Seven NBA games are tipping off tonight, but there won’t be any NBA Cup action this Friday.
The first game of the night will be between the 76ers and Magic, tipping off at 7 p.m. ET. It’s the second consecutive matchup as Orlando won on Wednesday. In the 7:30 p.m. ET window, the Lakers will look to bounce back after their blowout loss to the Heat on Wednesday. Los Angeles will visit Atlanta, who is on a five-game winning streak. The Bucks and Celtics will also tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The Kings will play the Spurs and the Pacers will face the Bulls during the 8 p.m. ET window. Two games are also tipping off at 10 PM ET with the Warriors facing the Timberwolves and the Jazz playing the Trail Blazers.
You can check out each matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook, but here are my favorite player props for December 6.
Guerschon Yabusele Over 15.5 Points & Rebounds (-120)
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise disastrous start to the 76ers season has been the strong play of Guerschon Yabusele. The Olympic standout latched onto a minimum contract with the Sixers following his impressive play for France and has walked into a far larger role than anyone imagined. Yabusele is playing 24.6 minutes per game, producing 9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 40.7 percent on three-pointers.
He has especially come on strong in recent games and has started the past six games for the team. Yabusele has played at least 31 minutes in four of the past six games and will be set for major minutes again tonight. Joel Embiid continues to be out as he battles his knee issues. In addition, rookie big man Adem Bona will miss the game after logging 14 minutes in Wednesday’s matchup with Orlando. Andre Drummond has been upgraded to questionable with an ankle sprain but was initially expected to miss this game. His status will be one to monitor leading up until tip-off, but at the minimum, Yabusele will serve as the sole big man for a significant portion of the game for Philadelphia.
During Wednesday’s matchup with the Magic, Yabusele finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. He also had seven points and 12 rebounds the night before against the Hornets and has gone over 15.5 combined points and rebounds in five of the last seven games. With injuries providing a path to additional minutes and Yabusele playing some high-level basketball, look for him to clear this number once again against a tough Magic team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 30.5 Points (-115)
The Milwaukee Bucks have gotten back on track after a concerning start to the season. While their loss against the Hawks on Wednesday snapped a seven-game winning streak, they are back above .500 on the year. As is typically the case, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been at the heart of production for the franchise. The former MVP is leading the NBA in scoring at 32.6 points per game while adding 11.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists.
Antetokounmpo is playing like an MVP this season and has been especially strong in recent games. He has scored over 30.5 points in five of his past six games including scoring 40+ in two of these.
This will be the third matchup of the season between the Bucks and Celtics. Antetokounmpo has produced scoring outputs of 30 and 43 in the two matchups thus far. Even while the Celtics are a strong defensive team, the combination of size, strength and motor make Antetokounmpo a matchup disadvantage. The Bucks are at their best when he is leading the scoring charge and this should be the expectation tonight. Look for the Greek Freak to record over 30.5 points against the defending champions just as he has in 11 of the 19 games he has played already this season.
Josh Giddey Over 6.5 Assists (+100)
The Bulls will lace up their track shoes for their up-tempo matchup against the Pacers tonight. While they have not been as effective as last season, the Pacers still rank eighth in pace thus far. Indiana also ranks 26th in points allowed, 25th in defensive efficiency and 19th in assists allowed per game (26.3).
This is a great opportunity for Josh Giddey who is beginning to find his stride with the Bulls. He’s averaging 11.9 points, 6.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game. He has some of the best court vision in the NBA and is pulling the strings of the Chicago offense. Giddey has eclipsed 6.5 assists in 13 of the 23 games he has played and six of the last nine games. This includes an 11-assist performance against the Nets on Monday. During his time with the Thunder, Giddey averaged 7.0 assists across five matchups with the Pacers.
With a porous defense and Giddey continuing to gain more confortability in the offense, look for him to be active tonight. The Bulls look their best when the Australian guard is having success spreading the ball around and expect that to continue to be a focus. Count on the 22-year-old to record over 6.5 assists for the 14th time this year and capitalize on the +100 odds.
Anfernee Simons Under 3.5 Made Three-Pointers (-148)
The Portland Trail Blazers are still sorting through which members of their youthful roster are foundational pieces moving forward. Anfernee Simons is one of the more familiar faces as he is in his seventh season with the franchise. Simons’s trajectory has been a bit more up-and-down than both the 25-year-old and the organization had hoped. He is averaging 16.7 points, 4.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game this season. This is a fairly notable step back from last season’s output of 22.6 points, 5.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Simons is attempting 7.5 three-point attempts per game and is connecting at a 33.1 percent rate this season. Throughout his career, he has been a 38.3 percent three-point shooter on 6.2 attempts but has attempted 9.1 and 8.8 three-point attempts per game in the previous two seasons. The IMG Academy product is averaging 2.5 made three-pointers per game this year and has made over 3.5 long-range shots in just five of 19 games.
While the -148 odds are steep, feel confident in him recording under 3.5 made three-pointers for the 15th time this season. The Trail Blazers will face the Utah Jazz who rank 14th in opponents’ three-point percentage and 16th in opponents’ percentage of points on three-pointers. Simons has been far too inconsistent on the season and the 3.5 made three-pointers line is too high.
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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.
