The NBA has seven games on the scoreboard this Friday as a nice prelude to the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday. In one of Friday night’s matchups, a pair of struggling teams with some exciting young players will meet in Memphis, as the Grizzlies host the Utah Jazz at 8 p.m. ET. Neither team has been able to get back to .500, but each has a few interesting players who are fun to watch, so let’s take a look at my favorite player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook from Friday night’s matchup.
In the big picture, the Grizzlies are 7.5-point home favorites, with the game total set at an elevated 243.5.
The Jazz are just 8-15 on the season but have gone 3-3 in their last six games. They last played Sunday when they lost big at home to the Thunder. The Grizzlies have looked much better lately, winning five of their last six games and seven of their last nine to climb back to 11-13 on the season. They are 6-6 at home after beating the Clippers last Friday and the Trail Blazers last Sunday.
Let’s dive into this Western Conference matchup and check out some player prop bets to target.
Jazz vs. Grizzlies Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Ja Morant Over 6.5 assists (-124)
The big news for the Grizzlies is that Ja Morant (calf) is probable on Friday after missing 10 games. He has only played one game since Nov. 11 and reinjured his calf in only six minutes against the Cavs on Nov. 15. While he could need some time to ramp up, he should be able to get over this assist line — especially in a favorable matchup against the Jazz, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to point guards and don’t usually offer much defensive resistance.
Morant has played 12 games this season and is averaging 7.6 assists per game. Aside from his early departure against the Cavs, he has reached at least seven assists in each of his last nine games.
Even if he isn’t ready for his full minutes or to take on much of the scoring load, he should be able to operate the offense at a high enough rate to go over this assist prop in his return.
Kyle Filipowski over 20.5 Points + Rebounds (-114)
Filipowski has been turning in solid numbers lately after a slow start to his sophomore season in the NBA. He went off on Sunday with 21 points and 10 rebounds in one of his best games of the season, but that was with Lauri Markkanen out against the Thunder. Markkanen will be back for this game, but Filipowski will still look to build on that success.
He’s averaging only 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds for 16.0 points and rebounds per contest this season, but he has topped the 20.5 mark in two of his last three games.
With more playing time and usage, he has been turning in much better numbers lately, and he could eventually pick up more work from Jusuf Nurkic as the season goes on.
Jock Landale 12+ Points (-120)
Although the Grizzlies will likely get Morant back, they’ll be without starting center Zach Edey (ankle), who will be reevaluated in about four weeks since he’s dealing with a stress reaction in his left ankle. Without Edey, Landale will likely get increased playing time in the next few weeks.
The 30-year-old from Australia started the first 13 games of the season for the Grizzlies, working with Morant for many of those games. He averaged 10.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 24.8 minutes per game in his starting role, and he scored at least 12 points in four of his last 10 starts.
Landale has been making the most of his minutes lately, averaging 12.7 points per game in 17.2 minutes per game over his last nine contests. With more minutes flowing his way, he should be able to maintain or even increase that scoring, especially in a great matchup against the Jazz frontcourt.
In his last outing on Sunday, Landale had 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench in a similarly favorable matchup against the Blazers. While it will be a new rotation for Landale, I like his potential to go over this scoring line on Friday night.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Vince Williams Jr. under 14.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-127)
If you’re looking for a fourth leg for your Same Game Parlay or SGPx, you can add in this Williams prop to push your parlay to +750, as you can see below.
Williams has been under this PRA (points, rebounds, and assists) line in three of his last four games, including each of his last two, when he managed just eight and seven PRA. With Morant back to take on more work, Williams’ role could shrink as well, so he should be safe to play under this line on Friday.
SGP odds: +750
