Fresh off an Emirates NBA Cup victory, the Milwaukee Bucks have set their eyes straight to the belly of the beast. Tonight, the Bucks will travel to the shores of Lake Erie for a 7:30 p.m. ET clash against the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers. This time, they won’t have point guard Damian Lillard, who suffered a calf strain in the NBA Cup final and will miss Friday’s game.
After getting off to a 15-0 start, the Cavaliers have cooled down slightly, but still hold a two-game lead over the Boston Celtics with a 23-4 record. Shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is turning in one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Cleveland (-410) is a heavy favorite and the point total is set to 221. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Mitchell.
Best Donovan Mitchell Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Donovan Mitchell U23.5 Points (-120)
After a slow start, Milwaukee has figured it out in its last ten games, going 8-2, plus its NBA Cup win, to climb into fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks’ offense is humming on all cylinders, putting up 117.1 points per 100 possessions, the eighth-most efficient in basketball. However, its defense was a merely league-average unit prior to its recent hot streak and remains so. Its season-long defensive rating is 112.3, which has only marginally improved in recent weeks to 111.8.
If Milwaukee’s defense is fundamentally the same as the unit that Mitchell faced in back-to-back narrow Cavaliers wins on November 2 and 4, his performance in those games might help predict his performance tonight. Mitchell scored in bunches in the first, dropping 30, but his 14-point performance in the second was one of his season’s least impressive.
He’s been in poor form, shooting below his season averages from the field and from deep in each of his last three games, and Cleveland took a bad loss to Miami and a narrow win over a woeful Washington Wizards unit before blowing out a tanking Brooklyn Nets team on December 16. The Cavaliers — and their talisman — look less imposing than they did over their season-opening win streak. Lillard’s absence is unlikely to help matters; veteran guard Delon Wright, a significantly better defender, will likely start in his place.
Donovan Mitchell U9.5 Rebounds + Assists (-115)
For a six-foot-three guard, Mitchell is a pretty good rebounder because of his elite athleticism, and the Bucks allow 44.6 rebounds per game, more than all but eight teams. Normally, that would free up Mitchell to make an impact on the glass.
However, with Lillard absent, more shots will go to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo has largely eschewed the three-pointer this year and is shooting a career-high 61.4% from the field overall, so Milwaukee will miss fewer shots overall in this game and there will be fewer rebounds available for Mitchell to snag. If he’s not doing much damage on the boards, I also don’t like Mitchell to get his teammates involved, since the Bucks allow the eighth-fewest assists per game in the league.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user 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 skills 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.
