Following a jam-packed 10-game slate of games yesterday, there are just four NBA games on the schedule tonight. This also comes ahead of a loaded 11-game schedule tomorrow in which the NBA Cup group stage will continue.
While this likely will not be one of the more memorable nights of the NBA season, basketball is still basketball.
The first matchup tonight will occur between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat as Boston attempts to bounce back from a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night. Next, the New Orleans Pelicans will attempt to return to form after their 118-85 dismantling by the New York Knicks last night and will face the Atlanta Hawks tonight. The Lakers will also play the Timberwolves and the Nets will tip off against the Bulls.
You can check out each matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook, but here are my favorite player props for December 2nd.
Jalen Johnson Over 19.5 Points (-125)
The Atlanta Hawks are set to face off with the New Orleans Pelicans. Despite the lofty expectations entering the season, injuries have just about entirely de-railed New Orleans’ campaign. While they are gradually shifting towards getting healthy, New Orleans has spent several games with more salary money committed to players on the injury report compared to the players on the court. Heading into tonight’s matchup, Zion Williamson remains out with his hamstring injury for the foreseeable future. Jose Alvarado also remains sidelined while Brandon Ingram, Herb Jones, and Jordan Hawkins were ruled out of yesterday’s matchup and seem unlikely to play tonight. Keep an eye on the official injury report as tip-off gets closer.
One player sure to be on the floor for this matchup is Jalen Johnson. The fourth-year Hawks forward has taken a notable leap forward in his development this season, averaging 20.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. Johnson has scored 20+ points in each of the past five games and has a great opportunity to build off this against a disappointing Pelicans defense. New Orleans ranks 23rd in opponent points per game this season and 27th in defensive efficiency.
In addition, Atlanta has been playing at the quickest tempo in the NBA over the past 10 games. New Orleans ranks fifth in pace over this same period while Atlanta also is the third-best offensive rebounding team over the last 10 games. Johnson has reached this number in 13 of the 20 games this season. With an increased tempo of play and poor defense to match up with, expect this trend to continue and for the Most Improved Candidate to eclipse 19.5 points tonight.
Jimmy Butler Over 17.5 Points (-120)
Editor’s note: Jimmy Butler has since been ruled out of tonight’s game due to right knee soreness.
The Boston Celtics will be eager to get back on the court after the Cleveland Cavaliers got their revenge last night. Boston was the first team to take down the Cavs this year, snapping their 15-0 start, but Cleveland got their revenge to even up the season series at 1-1. Boston has a chance to get back in the win column against the Miami Heat tonight.
The Heat enter this game with a 9-9 record and are still finding their direction. Jimmy Butler has been a primary reason for this uncertainty. The six-time All-Star is averaging 18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while playing just 31.9 minutes per game. This marks his fewest minutes played since the 2012-13 season with the Chicago Bulls, and there have been stretches of inconsistent effort and production when he has been on the court.
While Butler is near the top of the list of the least predictable stars, he is beginning to get on the path to normalcy. Butler has played 33 or more minutes in five of the six games since he returned from injury. He also has scored 23 or more points in four of these six games. Butler has had success when facing Boston in recent years as well. In addition to some of the memorable playoff outbursts, he has scored 20+ points in his last six regular-season matchups with the Celtics. Expect him to continue snapping out of his slow start to the year and smell blood in the water against the defending champions. Count on Butler to record over 17.5 points for the ninth time out of the 15 games he has played this year.
LeBron James Under 22.5 Points (-105)
The Los Angeles Lakers are on the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Utah Jazz last night. While LeBron James broke out for 27 points and 14 assists in the victory, this is an outlier based on his recent scoring outputs. On the season overall, James is averaging 22.6 points per game. Before last night, James had been held to 18 or fewer points in four consecutive games. Even with the 27-point output, James shot just 12-28 from the field and 0-9 on three-point attempts. This is now three consecutive games without making a three-pointer for the 20-time All-Star.
Expect these struggles to continue tonight as the Lakers face a more difficult defense in the Minnesota Timberwolves. While Minnesota has not reached the defensive peak they showed last year, they still rank seventh in opponent points per game and ninth in defensive efficiency. The Lakers have played at the second-slowest pace over the past five games and also rank 26th in offensive rebounds, so don’t expect many additional offensive opportunities.
Even after scoring 27 points last night, James’ point prop dropped from 23.5 for yesterday’s game to 22.5 tonight. The 39-year-old has shown more signs of physical decline than ever before, and while he is still playing at an incredibly high level overall, it is these types of back-to-backs against tough defenses where he may slow down. This will be the second matchup between the Lakers and Timberwolves this season, with James being held to 16 points in the first game. Look for this trend to continue and for James to be held under 22.5 points for the 13th time in 21 games this year.
Cam Johnson Under 3.5 Made Three-Pointers (-115)
The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the most positive surprises across the NBA this season. With initial expectations that they would be nothing more than a lottery team entering the season, Brooklyn holds a record of 9-12 and has played some high-level basketball for stretches. One of the biggest reasons for this has been the strong play of Cam Johnson. The 28-year-old is having a career year averaging 18.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. He also is attempting a career-high 7.3 three-point attempts and connecting at a 42.2% rate. This comes out to an average of 3.1 made long-range shots per game.
Heading into tonight’s matchup, the Nets will face off with the Chicago Bulls. On the season, the Bulls have allowed opponents to shoot 35.0% from beyond the arc. Looking only at small forward production, the position is shooting just 23.9% against the Bulls which is the worst rate in the league. Beyond Chicago’s defense, Johnson has had some struggles from beyond the arc in recent games. He has not made more than three three-pointers in a game over any of the past five games. On the season overall, Johnson has been held to under 3.5 three-pointers in 15 of the 21 games.
Brooklyn is playing at the worst pace in the NBA this season and also pulling in the fewest offensive rebounds per game. Don’t expect there to be many additional offensive possessions, so Johnson may be held below 3.5 made three-pointers for the 16th time this season. He will still have his opportunities for success, but this is a safe amount of cushion as Brooklyn takes on a Bulls team that has had success guarding the perimeter.
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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.
