The NBA season continues with nine games on the schedule for Saturday, Dec. 28. The first matchup will be at 3 p.m. ET.
Most notably, the Heat will face the Hawks to start the day. The Bucks will face the Bulls, the Warriors will host the Suns, and the Kings will play the Lakers in the first game since firing Mike Brown.
You can check out each matchup and all prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my favorite prop bets in each matchup on the Saturday slate.
Karl-Anthony Towns Under 13.5 Rebounds (-105)
The New York Knicks made a notable shakeup just before the start of the season trading for Karl-Anthony Towns. The Kentucky product has been everything the Knicks could have hoped for and more through the early stages of the season. Towns is averaging 24.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season. He is tied with Domantas Sabonis for the most rebounds per game in the NBA.
The Knicks travel to Washington to face the Wizards tonight. The Wizards rank 13th in the league in rebounding as a team although they have the third-worst opponents offensive rebounding percentage in the NBA. Jonas Valančiūnas headlines their rebounding effort with an impressive 14.6 rebounds per 36 minutes. Washington also has a variety of young athletic wings who contribute in this area.
While Towns has been excellent at controlling the boards so far this year, he averaged just 8.1 and 8.3 rebounds per game the past two seasons. Sharing the floor with Rudy Gobert limited these numbers notably, but there is some concern that Towns will come back to earth as the season progresses.
The four-time All-Star enters this game being held to 10 or fewer rebounds across each of the past four games. This also will be the second game this season against the Wizards with Towns producing 12 rebounds in the first matchup. Overall, he has been held to under 13.5 rebounds in 15 of the 29 games this season. Expect a focused effort from the Wizards to keep Towns off the boards and for the Knicks star to be held under 13.5 rebounds for the fifth consecutive game.
Nikola Jokic Over 38.5 Points & Assists (-110)
While Nikola Jokic continues to play at an MVP level, this has not translated to team success the way one would expect. The Denver Nuggets sit in seventh place in the Western Conference with an 16-13 record. Jokic is averaging 30.5 points, 12.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 26 games played. He ranks third in the NBA in scoring, assists and rebounds.
The Nuggets superstar had some pointed comments last night following Denver’s 149-135 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Jokic took ownership saying he needs to do a better job elevating his teammates. He has a chance to back this up on the court as Denver prepares to play the Pistons tonight.
Jokic has recorded over 38.5 combined points and assists in 18 of the 26 games he has played this year. He also has shown no signs of slowing down on back-to-backs, averaging 34.0 points, 9.6 assists and 12.6 rebounds in these opportunities this season. Detroit has shown some vast improvement this season, but Jokic is a caliber of player they have not matched up with yet.
With frustration boiling and Jokic being the clear-cut best player on the floor, expect a strong statistical output from the three-time MVP. Count on him to record over 38.5 combined points and assists for the 19th time already this season.
Bradley Beal Over 19.5 Points (-110)
The Phoenix Suns remain in the playoff mix, but injuries have derailed their impressive start to the season. Devin Booker continues to headline this and will miss tonight’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors due to a groin injury. Bradley Beal has stepped up in his absence and looks well prepared in his second season with the team.
Beal is averaging 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He has recorded over 19.5 points in eight of the 20 games he has played this season. He was held to just 11 points on 5-18 shooting last night against the Mavericks, but Beal had recorded over 19.5 points in the previous three matchups.
Golden State has been a difficult team to evaluate this season. Steve Kerr has made several lineup changes, gone deeper into the rotation than expected on a game-by-game basis, and they have leaned on a more defensive-minded approach. They currently rank 10th in opponents’ points allowed and seventh in defensive efficiency.
While the Warriors will throw some unique looks at Beal, the additional shot volume without Booker will pave a path for the former Wizards star to record over 19.5 points. Beal is averaging 21.8 points per game with the Suns when playing without Booker and is attempting 17.6 shots per game in these matchups compared to the 14.1 field goal attempts he has averaged overall in Phoenix. Count on him to bounce back from a tough shooting night and record over 19.5 points for the fourth time in the past five games.
De’Aaron Fox Over 24.5 Points (-120)
All eyes will be on the Sacramento Kings following their surprising decision to fire Mike Brown. The 2023 NBA Coach of the Year had just signed an extension in June but is catching the blame for the underwhelming 13-18 start. The drama seems to be building in Sacramento as many are speculating that De’Aaron Fox could be the next notable star to become available. The Kentucky product has not signed an extension, and a Klutch representative has made a few eyebrow-raising comments about his desire to win.
While these are all worthwhile big-picture conversations to have, the Kings must continue to power through their season and will take on the Lakers tonight. There are some clear problems with the roster construction of this Kings team, but Fox has been effective this year. Fox is averaging 26.2 points, 6.1 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. He has recorded over 24.5 points in 15 games of 31 games this season. This includes four of the past five games. This also marks the fourth matchup between the Kings and Lakers already this season with Fox producing scoring outputs of 31, 26 and 28 in these three games.
Whether his goal is to create a market for himself or elevate this Kings team, expectations are high for Fox in the coming games. Sacramento will be hoping for a spark following the coaching change, and Fox will continue to be at the center of their game plan regardless of who is at the helm. Count on the all-star guard to produce at least 25 points against the Lakers for the fourth time this season with the pressure of the organization beginning to build.
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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.
