Eight games of NBA action are taking place across today’s Monday slate. This includes an Eastern Conference battle between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets hosting the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets facing the Philadelphia 76ers without Nikola Jokic, and the Golden State Warriors facing the Los Angeles Clippers.
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action across DraftKings Sportsbook. This article will look at my three favorite NBA prop bets across tonight’s slate.
Duncan Robinson Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-158)
The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks will face off tonight in a battle between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. There is also a sense of rivalry due to the Knicks’ elimination of the Pistons in last year’s postseason. Both sides have made respectable cases for why they should be viewed as the conference favorites, and it will be a great test for each side. The biggest area the Pistons will look to exploit New York in this matchup is at the three-point line. The Knicks have been vulnerable from this area of the floor all year, ranking 25th in the league in three-point attempts allowed and 23rd in opponents’ three-point percentage.
Count on Duncan Robinson to exploit this. The former Heat standout leads the Pistons with 7.2 three-point attempts per game and is connecting at a 38% rate. Robinson is averaging 2.7 made three-pointers per game and has connected with over 2.5 perimeter shots in 21 of the 33 games played this year.
Robinson was brought in this offseason to replace Malik Beasley after he finished second in the NBA in total three-pointers made last season. Beasley attempted 9.3 long-range shots per game and connected at a 41.6% rate. This floor spacing role is a necessity in the Detroit offense, and Robinson is perfectly capable of filling these shoes. Expect the Knicks to prioritize sending bodies at Cade Cunningham, and for Robinson to find some open three-point looks throughout. The -158 odds are a bit steep, but it also may be worth taking the +140 odds on DraftKings of Robinson knocking down 4+ three-pointers, as he has done in 10 games this season. This is a great matchup for the sniper, and expect the Pistons to make it a priority to create looks for Robinson.
Joel Embiid Over 24.5 Points (-124)
The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Denver Nuggets tonight, but the injury to Nikola Jokic will prevent us from seeing the MVP showdown between him and Joel Embiid. The injury bug has not been kind to the Nuggets of late, with Jonas Valanciunas joining Jokic on the extended injury list, along with Cam Johnson. Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun made their return from extended injuries in last night’s game, but this resulted in a loss to the Brooklyn Nets. This also means the Nuggets will be suiting up for the second half of a back-to-back.
Embiid is no stranger to injury conversations in his own right, but sits on the opposite side of this outlook for now. The former MVP is officially listed as probable for tonight and is in line to play four consecutive games for the first time all season. Even more encouraging than just his availability, Embiid has increasingly looked like himself in recent games. He has scored 22+ points in seven consecutive games entering tonight, including 26 against the Knicks in the previous game, 34 against the Grizzlies, and 39 against the Pacers over the past few weeks. Embiid’s movement and confidence have looked notably improved, and the production is backing it up.
Expect him to be in attack mode tonight against a Nuggets team that has its defensive flaws even at full strength. With Jokic and Valanciunas sidelined, count on Embiid having his way on the interior and getting to the free-throw line at a high rate against some of the more inexperienced defensive options. The Sixers’ star is also motivated by the noise and skepticism. He will be thrilled to put on a show without Jokic on the floor after the years of accusations of Embiid ducking him in Denver. Even at this stage of his career and injury history, Embiid can sleepwalk to 25 points on a nightly basis. Expect him to have no trouble doing so against a Nuggets team with little interior presence.
Stephen Curry Over 27.5 Points (-109)
In the later slate tonight, the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers will face off as the two oldest rosters in the league. Both teams have underwhelmed to start the season, sitting at 8th and 12th place in the Western Conference, and are hoping to get hot at the right time to earn some sort of playoff chance. Stephen Curry is the largest reason to have any sort of belief in Golden State, with the 11-time All-Star still proving he can play at an extremely high level. Curry is averaging 28.8 points and 4.3 assists, while leading the NBA with 4.8 made three-pointers per game on a league-leading 12.1 perimeter attempts.
Los Angeles ranks 10th in the league in opponents’ points allowed, 16th in opponents’ three-point attempts, and 27th in opponents’ three-point percentage this season. Their aging roster is limited on options for players willing and capable of chasing Curry around screens at the rate he moves off-ball. This is especially the case following the injury to Derrick Jones Jr.
It was a nightmare game for the Warriors in the first matchup between these two teams. Golden State was limited to just 79 points as a team in the loss, with Curry providing 19 of these. Plenty has changed for both sides since this October 28th matchup, and don’t expect this to be replicated from Curry individually or this Warriors team tonight.
Curry is coming off a 31-point performance in the previous game against the Jazz and has tallied over 27.5 points in 13 of his 26 games this season. This includes 10 of his last 17, and as many s 49 points scored in a game over this stretch. The Warriors will still only go as far as Curry will take them, and he is proving to still be capable of this. Count on him having plenty of long-range chances and to have success shaking free with his off-ball motion throughout. Back Curry to record over 27.5 points for the 14th time this season in this friendly matchup between these veteran teams.
