an even further step back offensively following the loss of Dennis Schroder while Cam Thomas remains out with his hamstring injury. Expect there to be plenty of rebounding opportunities for Mobley and for him to have his flashes offensively. He has gone over 24.5 combined points and rebounds in 16 of the 24 games overall. Look for him to add to this total and be a driving force of the Cavaliers’ success tonight.
John Collins Over 7.5 Rebounds (-135)
The Utah Jazz enter tonight’s matchup with a 5-19 record and are set to face the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. They are clearly in a rebuilding stage as a franchise but have seen some high-level flashes from several members of the roster. John Collins has greatly benefitted from the opportunity to play and is averaging 18.1 points and 8.2 rebounds across his 29.1 minutes per game. Collins has recorded over 7.5 rebounds in 13 of the 23 games he has played this year and this is a great matchup to add to this.
Los Angeles has impressed early on this season and holds a 14-12 record through the early part of the season. The Clippers have rebounded the ball well this year ranking 16th in total rebounds and fourth in opponent rebounds per game. However, the Jazz have been better as a team ranking 11th in total rebounds and second in opponent rebounds per game. Collins has been a key part of this and his athleticism will be a notable factor tonight.
Ivica Zubac leads the Clippers in rebounding with 12.2 boards per game which ranks fourth in the entire NBA. James Harden is next up on the team with 6.7 rebounds per game. Expect Walker Kessler, and the 10.7 rebounds per game he averages, to primarily be matched up with Zubac and for Collins to have more freedom to attack the glass. The combination of size and athleticism Collins possesses will cause problems for this Clippers team and count on him to record over 7.5 rebounds again 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.
