With the NCAA Tournament on the horizon, a loaded slate of NBA games is taking place tonight. Eleven games will occur across the night as the NBA remains in center stage for the time being.
Starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Dallas Mavericks will play the Indiana Pacers while the Houston Rockets face the Orlando Magic. A half-hour later the Miami Heat will host the Detroit Pistons and are looking the snap their eight-game losing streak.
Three games will be tipping off at 8:00 p.m. ET as the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder square off, the San Antonio Spurs host the New York Knicks, and the New Orleans Pelicans play the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then, at 9:00 p.m. ET, the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards face off as Utah holds a one-game cushion over its opponent for the worst record in the NBA.
It is a busy night in the late slate with four games starting at 10:00 p.m. ET. Most notably, the Denver Nuggets will face the Los Angeles Lakers with both teams battling a rough stretch of injuries. In addition, the Memphis Grizzlies will play the Portland Trail Blazers, the Phoenix Suns will host the Chicago Bulls, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to play the Sacramento Kings.
Keep a close eye on the injury reports as the grind of the season has taken a toll around the league. With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for Wednesday’s slate.
Anthony Edwards Over 4.5 Rebounds (-140)
The Minnesota Timberwolves will face off with the New Orleans Pelicans who continue to deal with injuries. Trey Murphy III is the latest member of the team to be impacted as he has been shut down for the season due to a torn labrum. The NBA grind refuses to stop and the Pelicans will now face off against the surging Minnesota Timberwolves who are coming off an overtime loss to the Pacers that snapped their eight-game winning streak. While Julius Randle’s recent stretch of play deserves plenty of credit, Anthony Edwards is still the driving force of this team, so expect him to assert himself rebounding the basketball tonight.
On the season, Edwards is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game. He has recorded over 4.5 rebounds in 48 of the 67 games he has played this season, including logging nine rebounds in the first matchup against New Orleans. The three-time All-Star logs 36.4 minutes per game, ranking in the 98th percentile, so he will see plenty of opportunity on the floor.
In addition, Edwards will benefit from increased rebounding opportunities due to the pace of play. Minnesota ranks 10th in the NBA in pace over its last five home games while New Orleans has played at the sixth-fastest pace in the league over the past 25 games. Expect Edwards to welcome the challenge of this up-tempo matchup and be involved across this game. Count on him to pull in at least five rebounds tonight just as he has done in 71.6% of the games so far and in the previous matchup between these two teams.
Chet Holmgren Over 30.5 Points & Rebounds (-105)
If you are looking for which matchup will lead the league in the longest injury report, you should be flipping on the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers. Injuries have been the story of the Sixers’ season with Joel Embiid and Paul George already shut down for the season. In addition, Tyrese Maxey remains sidelined while Lonnie Walker IV, Kyle Lowry, Adem Bona, Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and Jared McCain are also out. Kelly Oubre Jr. is listed as doubtful. Oklahoma City is capitalizing on this opportunity to rest its more notable names with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Lu Dort already ruled out while Cason Wallace and Isaiah Hartenstein are listed as questionable.
Chet Holmgren does not crack this lengthy injury list and is expected to be active tonight. The Gonzaga product has dealt with his own injury issues this season and suited up for just 22 total games this season. These issues have prevented him from fully finding his stride as Holmgren is averaging 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game this season. The Rookie of the Year runner-up has taken a step back in statistical production with the growth of the surrounding players and injuries being the driving force.
Tonight presents a great opportunity for Holmgren to kick off the rust and look like the best player on the floor. Quentin Grimes is set to run the show for the Sixers, who have lost 18 of their past 22 games. Philadelphia is extremely limited in the frontcourt and Holmgren will benefit from this. Even amid his struggles, he has recorded over 30.5 combined points and rebounds in six games this season. Look for him to make the most of an expanded offensive opportunity and an inferior opponent by recording over 30.5 combined points and rebounds again tonight.
Ryan Dunn Under 12.5 Points (-145)
The Phoenix Suns continue to limp to the finish line of the season with a concerning future outlook. They are 7-16 in their past 23 games and have no control over their future draft picks for the next few seasons. While Ryan Dunn has been far from the problem with this Suns team, he has not been a solution either. The Virginia product entered the NBA with questions about his ability as a shooter and these have proven to be fair concerns. Overall, Dunn is averaging 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds across his 17.4 minutes per game.
Dunn has been held under 12.5 points in 50 of the 61 games he has played this season. His player prop has spiked as Dunn eclipsed 12.5 in each of the past three games, recording scoring outputs of 16, 13 and 17. Bradley Beal remains out for the Suns, which keeps the floor open for an expanded role for Dunn.
While the recent stretch of scoring is encouraging, expect Dunn to return to his normal self tonight. On the season, he is shooting just 42.7% from the field and 30.2% from beyond the three-point arc. He will also face a Bulls team that has held opposing small forwards to just 23.9% from beyond the three-point arc on the season, which is the worst rate in the league. Phoenix has also played at the fourth-slowest pace across its past 15 home games. There is still no true foundation for what Dunn relies on offensively and he must be active in transition and on the offensive glass for a strong scoring output. Expect his scoring opportunities to return closer to the norm tonight and for Dunn to be held under 12.5 points for the 51st time across the 62 games he has played.
Christian Braun Over 4.5 Rebounds (+124)
The Denver Nuggets are set to face the Los Angeles Lakers tonight with both teams battling some notable injuries. These two teams faced off earlier this week with Denver producing a 131-126 victory, although the Lakers were without just about all of their notable players. While LeBron James remains out for tonight’s matchup, Luka Doncic is expected to return to the floor. Denver has more uncertainty on its injury report with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Christian Braun each holding questionable tags. Braun missed the previous game with a foot injury but the belief seems to be he will be available tonight.
Assuming Braun can play, expect a huge output from him tonight. While the over 20.5 combined points, rebounds and assists also caught my eye, taking advantage of the plus value on over 4.5 rebounds feels like a great bet. Braun has played himself into a huge part of this Nuggets team, clocking 33.5 minutes per game and averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.
The lack of production at the center position has been a notable weakness for the Lakers and one to continue to monitor moving forward. Braun attacks the glass and has recorded over 4.5 rebounds in 36 of the 67 games he has played. Denver plays at the fifth-fastest pace of play in the NBA, which should lead to increased opportunities for rebounds. Braun has recorded over 4.5 rebounds in 18 of the past 24 games and in one of the two matchups with the Lakers thus far. His energy level and activity have especially popped as of late so look for Braun to be one of the most active players on the boards in this game and record over 4.5 rebounds once again tonight.
