Eight games are set to take place tonight across Monday’s NBA slate as the home stretch of the season is in full swing.
Four matchups will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Indiana Pacers are on the second half of a back-to-back and will host the Denver Nuggets while the Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls square off. These teams are on six- and seven-game losing streaks but are in the play-in mix in the Eastern Conference, so the matchup will carry some significant seeding implications. The Los Angeles Clippers will also face off with the Detroit Pistons, with both teams exceeding their preseason expectations.
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Miami Heat will travel to face the Atlanta Hawks, who also are in the play-in mix. A half-hour later, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves will match up for the second consecutive night. The Western Conference leaders secured a 130-123 victory last night and the Timberwolves will be searching for revenge tonight. In the later slate, the Trail Blazers will take on the Utah Jazz before the final game takes place between the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings.
With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for the Feb. 24 slate of games.
Kevin Huerter to record 3+ Made Three-Pointers (+160)
The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Chicago Bulls tonight with some significant seeding implications on the line despite both teams’ efforts to join the full draft lottery. Chicago elected to trade away Zach LaVine at the trade deadline with Kevin Huerter being a part of the package returning to the team. The Bulls have been the fourth-highest scoring offense in the league when playing on the road this season. Chicago also ranks 29th in opponent points allowed while Philadelphia ranks 14th in opponent points allowed on the season and 20th since Jan. 10.
Huerter is in the midst of a down season by his standards. Across the 48 games he has played, the Maryland product is averaging 7.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He is shooting a career-worst 30.0% from beyond the arc and taking 4.9 three-point attempts per game, which comes out to an average of 1.5 perimeter makes. For reference, Huerter is averaging 11.5 points per game in his career and shooting 37.4% from beyond the three-point arc on 5.6 long-range shots per game. This comes out to an average of 2.1 perimeter makes. He has also averaged as many as 15.2 points per game and has shot over 40.0% from the perimeter just two seasons ago.
Chicago has provided a great new opportunity for Huerter and he most recently clocked 30:12 game minutes in the previous game where he shot 4-for-10 from beyond the three-point arc. The Sixers have struggled greatly to defend the perimeter this season. They rank 26th in opponent three-point percentage with their tendency to overhelp often creating open looks for their opponents. Expect Huerter to be the biggest beneficiary of this and be asked for some strong perimeter production on his new team. Count on him to take advantage of this weakness in the Sixers’ defense and capitalize on the +160 odds.
Pascal Siakam Over 6.5 Rebounds (-115)
The Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets will face off tonight with both teams showing more encouraging signs of late. The Pacers are 7-3 in their last 10 games and riding a three-game winning streak while the Nuggets had their nine-game winning streak snapped by the Lakers in their previous game. Pascal Siakam has taken his game to another level this season and earned his third career All-Star appearance. He is averaging 20.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.
This will be a difficult matchup on the boards as the Pacers take on Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Jokic is averaging 12.7 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the league. However, the Pacers have played at the third-quickest pace in the league over their last five home games and sixth on the season overall. Siakam’s ability to get out on the break and play up-tempo will be an advantage and should create some additional rebounding opportunities.
The Cameroon native has recorded over 6.5 rebounds in 30 of the 55 games this season. This includes logging 12 rebounds last night against the Clippers and reaching this total in 17 of his past 28 games. He has hauled in as many as 18 rebounds in a game this season. Expect Myles Turner to receive the primary task of battling with Jokic on the boards and for Siakam to be responsible for the team’s desired rebounding output. Look for him to record seven or more rebounds for the 31st time this season and continue playing at a really high level for this Pacers team.
Anthony Edwards Over 26.5 Points (-120)
There was a playoff atmosphere in last night’s matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves and the two sides will look to rekindle that energy again tonight. This will be the fourth and final matchup between these two Western Conference contenders, at least until the playoffs begin. Anthony Edwards is at the epicenter of everything the Timberwolves do and has taken his game up a notch this season.
The former No. 1 overall pick is averaging 27.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He is shooting three-pointers at a career-high rate, launching 10.3 long-range shots per game and connecting at a 40.9% clip. He took his game to another level in January, averaging 30.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists across 16 games. Edwards then further raised the bar this month by averaging 34.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists through the first eight games in February.
While Oklahoma City is an excellent defensive team, it is allowing the second-highest three-point rate to opposing shooting guards this season. The Thunder have also increased their pace of play, ranking seventh in the NBA in pace over the past 10 games, which leads to some additional offensive opportunities. Edwards finished with 29 points last night despite shooting just 8-for-21 from the field and 4-for-13 on three-point attempts. The Timberwolves only go where Edwards can take them and he will continue to see free range in the offense. He has recorded over 26.5 points in 29 of the 56 games he has played. Look for him to add to this and record at least 27 points for the second straight game against the Western Conference leaders with Edwards sure to take this matchup personally.
LaMelo Ball Over 25.5 Points (-115)
The final matchup of the night will take place between the Charlotte Hornets and Sacramento Kings. Neither of these teams has the most optimistic outlook for the remainder of the regular season, although the Kings maintain the 10th seed in the Western Conference with their 28-28 record. The Hornets have dropped to 14th in the Eastern Conference, although they have the level of talent that can give opposing teams trouble on any given night. LaMelo Ball is at the epicenter of their offensive production and has a favorable matchup against this struggling Kings defense.
Ball is having a career season, averaging 26.7 points, 7.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds. He has recorded over 25.5 points in 20 of the 35 games he has played. The 23-year-old left the previous matchup with the Nets with an ankle injury but is off the injury report tonight. He tallied 27 points the previous game he was able to start and finish. Ball ranks in the 88th percentile for minutes per game and his 22.3 field-goal attempts per game would lead the league if he played the number of games to qualify.
Looking at the Sacramento defense, it ranks 24th in opponent points per game, 18th in opponent field-goal percentage, 22nd in opponent three-point attempts and 29th in opponent three-point percentage. Ball’s ability to attack from the perimeter will be problematic and the young guard has never seen a shot he doesn’t like. Expect him to be active in filling up the stat sheet and not be shy about letting it fly. Sacramento will not have a clear answer for him on the perimeter, so look for the former Rookie of the Year to tally over 25.5 points against a vulnerable defense with full offensive freedom.
