Night two of the NBA Cup has arrived and is jam-packed with a 12-game slate of action.
Tuesday’s opening night lived up to the hype, with a Steph Curry signature performance putting away Klay Thompson and the Mavericks as the exclamation point. While no game tonight will carry as significant of sentimental value, only one matchup holds a point spread of over 10 points — signifying some thrilling basketball is incoming.
The Cavaliers are a team to watch, no matter who they play. They look to improve to 14-0 as they face the Chicago Bulls for the second time this season. The Heat and Pacers will also play, but Miami will be without Jimmy Butler. The Knicks and Nets will play their New York City rivalry, while Victor Wembanyama look to build off his 50-point performance with a matchup against Anthony Davis and the Lakers. The Suns and Thunder, two of the best teams in the Western Conference, will face off as both teams battle injuries. Lastly, Curry will look to replicate his performance from Tuesday as the Warriors face the Grizzlies tonight.
You can check out each matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my favorite player props for November 15.
Paul George Over 20.5 Points (-120)
The Philadelphia 76ers are set to face off with the Orlando Magic in what will be Paul George’s sixth game with the team and second time sharing the floor with Joel Embiid. This will also mark the first game that George is officially off a minutes restriction after working his way back from a bone bruise sustained in preseason.
George has not logged more than 33:14 of game time in any of the five games thus far and is averaging 29.2 minutes per game overall. The nine-time All-Star has averaged 33.6 minutes per game in his career and played 33.8 minutes per game last season, so he should see some expanded opportunity. In the five games he has played thus far, he has scored 15, 18, nine, 15 and 29.
The 29-point performance occurred on Tuesday in George’s first game playing alongside Embiid. While the superstar center looked far from sharp, George benefitted greatly from the gravity he commanded and the spacing provided by having another All-Star on the floor. The Sixers will also continue to be without Tyrese Maxey which leaves an opportunity for additional shot attempts. George averaged over 20.5 points per game in 10 different seasons and is beginning to find his stride with the Sixers. Expect this to continue tonight and for George to eclipse 20.5 points for the second consecutive game as he sees the most minutes thus far in his Sixers tenure.
Mikal Bridges Over 22.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-125)
The Brooklyn Nets are set to face off with their in-state rival the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden on Friday. This also will mark Mikal Bridges’ first time facing his former team after the Knicks traded acquired the Villanova product this summer.
It has not been the best start to Bridges’ Knicks tenure as the team is still figuring out how the new pieces fit together. Bridges is averaging 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game through 11 games. Even still, he has eclipsed 22.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists in six of the 11 games thus far.
Expect Bridges to be in attack mode against his former team and begin to make a bigger impact. Both Miles McBride and Karl-Anthony Towns are listed as questionable while Jalen Brunson continues to battle through an ankle injury which should only give Bridges more opportunities. He is a more impactful basketball player than he has shown thus far and this is a great matchup for him to prove this. Expect Bridges to get revenge on his former team and to record over 22.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in this matchup.
Jusuf Nurkic Over 11.5 Rebounds (-130)
The Phoenix Suns are set to face off with Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. While it should be noted that Jusuf Nurkic is currently listed as questionable due to an ankle sprain, he is in for a major day if he can suit up and play.
The Thunder are extremely thin at the big man position following Chet Holmgren’s hip injury which will keep him out for at least the next two months. This comes while Oklahoma City has already been without Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams due to each sustaining injuries as well. The Thunder have been forced to lean on some small-ball lineups which have left the door open for opposing big men to produce impressive rebounding outputs. Ivica Zubac went for 14 rebounds in the first game without Holmgren while James Harden added 11 of his own. In addition, the Pelicans out-rebounded the Thunder 58-31 on Wednesday.
Nurkic is averaging 10.3 rebounds per game in 24.2 minutes of play this season. He has eclipsed 11.5 rebounds in four games already and this is a great matchup for the Bosnian Beast to continue this. Look for him to be active on the boards from start to finish and impose himself with his rebounding ability. Oklahoma City does not have a match for his size and physicality, so Nurkic should be a major factor in this game.
Tobias Harris Under 1.5 Made Three-Pointers (-135)
The Detroit Pistons are off to a 5-8 start to the season as they attempt to shift out of their rebuild and into a more competitive future. Part of this game plan was handing Tobias Harris a two-year, $52 million contract this summer, but it has not played out the way the team had hoped. The veteran forward is averaging 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting just 29.1 percent from beyond the three-point arc in 13 games.
Detroit is set to face off with the Toronto Raptors who are in a similar spot as an organization. The Raptors are just 2-10 on the season, but five of these games have been eight-point losses or less. The Raptors have several intriguing young talents who play with high effort and can be bothersome on the perimeter. Toronto ranks 10th in the league in opponent three-point percentage.
Looking at Harris, he has made over 1.5 three-points in just four of the 13 games. While his 29.1% three-point percentage will increase as the season continues, the early results have not been promising. Harris also has not attempted the volume of three-point shots the team likely desires. His 4.2 three-point attempts rank fifth on the Pistons so far this year. Don’t expect there to be enough volume or efficiency for Harris to succeed in this matchup. Expect the veteran to continue to underwhelm statistically as Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and the other young talents in Detroit take most of the scoring opportunities.
Kevin Huerter Under 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-130)
The Kings are set to host the Minnesota Timberwolves in one of the two games on the late slate. Sacramento is off to a 7-5 start to the season and has benefitted from the offseason addition of DeMar DeRozan. Kevin Huerter has taken a step back as a result. He is averaging 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting just 33.9 percent from beyond the arc. He is averaging 38.1 percent on three-pointers throughout his career.
Minnesota is loaded with lengthy and athletic perimeter defenders that will give Huerter trouble. The Timberwolves rank seventh in the NBA in opponents’ three-point percentage this year at 34.4 percent. Teams have limited Huerter to under 2.5 three-pointers made in seven of the 10 games he’s played in this season. This includes three games in which he did not make any three-pointers shooting a combined 0-11 on long-range attempts.
Huerter will eventually settle in as the team is still adjusting to DeRozan’s addition to the rotation. This matchup is not one that the Maryland product should be expected to break out in. Look for Huerter to remain under 2.5 made three-pointers for the eighth times this season.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
