Hold your horses! Here come the Dallas Mavericks.
Last season’s Western Conference champions are 8-2 in their last ten games and clicking on both sides of the ball, outscoring teams by 7.2 points per 100 possessions across that span. Luka Dončić has been on an absolute tear in December, averaging 29.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists across six games. His most recent performance, a 45-point, 11-rebound, 13-assist triple-double, was the second best single-game performance of the season so far.
But Dončić will sit on Thursday night as the LA Clippers come to Dallas for an 8:30 p.m. ET matchup as he nurses a heel injury, which means the offensive burden will fall on the shoulders of point guard Kyrie Irving, who’s averaging 23.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on career-best 50-47-88 shooting splits. Irving is officially questionable with shoulder soreness.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Mavericks (-185) are clear favorites, with the point total set at 223. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bet centered around Irving.
Best Kyrie Irving Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Kyrie Irving U25.5 Points (-125)
Although Irving has typically increased his statistical output without Dončić on the floor — averaging 28.5 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game without his co-star in 17 games throughout his stint in Dallas — that has been less the case this year. Across a seven-game stretch from November 17 to 30, in which Dončić missed all but one game, Irving’s usage rate increased to 27.5%, but his scoring increased only marginally, to 24.6 points per game. Although his numbers were depressed slightly by an 18-point performance in a blowout win over New Orleans in which Dončić also played, there just isn’t enough recent evidence to feel confident that Irving will put up big numbers tonight.
Irving will have an especially hard time getting it going against a Clippers team that ranks fifth with a 108.4 defensive rating. Led by a bevy of rangy, switchable wings, including Derrick Jones Jr. and Amir Coffey, and a solid anchor in center Ivica Zubac, LA has all the pieces needed to slow down Irving.
Head coach Tyronn Lue’s tactics emphasize taking away the most efficient shots in the game, and the Clippers rank in the top ten in limiting shots within 10 feet and corner threes — two of the most efficient shots in the game. That’s bad news for Irving, who shoots 57.8% within ten feet and 50.0% from between 20 and 24 feet.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user 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 skills 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.
