Nine games will be played across today’s NBA schedule, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET and continuing into the night.
The Dallas Mavericks will host the Denver Nuggets to kick off the day before the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks tip-off ten minutes later. Next, the Chicago Bulls will host the Sacramento Kings before things transition into the night slate.
Four games will tip off at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Pacers will play the Cavaliers, the Thunder are facing the Wizards, the Pelicans will play the Celtics, and the Magic will host the Sixers. At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Utah Jazz will take on the Brooklyn Nets before the final games at 9:00 p.m. ET between the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets.
With plenty of action on the NBA schedule, here are my favorite prop bets across the Sunday slate.
Josh Hart Over 9.5 Rebounds (-115)
The New York Knicks will host the Milwaukee Bucks in one of the opening matchups of today’s slate. This will be a big matchup for each of these top four Eastern Conference teams. While Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns headline the production of the Knicks, Josh Hart is the type of glue guy that every contending team needs and his impact has been obvious for the Knicks.
This has especially been seen in rebounding the basketball in recent games. On the season overall Hart is averaging a career-high 9.2 rebounds per game. He enters today’s matchup having tallied 11+ rebounds in nine of the past ten games. He is averaging 12.6 rebounds across this stretch. Hart also is pulling in an impressive 3.1 contested rebounds per game on the season.
He will now turn his attention to the Bucks, who rank 20th in rebounding percentage and 23rd in opponent rebounds per game. They also allow 10.5 offensive rebounds per game, and Hart can be especially impactful in this area. The Villanova product is averaging 2.1 offensive rebounds per game on the season and 3.8 offensive rebounds per game across the past ten matchups. Hart possesses a level of desire on the boards that the Bucks will struggle to match. Expect him to be active rebounding the basketball throughout this matchup and record over 9.5 rebounds for the 19th time already this season.
Tyrese Haliburton Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-115)
It has been a frustrating start to the season for Pacers’ star Tyrese Haliburton. The All-Star guard has seen some statistical regression in all categories and this has been a direct reason why the Pacers have underwhelmed as a team thus far. However, Haliburton has shown some encouraging signs of late and this has helped provide a spark to this Pacers team. Indiana is 11-3 in their past 14 games and across the past month have ranked third in offensive rating and sixth in net rating.
Haliburton is averaging 18.5 points per game this season and is shooting 36.3% from beyond the three-point arc while launching 8.2 three-point attempts per game. He is averaging exactly 3.0 made three-pointers per game on the season and has made over 2.5 three-pointers in eight of the past 14 games. The Pacers will take on the Cavaliers who have held the best record in the NBA this season but underwhelm defensively more than you would expect. On the season overall they rank 22nd in opponents’ three-point percentage and are 12th in opponents points per game.
While Haliburton has struggled on the road this season overall, he has made over 2.5 three-pointers in seven of his past nine away games. Indiana is finally building some momentum on the season and this is the type of measuring stick matchup they need. Expect Haliburton to be in attack mode with their guard defense being the weak spot for the Cavaliers on this side of the floor. Look for Haliburton to knock down at least three three-pointers as the Pacers start to find a pulse this season.
Paolo Banchero Over 23.5 Points (-115)
After an All-NBA level start to the season Paolo Banchero suffered a torn oblique and was sidelined after just the fifth game. Banchero made his return to the lineup on Friday and picked up right where he left off. He finished the matchup with 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting and 5-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc in just under 27 minutes of play. Banchero will likely still be on some sort of minutes limit tonight but it is clear there are plenty of shots for him within the flow of offense.
In addition, this is a great matchup as the Magic prepare to take on the struggling Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers most recently suffered a 123-115 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans without Zion Williamson and have fallen to 15-21 on the year. In addition, Jalen Suggs, Franz Wagner, Gary Harris and Moritz Wagner will each continue to miss this game due to injury. Across the six games Banchero has played he is averaging 29.8 points per game and has scored 31+ points in four of these matchups.
Philadelphia lacks the necessary perimeter defense to slow down Banchero and he will step in as the clear top offensive option once again. Even with the minutes limit in mind expect the Duke product to get up 20+ shot attempts and be at the forefront of the offensive production. Count on him leading the charge for the Magic and scoring over 23.5 points in tonight’s matchup.
Mason Plumlee Over 8.5 Rebounds (-110)
The Phoenix Suns have made some pretty drastic lineup changes of late headlined by Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic being relegated to bench roles. Mason Plumlee has been the beneficiary of this and has stepped into the starting center role. Across the season overall he is averaging 4.1 points and 6.5 rebounds across his 17.4 minutes of play. However, across his past seven games as a starter, Plumlee is averaging 8.7 rebounds per game and has tallied 10+ rebounds in three consecutive matchups leading into tonight.
The Suns will face off with the Charlotte Hornets to close tonight’s NBA slate. While they sit at 8-27 on the year, the Hornets rank fourth in total rebounds and are eighth in opponents’ offensive rebounds per game. Phoenix will need some additional rebounding help and expect Plumlee to see some additional time on the floor. Jusuf Nurkic has been completely removed from the rotation as trade talks heat up and Plumlee is the only other true big man on the roster.
Expect the Duke product to continue making the most of his opportunity and for him to extend his streak of double-digit rebounding games. These teams also faced off on Tuesday in which Plumlee tallied 12 rebounds in just 19:33 of game time. Don’t be shocked if his level of opportunity is even further expanded today and count on Plumlee to deliver in the rebounding department.
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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.
