Buckle up for one of the busiest nights of the NBA season with 14 games tipping off tonight. With the Christmas Day slate right on the horizon, there are several notable matchups to tune in for tonight.
Most notably, the Boston Celtics will face the Orlando Magic, the Philadelphia 76ers will face the San Antonio Spurs, and the Atlanta Hawks will face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the early slate of games. Looking later in the night, the Los Angeles Clippers will play the Memphis Grizzlies and the Portland Trail Blazers will face the Dallas Mavericks. In the 10:00 PM EST slate, the Indiana Pacers will face the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns will play the Denver Nuggets before the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons square off in the night’s final matchup.
You can check out each matchup and all prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my favorite prop bets in each matchup on the Monday Night slate.
Victor Wembanyama Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-140)
Victor Wembanyama is set to travel to Philadelphia for the second time in his career to face off with Joel Embiid and the rest of the 76ers. In last year’s matchup, Embiid stole the show dropping 70 points on the Rookie of Year. However, Wembanyama added 33 points of his own in this matchup and has taken a stride forward this season.
Through his opening 23 games, Wembanyama is averaging 24.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.8 blocks per game. The French big man has notably increased his three-point volume this season. He is attempting 9.1 three-point attempts per game and connecting at a 34.9% rate on the year. This comes out to an average of 3.2 made three-pointers per game. For reference, last season he attempted 5.4 long-range shots per game.
Embiid is back on the floor for the Sixers and is continuing to battle his list of injuries. The weakest area of his game, which is especially obvious when he is physically limited, is defending the perimeter. Embiid is most comfortable as a rim protector on the interior and often shows an unwillingness to rotate out to shooters. Wembanyama will be a threat from this distance and ready to launch from deep. He has made over 2.5 three-pointers in 11 of the 23 games he has played this year and attempted as many as 16 three-point attempts in a game. Expect Wembanyama to capitalize whenever Embiid loses him on the perimeter and knock down three or more three-pointers tonight.
Wendell Carter Jr Under 8.5 Points (-105)
Now in his seventh season in the NBA, Wendell Carter Jr does not find himself on the path he expected to be on. Even amid the numerous injuries that have occurred to the Orlando Magic frontcourt, his level of opportunity has been limited. So far this year Wendell Carter Jr is averaging 25.4 minutes per game which is the lowest since his rookie year with the Chicago Bulls. In these minutes he is averaging just 7.2 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the field which each mark career-lows.
Even in Saturday’s game in which Moritz Wagner tore his ACL after just 1:34 of game time with Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner already out, Carter Jr played just 12:58 of game action. He scored five points on 2-5 shooting in these opportunities. Carter Jr has been held under 8.5 points in 12 of the 17 games he has played this year and in seven of the past eight games he has played.
In addition, the Magic are now set to face off with the Boston Celtics. The defending champions rank seventh in opponents’ points per game and ninth in opponents’ field goal percentage. Boston excels at spacing the floor and does most of their damage from beyond the three-point arc on the offensive end. Expect this to force the Magic to match this style and the available minutes for interior-oriented players like Carter Jr to be limited. With a tough matchup in front of him and Carter Jr already showing signs of struggle, expect him to record under 8.5 points for the eighth time in the past nine games.
Zaccharie Risacher Under 10.5 Points (-115)
He may not have carried the same buzz as your typical first-overall pick, but Zaccharie Risacher has settled in nicely in his first season in the NBA. The Frenchman has started 27 of the 29 games thus far and is averaging 10.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game across his 23.6 minutes per game.
Heading into tonight, Risacher and the Hawks are set to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves have had their ups and downs already this season but are finding their identity as a defensive-minded team once again. They rank fourth in opponents’ points allowed, fifth in defensive efficiency, and eighth in opponents’ field goal percentage.
While the long-term vision for Risacher is still there, his opportunities have been more limited of late. He is averaging just 19.5 minutes per game across his past four games and has not scored over 10.5 points in the past five games. Risacher has seen his shooting numbers slip in recent games, as he is just 6-26 (23.1%) from beyond the three-point arc and 27-75 (36%) from the field overall in December. The Timberwolves are a difficult matchup and will not present a clear opportunity to break this cold streak. Expect the Hawks to continue to limit his minutes and for Risacher to remain under 10.5 points for the sixth consecutive game.
Steph Curry Over 24.5 Points (-120)
The Golden State Warriors are still desperately trying to keep the championship window open and go on another run with Steph Curry leading the charge. Steve Kerr has tried plenty with this Warriors roster this season including benching Draymond Green, playing a 12-man rotation, and most recently publically criticizing his team for not having good enough ball movement.
While he is not the MVP-level talent he once was, Steph Curry is still fully capable of being the engine of the Warriors’ offense. So far this season he is averaging 22.4 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game. He is still shooting 44.5% from the field and 41.1% from beyond the three-point arc on 10.2 long-range shots per game. Curry has recorded over 24.5 points in eight games this season without him or the Warriors playing up to their potential.
This is a great matchup for them to find their offensive stride as the Warriors prepare to match up with the Indiana Pacers. So far this season Indiana ranks 22nd in opponents’ points per game, 23rd in defensive efficiency, and 24th in opponents’ field goal percentage. While the Pacers have found their identity as an offensive-minded team, they have not been good enough on either side of the ball this year. With Steve Kerr’s message to the media clear and the Pacers defense showing areas of concern, expect there to be a clearer effort to create shots for Steph Curry. He is attempting just 16.5 field goal attempts on the season which is well below his career average of 17.9 shot attempts per game. Expect an increased output tonight and for Curry to record over 24.5 points 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.
