After a quiet night in the association with just five games taking place last night, a loaded slate is set to take place tonight. 10 games will be taking place across the night as the trade reports and rumors continue to circle the league.
Most notably, the New York Knicks will host the Houston Rockets. The Milwaukee Bucks will face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Sacramento Kings will play their first game following the De’Aaron Fox trade and take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. At the same time, the Memphis Grizzlies will face off with the San Antonio Spurs, who now have a place in the contending conversation.
The Denver Nuggets will host the New Orleans Pelicans in the later slate. There will be two games tipping off at 10:00 p.m. ET as the Orlando Magic take on the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers hosting the Phoenix Suns.
With a jam-packed night of action, here are my favorite prop bets for the Feb. 3 slate of games.
Mikal Bridges Over 16.5 Points (-125)
Perhaps the most exciting matchup of the night will be between the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks. Both of these teams have exciting rosters that play team-oriented basketball. Houston has taken that next step in their youthful development and sits in third place in the Western Conference with a 32-16 record. New York is in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 32-17 record. The Knicks did have a recent injury issue pop up, as O.G. Anunoby suffered a concerning-looking foot injury against the Lakers and has been ruled out for tonight’s game.
Mikal Bridges will be the biggest beneficiary of this injury and has settled into his role after an uneasy start to the season. The Villanova product is averaging 18.1 points, 3.3 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in a league-leading 38.1 minutes per game. Bridges has recorded over 16.5 points in 29 of the 49 games (59.2%).
Houston is a high-level defensive team that ranks fifth in opponents’ points allowed and holds opponents to the second-worst three-point percentage in the league. This will be the second matchup between these two rosters, with Bridges being held to 15 points in the first matchup. However, he shot 6-for-14 from the field in this game, and was only his sixth game in a Knicks uniform. With Bridges now fully settled into the offense and Anunoby out, expect an increased offensive role. Count on him to receive enough shot volume to eclipse 16.5 points and make his impact felt in this matchup.
Damian Lillard Under 22.5 Points (-110)
UPDATE: Damian Lillard has been ruled OUT for tonight’s game against the Thunder with a groin injury.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are set to host the Milwaukee Bucks tonight and will continue to rely on their high-level defense. So far this season, they are allowing the fewest points per game and rank first in opponents’ field goal and three-point percentage allowed. The Thunder have a variety of youthful and athletic perimeter defenders who can limit Lillard’s output.
Damian Lillard has looked more impressive in his second season with the Bucks. The eight-time All-Star is averaging 25.0 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. He also is shooting 44.6% from the field and 38.0% from beyond the three-point arc, which are each above his career averages.
On the season overall, Lillard has been held to under 22.5 points in just 13 of the 40 games he has played. However, he enters this game having been held under 22.5 points in three consecutive games, and is taking on the toughest defense in the league. Expect Lillard to struggle to create separation against the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, and Lu Dort. The Thunder’s depth puts them in a unique position to suffocate opposing guards. Lillard was held to just 12 points against the Thunder in his lone matchup last year, and Oklahoma City has only improved defensively since this point. Lillard will still make his impact felt for stretches but don’t expect this to be one of his more memorable games. Count on him to ultimately be held to under 22.5 points for the 14th time this season, and for the Thunder defense to be the biggest story of this game.
Yves Missi Over 7.5 Points (-105)
Injuries remain the biggest story of the New Orleans Pelicans season. While this has completely derailed their hopes and goals for the year, it has opened up some opportunities for some of the younger talents. Yves Missi has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this. The rookie big man has made the most of his opportunity after being selected with the 21st pick in this year’s draft.
On the season overall, Missi is averaging 8.7 points and 8.1 rebounds across his 27.0 minutes per game. The Cameroon native has recorded over 7.5 points in 27 of the 46 games he has played this year, and tallied as many as 23 points in a game. While his primary offensive role is as a lob threat and finishing on the offensive glass, Missi has revealed some more layers to his game as he has earned more freedom on the court.
This is a great matchup for the rookie as the Pelicans take on the Denver Nuggets tonight. Denver plays at the fifth-fastest pace in the league on the season, while New Orleans ranks second in this category over the past 10 games. Missi is effective at flying up and down the court on the break, and his athleticism will cause some major issues for Nikola Jokic on the defensive end. While the three-time MVP is the engine of the entire offense, he leaves plenty to be desired on the defensive end. Missi also tallied 21 points in a matchup against the Nuggets already this season. Expect his work rate and athleticism to make an impact in this game, and for Jokic to be unable to cut this off completely. The 7.5-point bar is too low for the rookie, and look for him to record over this number for the 28th time this season tonight.
Buddy Hield Under 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-180)
One of the final matchups of tonight’s slate will take place between the Golden State Warriors and Orlando Magic. The trade rumors continue to swirl as the Warriors attempt to re-tool for another chance at contending with Steph Curry as their centerpiece. While this is the larger story surrounding the franchise, they will continue suiting up on the floor and attempt to climb out of the 11th-place hole they have dug for themselves.
Buddy Hield provided a nice initial spark to this Warriors team but has cooled off as the season has progressed. Overall, he is averaging 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 23.1 minutes per game. Hield is shooting 7.0 three-point attempts per game and connecting at a 36.8% rate. This comes out to an average of 2.6 made three-pointers per game, but Hield has been held to under 2.5 made three-pointers in 26 of the 48 games he has played. He has been held under this number in four of the past five games, and Orlando leans on a defensive-minded approach.
On the season, the Magic ranks second in opponents’ points allowed and allows the fewest three-point attempts across the league. They also play at the slowest pace in the league while the Warriors rank 23rd in this category across the past 10 games, so don’t expect an abundance of offensive opportunities. With Hield’s role being scaled back and facing a tough opponent, count on him being held to under 2.5 made three-pointers against the Magic tonight.
