In a Texas-sized matchup in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs host the Houston Rockets in the first game of the Prime Video doubleheader this Friday, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Spurs are 5-2 after losing two games in a row on the road to the Suns and Lakers. The Rockets are also 5-2 after winning five straight games, including a big one over the Grizzlies on Wednesday.
This matchup is also part of NBA Cup Group Play, which could mean more playing time for the key players in the rotation. On the injury report, the Rockets listed Steven Adams (hip) as questionable, while Jeremy Sochan (wrist) and Kelly Olynyk (heel) are questionable for the Spurs.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Houston is favored on the road by 3.5 points, with the game total set at 223.5 points. In addition to the main game line, DraftKings Sportsbook has numerous player prop bets for Friday night’s matchup. In this post, I’ll take a look at a few of my favorites.
Let’s dive in.
Rockets vs. Spurs Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Amen Thompson Over 16.5 Points (-103)
Thompson started the season a little slowly, but he has stepped up during the team’s recent surge. He has gone over this scoring line in each of his last four games and is coming off his best game of the season on Wednesday.
Against the Grizzlies, he dropped a season-high 28 points and added 10 rebounds and seven assists for good measure.
Thompson has played at least 39 minutes in three of his last four games and is getting plenty of run and opportunities. The third-year player averaged 14.1 points last season while breaking into the everyday lineup, and he looks ready to take it to another level this season. He’ll be in a tough matchup against the Spurs athletic backcourt, but I still like him to score at least 17 points and go over this scoring prop at just about even money.
Victor Wembanyama Over 5.5 Blocks + Steals (+112)
Wembanyama’s offense has been impressive but inconsistent this season, yet as he comes home, he should continue to consistently put up strong defensive numbers.
Wemby’s defensive counting stats (steals + blocks) are impressive even when his offense is a little off. He is averaging 4.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, and he has gone over this blocks and steals line in three of his last six starts. He had five blocks and a steal against the Heat in his last home game and six blocks and three steals against the Nets at home earlier this season.
Normally taking anyone to get at least six blocks or steals would be way too high a total even at plus money, but with Wembanyama and the young Spurs looking to make a statement against the Rockets, he should be poised for a lockdown defensive evening, whether he scores a ton of points or not. I’ll take his defensive player prop in this one, especially since he should get his full playing time in the NBA Cup contest.
Kevin Durant Under 2.5 3PM (-136)
The Spurs defense has been very strong against power forwards this season, and Durant hasn’t been taking (or making) a ton of three-pointers in his first few weeks with Houston.
Durant is shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, but only averaging 1.7 made threes per game. He has stayed under this prop in five of his seven games, and he has four three-point attempts or fewer in five of his seven games, as well. Against the Grizzlies, KD went just 1-for-2 from long range, and on Monday against the Mavs he went just 2-for-8.
He could stay under this number by not taking many threes or by not making the ones he does take, but either way, I like the odds here of him staying under the 3PM line against the Spurs, who have allowed the fewest fantasy points to power forwards this season.
