As the NBA seeks to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, there is a full slate of games with action tipping off throughout the day.
The Charlotte Hornets will host the Dallas Mavericks in the opening matchup of the day tipping off at noon ET. The Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons will face off at 2:00 p.m. ET before the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves prepare to play a half hour later.
Then, at 3:00 p.m. ET, the New York Knicks will play the Atlanta Hawks before the Cavaliers host the Suns a half hour later. The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors will face off at 5:00 p.m. ET before a normal night slate starts with the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz playing at 8:00 p.m. ET and the Los Angeles Clippers hosting the Chicago Bulls in the final matchup of the night at 10:30.
With plenty of action on the eight-game NBA schedule, here are my favorite prop bets on the Monday slate.
Anthony Edwards Over 3.5 Made Three-Pointers (+100)
The entire NBA has seen an increase in three-point volume and Anthony Edwards has not been left behind in this movement. The former No. 1 overall pick is attempting a career-high 9.9 perimeter shots per game and connecting at a 42.9% rate. This comes out to an average of 4.4 made three-pointers per game and Edwards has made over 3.5 three-pointers in 30 of the 42 games he has played.
Edwards and the Timberwolves will prepare to face off with the Memphis Grizzlies today, who play at the quickest pace in the league. They also rank 22nd in points allowed, 27th in three-point attempts allowed and have given up the 19th-most three-pointers in the league on the season.
This will be the second matchup between these two teams, with Edwards having his worst shooting performance of the season the first time he played the Grizzlies. He was held to 15 points in 29:18 of play, shooting 4-for-13 from the field and 0-for-5 on three-point attempts. This matchup occurred on Jan. 11th and marked the only game all season he has been held without a made three-pointer and is tied for the fewest attempts from beyond the arc he has had.
Edwards is playing better basketball of late and enters this matchup having made over 3.5 three-pointers in four consecutive games, with the matchup with the Grizzlies being the only game he was shy of this. Excluding the Grizzlies matchup, he would have entered having made four or more three-pointers in eight consecutive games. Expect the Timberwolves superstar to be seeking revenge and have better success against this Memphis defense today. Look for him to benefit from the up-tempo style of play and let it fly from deep often in this matchup, connecting on at least four three-pointers.
Andrew Wiggins Over 26.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-115)
The Golden State Warriors are taking on the defending champion Boston Celtics tonight and enter with a lengthy injury report. Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson are all set to miss tonight’s game with Steph Curry also being listed as questionable.
Golden State will need someone to step up and fill this level of production and Andrew Wiggins should be next up on this list. Wiggins is averaging 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists on the season in just 29.5 minutes of play. Wiggins has recorded over 26.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in just 12 of the 35 games he has played this season. However, he has reached this total in back-to-back games entering today and is coming off his best performance of the season on Saturday in which he finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.
With the Warriors lacking bodies and Wiggins beginning to settle in on the season, count on him being in attack mode for this matchup. He has also played much better at home this season, averaging 25.6 combined points, rebounds and assists compared to 22.3 on the road. Look for him to be in attack mode with the home crowd behind him and for Wiggins to make up for the production on the injury report by tallying over 26.5 combined points, rebounds and assists tonight.
James Harden Under 22.5 Points (-105)
The Los Angeles Clippers will host the Chicago Bulls in the final matchup of today’s slate. This will be the second night of a back-to-back for the Clippers after defeating the Lakers 116-102 last night. Harden logged 40 minutes last night and finished with 21 points, 12 assists and four rebounds. He shot 7-for-19 from the floor in the victory.
While Harden can still get hot on any given night, the 35-year-old has increasingly struggled to bounce back in the later stages of his career. In the eight games he has played on a back-to-back this season, Harden is averaging just 18.0 points, 8.3 assists and 6.4 rebounds per game. The former MVP has shot just 35.5% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the three-point arc in these matchups. Last night’s game also marks the third-most minutes he has clocked in a game all season.
The Chicago Bulls are nothing to write home about from a defensive perspective but expect shots to be more difficult for Harden to generate. Harden has been held to under 22.5 points in 25 of the 39 games he has played overall and fatigue will play a factor in this matchup. Expect Harden to be more than comfortable operating in more of a playmaking-first role and fail to reach the 22.5-scoring mark tonight.
