It is a busy Friday night in the National Basketball Association with eight games tipping off.
Starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Cleveland Cavaliers will travel to face the Charlotte Hornets freshly off officially clinching a playoff appearance with their 52-10 record. Then, at 7:30 p.m. ET, a double-header will take place as the Toronto Raptors face the Utah Jazz while the Dallas Mavericks host the Memphis Grizzlies.
Another double-header will start a half-hour later as the Miami Heat take on the Minnesota Timberwolves while the Oklahoma City Thunder host the Portland Trail Blazers. Three games will be taking place in the late slate. At 10:00 p.m. ET, the Sacramento Kings will take on the San Antonio Spurs in De’Aaron Fox’s first return to his former city. At the same time, the Denver Nuggets will host the Phoenix Suns. The final matchup will tip-off at 10:30 p.m. ET, taking place between the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks.
It also should be noted that it is set to be a busy night on the injury report across the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Norman Powell, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, RJ Barrett, Lauri Markkanen, and Victor Wembanyama headline the list of names set to headline the list of stars to miss tonight’s games. You can stay fully up to date on this over on DK Live.
With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for Friday’s slate.
Donovan Mitchell Under 23.5 Points (-115)
The Cleveland Cavaliers are absolutely rolling right now. They have become the first team to officially clinch a spot in the playoffs with their 52-10 record and enter this game on a 12-game winning streak. Donovan Mitchell has been a huge part of this effort averaging 24.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds on the season. He has recorded over 23.5 points in 30 of the 58 games he has played.
Cleveland will now turn their attention to the 14-47 Charlotte Hornets who have a very different outlook for the remainder of the year. The Cavaliers are 16-point favorites in this matchup and for a reason. The Hornets enter this game on an eight-game losing streak with only one of these losses finishing fewer than 13 points.
Based on the level the Cavaliers and Hornets are currently playing at, don’t expect this game to remain competitive for long. Look for this matchup to bring on some old-fashioned load management in which Mitchell’s services are not required in much of the second half. Mitchell was held to 18 and 19 points in the two matchups with the Hornets thus far with each resulting in double-digit victories. Expect more of the same tonight and for his minutes to be limited with their larger goals in mind. Count on Mitchell to be held under 23.5 points for the 29th time this season as the Cavaliers focus on their long-term goals.
De’Aaron Fox Over 22.5 Points (-120)
While there does not appear to be as much bad blood in the De’Aaron Fox and Sacramento Kings break-up as some other NBA superstar trades, there are few better feelings as athletes than showing out in front of your former team. Fox will make his return to Sacramento for the first time since the trade and have ample opportunities to put forth a strong offensive output.
In the 13 games since joining the Spurs, Fox has averaged 19.3 points, 6.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. However, on the season as a whole, he is averaging 23.7 points per game. The Kentucky product has tallied as many as 60 points in a game this year and recorded over 22.5 points in 31 of the 58 games he has played, including five times while with the Spurs.
Sacramento is in ninth place in the Western Conference, and defense is its largest concern. They rank 19th in opponents’ points per game, 17th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 29th in opponents’ three-point percentage. Fox is well aware of the team’s shortcoming with this the driving force of his desire for a trade. Expect him to play in attack mode and capitalize on the weaknesses of the roster he is extremely familiar with. He is the driving force of offensive production especially with Victor Wembanyama sidelined for the season. Count on him to make the most of this moment against his former team and record over 22.5 points tonight.
Devin Booker Over 7.5 Assists (+110)
The Phoenix Suns are a mess right now and may have the most concerning long-term outlook of any team in the league. They have dropped to 11th place in the Western Conference with a 29-33 record and each of their remaining first-round picks up through 2031 traded away or swapped out. Regardless, they must continue pushing ahead on the season and attempt to play themselves out of this hole. They will take on the Denver Nuggets tonight with the hopes they can spearhead this effort.
Devin Booker has had a reduced statistical season averaging 25.9 points, 6.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. There were hopes that the addition of Tyus Jones would unlock Booker further as a scorer but this has not proven to be the case. In fact, Booker has seen his on-ball opportunities and playmaking numbers grow in recent weeks with him averaging 8.0 assists over the past 11 games. Booker has passed for over 7.5 assists in nine of these 11 games and 26 games this season.
Denver looks dangerous again this season but the biggest concern is on the defensive side of the ball. They rank 22nd in opponents’ points per game and 28th in assists allowed to opponents. In addition, Bradley Beal is listed as questionable which could further increase the on-ball opportunities. Expect him to continue taking this sinking season personally and doing everything in his power to give the Suns a puncher’s chance. Look for him to record over 7.5 assists for the 27th time this season and for the ninth time in the past 10 games.
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 25.5 Points (+100)
The New York Knicks fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime last night with Jalen Brunson suffering a concerning-looking ankle injury. They will remain in Los Angeles again tonight this time to face the Clippers. The outlook for the Knicks greatly changes without Brunson. Expect this to put more offensive responsibility on the plate of Karl-Anthony Towns as he looks to bounce back from his 12-point and 3-for-12 shooting performance last night.
It has been a bit of a tough stretch for Towns after a stellar start to the season. Overall he is averaging 24.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 41.9% from beyond the three-point arc. Towns has recorded over 25.5 points in 22 games this season. This will be just the second game all season that Towns has played without Brunson on the floor. He finished with 31 points, 21 rebounds, and four assists although this matchup was against the Utah Jazz.
The Clippers will provide more defensive resistance as they rank fourth in opponents’ points per game and 10th in opponents’ field goal percentage. Even still, Towns’ perimeter ability will create some challenges with Ivica Zubac being far more comfortable when planted in the paint. This will be the first matchup between these two teams this season. Towns will have some additional shot opportunities without Brunson and this amount of shot volume bodes well for his point prop. Look for him to be in attack mode after a frustrating game last night and for Towns to make his way to over 25.5 points for the 23rd time this year.
