The middle game of Martin Luther King Jr. Day’s NBA on NBC triple-header features the Dallas Mavericks rolling into New York City to meet the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. ET. The Knicks are 10.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 230.5 points.
The Knicks are looking to get back on track after dropping three straight games and eight of their last 10, a brutal stretch compounded by Jalen Brunson’s ankle injury on Wednesday. Still, New York holds a 25-17 record and sits at third in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, the Mavs are just 17-26 and rank 12th in the West. Dallas is coming off back-to-back home wins against the Jazz and is 5-3 over its last eight contests.
The Knicks won their first meeting in Dallas by two points in November.
The Knicks, who won their first meeting in Dallas in November, could get Jalen Brunson back from injury against his former team — but the Mavericks will continue to be shorthanded for the matchup.
Let’s take a closer look at who’s available and find some great player prop bets to consider for Monday’s contest.
Mavericks vs. Knicks Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
OG Anunoby Over 25.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-117)
OG Anunoby can be a little volatile with his production, but he’s stepped up for the Knicks as both Brunson and Josh Hart nurse their ankle injuries. Hart missed eight consecutive games from late December to mid-January with an ankle injury and was also held out on Saturday, when Brunson missed his second straight game.
That night against the Suns, Anunoby elevated his game and delivered 12 points, eight assists, and five rebounds for a total of 34 points, rebounds, and assists (PRA) across 39 minutes. On Thursday against the Warriors, with Brunson sidelined, Anunoby had 30 PRA.
He has gone over this PRA total in six of his last nine games, and even if Hart and Brunson are back, he should stay aggressive enough to exceed this modest prop line.
Dwight Powell Over 6.5 rebounds (-136)
Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II are all out for the Mavericks, leaving Dwight Powell, Moussa Cisse, and the recently added Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to command the frontcourt.
Powell has only averaged 14 minutes per game this season, but he played 35 minutes last week against Brooklyn, 25 minutes against the Jazz on Thursday, and 27 minutes in Saturday’s rematch against Utah. He surpassed this rebounding prop in all three contests.
He’s not the most dynamic offensive presence, but he has a strong chance to grab at least seven rebounds in an elevated role on Monday night.
Max Christie Over 12.5 points (-126)
Christie returned to the Mavs after a two-game absence and scored 22 points in 26 minutes against the Jazz on Saturday. He took 13 shots, which is well above his average of 8.9 field goal attempts per game.
With all the confirmed absences for Dallas, Christie has a strong chance to exceed his season average, which comes right in at 12.5 points. His role would increase even more if Cooper Flagg (questionable) returns. But even if Flagg plays, Christie should see enough work to surpass this prop line.
He scored 15 points against the Knicks earlier this season, and he has a great opportunity to exceed the prop again on Monday for the shorthanded Mavericks.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Mikal Bridges Under 25.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-111)
If you’re looking to build a Same Game Parlay (SGP) in this matchup in the Big Apple or put together an SGPx that spans multiple games, I like the under on Bridges’ PRA as a solid correlation pick to Anunoby’s over. If OG has a big game, it’s less likely that Bridges will go over his prop line — especially if either Brunson or Hart returns. If the game gets lopsided, he’ll also likely end up under this prop line.
Even with all the absences, Bridges has fallen below 25.5 PRA in six of his last eight games, including three straight. While he logged 27 PRA against the Mavs earlier this season, he did it with Anunoby sidelined.
Adding the under on Bridges’ PRA brings this Parlay to a solid +850 as you can see below:
