Buckle up for one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the NBA regular season thus far. The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder with both teams holding the top record in their respective conferences. They will also enter with each team holding a 10 and 15-game winning streak which marks the first time in NBA history that this has occurred.
Seven other NBA games are also on the schedule tonight. The Indiana Pacers will play the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. ET, and the Philadelphia 76ers will host the Washington Wizards at the same time. A half-hour later, the New York Knicks will host the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons will travel to play the Brooklyn Nets. The final three games on the slate will be between the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans, the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, and the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs.
With plenty of NBA action taking place, here are my favorite prop bets on the Wednesday night slate.
Kelly Oubre Jr. Over 17.5 Points (-120)
The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a frustrating loss to the Phoenix Suns, and injury issues have returned to the forefront. Joel Embiid and Paul George are each set to miss tonight’s game while Jared McCain remains away from the team recovering from his knee surgery. Philadelphia still has an opportunity for a win and is considered an 11-point favorite against the Washington Wizards.
With three of their top four scorers missing, the Sixers will need some new faces to step up. Look directly toward Kelly Oubre Jr. who is in the midst of a solid season in his second year in Philadelphia. Oubre is averaging 13.2 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting in 28 of the 31 games. Most recently, Oubre finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds against the Suns. He missed the previous two games due to a wrist injury but returned with a notable energy level.
The 29-year-old will now have the opportunity to step into center stage. Expect Oubre to be looked at as the No. 2 offensive option behind Tyrese Maxey. He has scored over 17.5 points in seven games this season and is averaging 15 points per game in matchups without Embiid as well as 15.6 points per game without George. Without either Embiid or George available tonight, count on Oubre to make capitalize on the additional shot opportunities. Expect him to record over 17.5 points against the Wizards, who are allowing the most points per game in the entire NBA.
Darius Garland Under 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-105)
All eyes will be on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder matchup tonight. People continue to look at the Cavaliers with skepticism despite them being on pace to win 70+ games in the regular season and holding the league’s best record. Darius Garland has been a huge reason for their success and is having a bounce-back year averaging 20.5 points, 6.6 assists and 2.6 rebounds. His shooting splits have returned to form and he is connecting on a career-best 49.5 percent from the field and 43.1 percent on three-point attempts.
That said, Oklahoma City’s defensive ability may end up being the story of tonight’s game. They are holding opponents to the fewest points per game, the worst field goal percentage and the worst three-point percentage in the entire NBA. On Sunday, the Thunder held the Boston Celtics to just 27 points in the second half, by far their lowest output of the season. Cleveland’s offense has been terrific this season, but expect players like Lu Dort and Cason Wallace to assert themselves.
While Garland is having an excellent season and is averaging 2.9 made three-pointers per game, expect him to struggle tonight. He has been held to under 2.5 made three-pointers in 16 of the 34 games and two of the past three games. Points will be harder to come by for Garland and the Cavaliers. Expect the Thunder defense to be bothersome and for Garland to be held to less than 2.5 made three-pointers tonight.
Russell Westbrook Over 25.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-125)
The Denver Nuggets will suit up for the second night of a back-to-back and take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver lost by 12 points to the Celtics last night, but the team didn’t have Nikola Jokic active due to an illness. Jokic first came down with the sickness on Monday and his status worsened throughout the day yesterday. Keep an eye on the injury report leading up to the game, but there was not an overly optimistic tune from Michael Malone when speaking about his status.
Russell Westbrook stepped up in the three-time MVP’s absence. The nine-time All-Star had one of his best performances of the season dropping 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists in last night’s loss. Even if Jokic does play, Westbrook can still have a great night. Effort is never a question for Westbrook, and he has carved out a nice role for himself in the Nuggets rotation.
He is averaging 12.4 points, 6.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds across 27 minutes per game. He has recorded over 25.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in 13 games this year. The Clippers are a tough defensive-minded team but look for Westbrook to be ready for revenge against his former team. With or without Jokic, expect Westbrook to be in attack mode and record over 25.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Victor Wembanyama Over 3.5 Made Three-Pointers (+130)
The superstar leap is well underway for Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs star is averaging 25.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and a league-leading 4.0 blocks per game. He also has seen a significant increase in his three-point volume this season, shooting 9.4 three-pointers per game and connecting at a 35.4 percent rate. Wembanyama is seventh in the entire NBA in three-point attempts per game this year.
San Antonio will be facing the Milwaukee Bucks, who announced their plans to remove Khris Middleton from the starting lineup. It has been an up-and-down season for the Bucks. They can hang their hat on the NBA Cup title but are just 5-5 in their last 10 games including some losses that should not have occurred. Milwaukee ranks 18th in three-point attempts allowed and 14th in three-point percentage.
Wembanyama is one of the biggest matchup problems in the NBA, so it will be interesting to see how the Bucks guard him. But there is no real answer to his 7-foot-3 frame pulling up from well beyond the arc. Wembanyama has attempted 11 and 12 three-point attempts in his past two games and has made over 3.5 three-pointers in 15 games this season. This includes knocking down four or more three-pointers in seven of the last 10 games. Expect him to shy away from Giannis Antetokounmpo’s physicality and be more than comfortable knocking down shots on the perimeter.
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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.
