The NBA has six games on the scoreboard for Friday night, including the Los Angeles Clippers taking their annual trip to Toronto to take on the Raptors. Some key players will be missing, though, including Kawhi Leonard (ankle), RJ Barrett (ankle), and potentially Immanuel Quickley (back), who is doubtful. Ivica Zubac (ankle) and John Collins (groin) are questionable. Let’s focus on the players who will be on the court, though, and find some solid player prop bets to consider.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Raptors are narrow, 1.5-point home favorites, with the point total set at 212.5, the lowest of all the games on the board this Friday.
The Raptors are 25-17 this season after winning five of their last seven games, including a 14-point win in Indiana on Wednesday. The Clippers have been even hotter lately, winning 11 of their last 13 games, including four straight. They beat the Hornets and Wizards to start the week, but this will be the first game they have to play since November without Leonard.
Let’s take a look at this matchup and find a few player prop bets that make sense for Friday night’s contest.
Clippers vs. Raptors Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Brandon Ingram over 34.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-115)
While he doesn’t have much of a reputation for durability, Quickley has only missed two games all season. He missed a game against the Knicks on Dec. 9, and missed Wednesday’s game against the Pacers. Ingram has stepped up and helped carry the load in both of those games, posting 43 PRA (points, rebounds and assists) against the Knicks and 41 PRA against the Pacers.
Ingram had 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Wednesday’s win, which was just his second game back after missing two games with a right thumb sprain. He had 34 PRA against the Sixers with a near triple-double in his first game back on Monday.
Aside from the game he left after only 11 minutes with his injury, Ingram has posted at least 34 PRA in six of his last eight games, so expecting him to get to 35 PRA without Quickley and Barrett makes a lot of sense, especially since the Clippers could be extremely short-handed.
Jamal Shead over 19.5 Points + Assists (-106)
Shead started the two games that Quickley missed for the Raptors. Against the Knicks, he had 18 points and eight assists to go over this prop line, but on Wednesday, Shead only had seven points and six assists (13 points and assists). He shot just 2-for-9 (22%) from the field and 1-for-6 (17%) from long-range, though, so the chances of a bounce-back performance are there.
Wednesday’s start was actually Shead’s third straight game in the staring five, and he went over this prop line in two of his last four games while helping to fill in for Barrett.
With Quickley likely missing a second straight and Barrett still out, Shead should be able to get to at least 20 points and assists with extra work coming his way.
John Collins over 14.5 points (-126)
As noted in the intro, Collins is questionable for this contest, but if he plays, he could step into a more active scoring role with Leonard already ruled out.
Collins missed Wednesday’s game after scoring just three points on Monday in the Clippers’ win over the Hornets. Before that, though, the veteran starter had been a big part of the Clippers’ recent success. He scored at least 15 points in five straight games before that down game Monday, averaging 19.8 points in 32.8 minutes per game, all while starting next to Leonard.
Looking back further, Collins has averaged 15.2 points per game since Dec. 1, going over this prop line in 10 of his 17 games (59%). If he is able to return, he may be a bigger part of the offense without Leonard, giving him a solid shot to end up with over this prop line.
James Harden under 27.5 points (-108)
With so much uncertainty across the rotation, Harden will likely have to take on most of the offense if the Raptors keep it close. However, this game is expected to be so low-scoring that it’s hard to see him getting 28 points. He hasn’t scored 28 points or more in 16 straight games against the Raptors, dating back to 2021 when he was in Brooklyn. He has gone under this prop in six of his last eight games, and the Clippers could end up using this as a “punt” spot since they’re dealing with so many injuries. The Raptors will also key their solid defense on Harden, and even if the Clippers do keep it close, it may be more due to Harden’s assists and creation rather than his scoring.
If you’re looking to use these props to create a Same Game Parlay (SGP) or as part of an SPGx, adding in the under on Harden’s points takes you to an even +1000.
