It is a loaded slate of NBA action, with games starting early in the afternoon and continuing straight through to the usual night schedule. Nine games, including some high-profile matchups, will be played in total.
This will begin at 1:00 p.m. ET when the defending champion Boston Celtics take on the previous champion Denver Nuggets. Then the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Portland Trail Blazers starting at 3:30 p.m. ET. At 5:00, the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls will face off.
A doubleheader of games tips off at 6:00 p.m. ET, as the New York Knicks play the Miami Heat while the Toronto Raptors take on the Orlando Magic. Then, at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to take on the San Antonio Spurs. At 8:00, the New Orleans Pelicans will face the Utah Jazz. The final two matchups of the night are set to tip-off at 9:30 p.m. ET, taking place between the Suns and Timberwolves as well as a rematch between the Lakers and Clippers.
With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for the Sunday slate.
Lonzo Ball Over 3.5 Assists (-110)
UPDATE: Lonzo Ball has been ruled OUT for today’s game due to a Wrist injury.
The return of Lonzo Ball has been one of the better stories across the NBA season. The former No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft is still fully finding his footing after missing two entire seasons due to his knee issues. Ball has suited up for 35 games so far this season and is averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists across his 22.2 minutes of play.
Ball and the Bulls will take on the Indiana Pacers today who have found their stride after a tough start to the season. Indiana has climbed to fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 33-25 record on the season. It has climbed to sixth in pace but ranks 21st in opponent points per game and 17th in assists conceded. The Pacers’ pace of play has climbed as they have begun to play their best basketball, with them ranking second in pace in their past 10 home games. Chicago has also played at the second-quickest pace of play in the NBA when playing on the road this season, so expect some additional offensive possessions in this matchup.
This will be the third matchup between these two teams, with Ball recording over 3.5 assists in one of those two games. He has recorded over 3.5 assists in 15 total games this season. The UCLA product is beginning to see his role expand, with him logging a season-high 34:25 of game time in Friday’s game. Ball still hasn’t quite returned to his peak level of athleticism or burst but he maintains the basketball IQ and playmaking savvy to have a positive impact on the game. Expect him to be comfortable serving as a playmaker and record over 3.5 assists as both these teams buckle up for some increased offensive possessions in this up-tempo matchup.
Cole Anthony Over 11.5 Points (-110)
The Orlando Magic are desperately starved for perimeter shooting and creation ability. As a team, they are shooting an NBA-worst 30.5% from beyond the three-point arc. For reference, the Detroit Pistons logged the worst team three-point percentage last season at 34.8% as a team and no team has recorded below 31% from the perimeter as a team since the 2012-13 Minnesota Timberwolves, who also shot 30.5% from the perimeter.
Cole Anthony has begun to provide some desperately needed relief in this area of need for the Magic. On the season, Anthony is averaging 9.4 points per game and shooting 34.3% from beyond the three-point arc. However, he has shot 54.4% from the perimeter over his past 15 home games and is averaging 13.3 points per game over his past 13 games played. Anthony has recorded over 11.5 points in nine of the past 13 games.
Orlando will face off with the Toronto Raptors tonight who have played at the fourth-fastest tempo over the past 10 games. Expect Anthony to continue providing a spark from the perimeter and be a scoring threat for this Magic team. His role has gone up and down during his Orlando tenure with the North Carolina product averaging as many as 16.3 points per game during the 2021-22 season. Anthony looks to be earning trust and proving his worth on this Magic team, with his skillset increasingly important to the team’s success. Expect him to be counted on again tonight and record over 11.5 points for the 19th time this season.
Harrison Barnes Under 10.5 Points (-120)
The San Antonio Spurs are set to play on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies on a thrilling game-winning jump shot from De’Aaron Fox with 1.8 seconds remaining on the clock. They will prepare to lace things up again tonight, this time taking on the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder. This matchup has lost a bit of its luster with Victor Wembanyama shut down for the season and not set to suit up for battle with Chet Holmgren, who has also been ruled out. The loss of Wembanyama is a huge hit to this Spurs team from their season-long outlook and on an every-night basis.
Regardless, the show goes on for all parties, and the Spurs will see how they measure up against the Western Conference leaders without their brightest star. Oklahoma City has built a defensive identity that ranks second in opponent points allowed, first in opponent field-goal percentage and first in opponent three-point percentage. The Thunder have a deep rotation of young talent with every player having the ability to defend. They have proven to be able to completely throw a team off their game and make opposing offenses look nonexistent for stretches.
One player I expect to be especially bothered by this is Harrison Barnes. The veteran is averaging 11.4 points per game this season but has been held to under 10.5 points in 30 of the 58 games he has played. Barnes is shooting a career-high 41.3% on three-point attempts this season and this will be impacted by Oklahoma City’s perimeter defense. He has been held to eight points or fewer in four of his past six games, with the Thunder being the most difficult defense across this stretch. Expect points to be difficult to come by and for Barnes to record under 10.5 points tonight.
Julius Randle Over 6.5 Rebounds (+100)
The Minnesota Timberwolves received some positive injury news as Julius Randle is set to make his return after missing the past 13 games due to a groin injury. While Anthony Edwards also landed on the injury report as questionable with a calf injury, the team will benefit from having Randle on the floor as it takes on the Suns tonight. Across the 48 games Randle has played with Minnesota, he is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.
Phoenix has been in complete free fall as of late. It is just 3-10 in its last 13 games and has dropped to 11th place in the Western Conference. There are plenty of problems to point to, but the Suns rank 24th in opponent rebounds allowed and 25th in total rebounds as a team. With Rudy Gobert already ruled out due to injury, who has missed the previous six games, expect Randle to take on the primary rebounding role.
Randle has averaged 9.2 rebounds per game throughout his career and as many as 10.2 per game throughout a season. He is averaging 7.2 rebounds per game this season and has recorded over 6.5 rebounds in 25 of the 48 games he has played. Even if his role is scaled back some, the Timberwolves are limited in their number of rebounding threats and this is a clear weakness on the Suns. Look for Randle to use his physicality to assert himself and pull in at least seven rebounds tonight.
