Eight games will be taking place across the Sunday NBA slate with the action getting started early.
A doubleheader of games starts at 1:00 p.m. ET as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Orlando Magic while whatever is left of the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers’ rosters will face off at the same time. Then, at 3:30 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Phoenix Suns. Luka Doncic is listed as probable for this game after missing the previous matchup while LeBron James continues to recover from his groin issue.
Two games will take place at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Toronto Magic and Portland Trail Blazers will face off with both teams playing at an improved level and winning at a greater rate as of late. At the same time, the Brooklyn Nets will host the Atlanta Hawks. At 7:00 p.m. ET, the Minnesota Timberwolves will host the Utah Jazz while the Charlotte Hornets face the Los Angeles Clippers. The lone late game will be played at 9:00 p.m. ET, taking place between the Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back.
With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for Sunday’s slate.
Trae Young Under 25.5 Points (-115)
The Atlanta Hawks will take on the Brooklyn Nets tonight who continue to play with a spirited effort despite their place in the standings. Just this week, the Nets narrowly lost 109-104 to the Cleveland Cavaliers and 115-113 to the Boston Celtics last night. The youthful Brooklyn roster commits on the defensive end of the floor and ranks 10th in opponent points allowed while giving up the fourth-fewest three-point attempts per game.
Trae Young is at the epicenter of everything the Hawks do on offense. The four-time All-Star is averaging 23.9 points, a league-leading 11.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. While he is at the heart of the Hawks’ production, Young has been held under 25.5 points in 37 of the 62 games he has played this season (59.7%). Though he did score 30 points during the October matchup with this Nets team, Young has been held under this number in six of his last nine games.
Brooklyn has played at the slowest pace of play in the NBA this season. This limited the number of offensive opportunities and it is worth noting no scorer on the Celtics tallied more than 24 points last night. Expect Young to be at the top of the Nets’ defensive focus and for an effort to be made to get the ball out of his hands. The Nets deserve credit for their continued defensive effort and expect this to be evident tonight. Count on Young being held to under 25.5 points for the 38th time this season and seventh time in the past 10 games as Brooklyn digs in on this side of the floor.
Julius Randle Over 32.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-110)
Don’t look now but the Minnesota Timberwolves are surging in the late stages of the season with the playoffs on the horizon. They have moved to 39-29 on the season and have won each of the last 12 games that Julius Randle has suited up for. There was plenty of frustration brought on by the decision to trade Karl-Anthony Towns before the season with Randle as the most notable part of the return. However, the three-time All-Star has settled in and is finding his stride this season.
Overall, Randle is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on the season. In the seven games since returning from injury, he has taken on a more prominent playmaking role and is averaging 19.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists during this stretch. Randle has tallied over 32.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in 19 games this season, including in the previous matchup with the Magic.
Minnesota will host the Utah Jazz tonight who have made their disinterest in winning clear with their recent roster decisions. The organization was recently fined for violations of the player participation policy and has made it common to rest its best players in the second halves of games. Minnesota will welcome this game plan and still needs to reach its peak as a team before the playoffs arrive. Count on Randle having his way on the interior and serving as the primary hub of the offense for stretches. He is playing at an impressive level lately and expect this to carry into this matchup with an inferior opponent by logging over 32.5 combined points, rebounds and assists for the second straight game.
Kyle Kuzma Over 19.5 Points & Rebounds (-125)
There were some frustrations brought on by the decision to trade Khris Middleton at the deadline in a deal that brought back Kyle Kuzma. While Middleton’s importance to the franchise was evident, Kuzma has brought a necessary spark with his production. Across his first 17 games in Milwaukee, Kuzma is averaging 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game. Though it should be noted that Kuzma has been added to the injury report with an illness, expect him to perform if he is out there.
The Bucks are set to face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. This is an intimidating matchup regardless, but this is a decent spot to face the Western Conference favorites as they are on the second night of a tough back-to-back. The Thunder ultimately defeated the Detroit Pistons 113-107 but required a 48-point effort from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander across 38 minutes of game time.
Milwaukee has produced the fifth-highest scoring offense in the NBA over the past 20 games and ranks fifth in pace of play across its past 25 games. The Thunder have cracked the top five in pace over their past 10 games so expect some increased opportunities for scoring and for Kuzma to benefit from this. Kuzma has tallied over 19.5 combined points and rebounds in nine of his 17 games with the Bucks so far. Expect him to benefit from some tired legs the Thunder will have and for Kuzma’s activity to pave the way to reaching 20+ points and rebounds tonight.
Chet Holmgren Over 15.5 Points (-120)
On the other side of this matchup, look for Chet Holmgren to make an effort to assert himself offensively. The 7-footer missed last night’s game due to rest and will be needed tonight. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the most durable stars in the league but looked notably worn down by the end of last night’s impressive scoring output. With Jalen Williams remaining sidelined with his hip issue, Holmgren will need to scale up his offensive role tonight.
On the season, Holmgren is averaging 15.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. The decreased scoring production from the 16.5 he averaged last year has far more to do with the growth of players surrounding him than any regression on Holmgren’s end. He has tallied over 15.5 points in nine of the 21 games he has played so far, including four of his past eight.
Milwaukee ranks 13th in the NBA in opponent points per game. Holmgren’s ability to stretch the floor will be huge in this matchup as both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez are most comfortable when protecting the rim. Opposing starting power forwards attempt the seventh-most three-point shots per game against the Bucks and Holmgren has connected on 1.8 three-point shots per game across his past five road games. He will also be impacted by the up-tempo pace the Bucks play at and Holmgren is more than capable of putting the ball on the floor in transition and attacking himself. Injuries have prevented Holmgren from finding his full stride this season but look for him to continue getting back on track tonight by recording over 15.5 points.
