Nine games are set to take place across Wednesday’s NBA slate. Some key matchups hold a significant impact on the playoff outlook as well as the NBA lottery odds near the bottom of the standings.
Three games will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET. Headlining the day, the Boston Celtics will host the Oklahoma City Thunder as the odds-on favorites in each conference see how they measure up against each other for the second time this year. At the same time, the Toronto Raptors will be hosting the Philadelphia 76ers with both teams going to some extensive lengths on the injury report to minimize their chances of winning. Toronto holds a record of 22-43 on the season while Philadelphia is 22-42 on the year. At the same time, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Charlotte Hornets.
Starting at 8:00 p.m. ET, four games will tip off. Most notably, the Houston Rockets will face the Phoenix Suns while the Los Angeles Clippers play the Miami Heat. In addition, the Memphis Grizzlies will take on the Utah Jazz while the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs square off for the second straight game.
There will be a double-header of games in the late slate. Both tipping off at 10:00 p.m. ET, the New York Knicks will face the Portland Trail Blazers while the Denver Nuggets host the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for Wednesday’s slate.
Guerschon Yabusele Under 10.5 Points (-130)
There are some egregious levels of tanking set to take place in the matchup in Toronto tonight. Philadelphia has fully entered the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes and has a vested interest in maximizing their lottery odds. It should be noted that the Sixers’ draft pick this year is top-six protected meaning if it falls outside the top-six selections it will be sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a trade initially centered around Al Horford. Currently, the Sixers hold the seventh-worst record in the NBA at 22-42 while the Raptors are a half-game below them with a record of 22-43 on the season.
Both teams are fully aware of the stakes with the Raptors with all of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Ochai Agbaji, Brandon Ingram, Jonathan Mogbo, Ja’Kobe Walter, Gradey Dick, and Ulrich Chomche already ruled out. Scottie Barnes is also listed as questionable. Philadelphia will continue to be without their big three stars Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. In addition, Kyle Lowry, Jared McCain, and Eric Gordon remain out while Kelly Oubre Jr and Andre Drummond are listed as questionable.
Guerschon Yabusele is set to be available and has been one of the biggest bright spots on an otherwise disastrous season in Philadelphia. However, the Sixers have begun limiting Yabusele’s minutes and this should be expected to continue tonight. On the season, he is averaging 10.5 points per game across his 26.5 minutes of play. Yabusele has been held under 10.5 points in 36 of the 60 games he has played. He was limited to just 11:39 of game time against the Jazz and has not tallied over 10.5 points in any of the past three games. Yabusele also has been held under 10.5 points in nine of his last 11 games played. The Frenchman has slowed down a bit as the season has progressed with the NBA grind looking to take a toll on him. Between his tired legs and his opportunity being reduced with the stakes in mind, count on Yabusele being held under 10.5 points again tonight.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 6.5 Assists (-110)
A potential NBA Finals preview will be tipping off tonight as the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to face the Boston Celtics freshly off splitting a pair of matchups with the Denver Nuggets. The defending champions will be an intriguing measuring stick matchup for the Thunder who have a case for the most impressive team across the regular season thus far. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is at the heart of the team’s production and looks to be on his way to earning his first MVP award. On the season he is averaging a league-leading 32.7 points, 6.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.
It is important to note the Thunder will be without Jalen Williams tonight which changes the makeup of their offense a great deal. The Santa Clara product suffered a hip injury during the previous matchup that caused him to be removed from the game and could keep him out for a while beyond just tonight’s game. Williams has grown into the second option on this Thunder team and is adding 21.3 points per game. Without Williams as the second creator, it allows Boston’s defense to have a much clearer focus on Gilgeous-Alexander. Expect priority one for Boston to be looking to slow down the NBA’s leading scorer and for Gilgeous-Alexander to need to beat the defending champions as a passer.
On the season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 6.2 assists and has recorded over 6.5 assists in 29 games this season. This includes four of his last five games. The loss of Williams was seen in the second half of the Thunder’s back-to-back matchups with the Nuggets. Gilgeous-Alexander exploded for 40 points and was limited to five assists in the first matchup with Denver. In the second half of the back-to-back, defensive adjustments were made and Williams went down due to injury. He was limited to 25 points but added seven assists in the second game. Expect Boston to have a similar defensive technique throwing multiple bodies in his direction and forcing Gilgeous-Alexander to be effective as a passer. Count on the three-point looks for players like Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Joe to be a huge factor in this game and for Gilgeous-Alexander to log over 6.5 assists. He is effective in creating these looks and count on it being necessary in this game.
Bol Bol to Record Over 9.5 Points & Rebounds (-115)
The Phoenix Suns have been one of the more disappointing teams in the NBA this season and have desperately looking for a spark to give them a chance at the postseason. Bol Bol has been given a chance at this and provided some good minutes in recent games. On the season as a whole, Bol is averaging 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds across his 13.9 minutes per game. Across his past 15 games, Bol is averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21.3 minutes per game.
Phoenix has been the second-highest-scoring offense over their past five games. This has occurred while playing some respectable defenses and is encouraging in the Suns’ outlook. Tonight will be another tough matchup as they take on the Rockets. Houston ranks fourth in the league in opponents’ points per game and seventh in opponents’ rebounds allowed.
While the youthful, hard-nosed roster the Rockets possess is a concern, count on Bol Bol’s extended opportunity to continue. He is averaging just 13.9 minutes per game on the season, but Bol has tallied more than this in 11 of his last 15 games. He is a unique player but the talent is there for Bol. He has logged over 9.5 combined points and rebounds in 11 of his last 15 games. Look for his expanded opportunity to continue and for Bol to produce over 9.5 combined points and rebounds for the 12th time in the past 16 games. His skill set is unique but can be effective and look for him to have some success when slated against Alperen Sengun. Count on his floor spacing and 7-foot-8 wingspan to make an impact as he cruises past the number in this matchup.
Mikal Bridges Over 16.5 Points (-120)
In one of the final games of the night, the New York Knicks will face the Portland Trail Blazers. Jalen Brunson remains out for the Knicks and is expected to miss at least two weeks after suffering a sprained ankle against the Lakers. The rest of this Knicks team will need to make up for the 26.3 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.0 rebounds that Brunson provides. This is the reason the team went all-out this offseason trading for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns while coughing up a huge contract for OG Anunoby.
Bridges has underwhelmed on the larger scale of the season but has settled in as the year progressed. The Villanova product is averaging 17.2 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. Bridges has recorded over 16.5 points in 33 games this season and dropped 22 points in the first game following Brunson’s injury. New York will prepare to match up with this Trail Blazers team that has played at the sixth-quickest pace over the past 15 games. Opposing starting shooting guards are also shooting 51.5% against Portland this season which is the highest field goal percentage allowed in the NBA.
While Bridges does not always assert himself offensively as much as he should, count on him to step up with Brunson remaining sidelined. Initially looked at as a true bottom feeder on the season, Portland has turned things around and is a team opponents must bring their best effort against. This is especially the case for New York without Brunson. Bridges has tallied over 16.5 points in 51.6% of the games played this year and will have the chance to take on a far larger offensive role without Brunson. Look for him to be active across this game and finish with at least 17 points for the 34th time this season.
