While the final week of the NFL season will steal the headlines, the NBA season continues onl. The season’s halfway point is already approaching, and today’s Sunday slate will hold six games.
There will be a potential NBA Finals preview to start the day. The defending champion Boston Celtics will travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder, who hold a seven-game lead for the top of the Western Conference. This game will tip off at 3:30 p.m. ET. Next at 6:00 p.m. ET, the Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Charlotte Hornets, and the New Orleans Pelicans will face the Washington Wizards.
A half-hour later, the Orlando Magic will tip off against the Utah Jazz. Then, the Los Angeles Lakers will travel to face the Houston Rockets. The final matchup of the night will tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
Here are my favorite prop bets on the Sunday slate.
Dejounte Murray Over 32.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-120)
The New Orleans Pelicans’ season went off the rails early this year and they are in the driver’s seat for a top draft pick. Injuries have been at the top of the list of issues the team has faced, but they hold a record of just 6-29 as they prepare to face the Wizards. Dejounte Murray has been limited to just 18 games played this year, mostly due to a broken hand he suffered, but he is beginning to settle in with his new team.
The former All-Star guard is averaging 15.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 6.4 rebounds across the 18 games he has been on the floor. This is still below the 21.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds he averaged across the past two years in Atlanta. This will be the second consecutive matchup between these two teams. The Pelicans produced a 12-point victory but Murray was held to just 4-12 shooting and finished with 11 points, 12 assists, and four rebounds.
Washington is not far behind the Pelicans for the worst team in the NBA this season. They allow the most points to opponents of any team in the league and the fourth-most points to opposing point guards. New Orleans has seen an increase in pace of play since Murray has returned to the floor and they rank sixth in tempo across the past 20 games. Washington ranks 4th in pace on the season so there should be plenty of offensive opportunities. New Orleans also ranks fourth in offensive rebounds per game.
Murray fell short of the combined 32.5 points, rebounds, and assists in the previous matchup, but he has reached this total six times this season. Expect a better shooting performance in this matchup and for Murray to lead the charge for the team as Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram remain out. Expect Murray to capitalize on the transition opportunities and impact each statistical category. He is due for a breakout performance to fully get back on the right track and expect the Wizards to provide the perfect opportunity for the 31-year-old.
LeBron James Over 14.5 Assists & Rebounds (-105)
The Los Angeles Lakers enter this game on a two-game winning streak and are 7-3 in their last ten games. The organization is beginning to show a pulse and will shift its attention to a youthful Houston Rockets team that is battling injuries. At 40 years old, LeBron James is still one the best players in the league and is averaging 24.1 points, 8.9 assists, and 7.4 rebounds on the season.
While James still has his nights where he plays in attack mode, he is more than comfortable taking a back seat and manipulating his game outside of scoring. The Lakers have put James in more of a true point guard role of late with his current assist output the most he has produced since the 2019-20 season. These opportunities have been even more available following the decision to trade D’Angelo Russell.
Houston likes to push the tempo and has played at the sixth-fastest pace over the past 18 games. This should create some increased opportunities for the Lakers. James has recorded over 14.5 assists and rebounds in 14 games this season. This will be the first matchup with the Rockets this year. Count on James to be at the epicenter of the production for Los Angeles and record over 14.5 assists and rebounds against the youthful squad.
Collin Sexton Under 16.5 Points (-115)
The Utah Jazz will take on the Orlando Magic tonight who remain in fourth place in the Eastern Conference despite their continued injury issues. Orlando has found a nice identity as a defensive-minded team and is holding teams to the second-fewest points per game and fewest rebounds in the NBA. In contrast, Utah ranks 27th in points allowed.
Collin Sexton continues to see free range in the offense and is averaging 17.6 points and 4.0 assists on the season. He has been held under 16.5 points in 15 games this season. Sexton has been effective as a scorer of late, eclipsing 16.5 points in nine of his last 15 games. But the Magic will impose themselves defensively and control the pace of play. Orlando has played at the slowest pace of any team in the NBA over the past 25 games and this will continue to be a key part of the game plan.
While the injuries will be too significant to overcome at some point for this Magic team they have done an excellent job staying afloat thus far. This also will be much more problematic on the offensive side of the floor. Expect the Magic to control the pace and limit transition opportunities where Sexton can be so effective. Count on the defense bothering him and for the athletic guard to be held to under 16.5 points for the 16th time this year.
Dennis Schroder Over 12.5 Points (-110)
The Golden State Warriors desperately needed another offensive creator and addressed this by trading for Dennis Schroder from the Brooklyn Nets. Schroder is still settling in with his new team but has had some encouraging stretches in recent games. He was off to an excellent start to the year with the Nets and averaged 18.4 points across the first 23 games. In his first nine games with the Warriors, Schroder is averaging 10.7 points per game.
Schroder is coming off back-to-back games with scoring outputs of 15 and 17 games. These mark his first two times recording over 12.5 points with the Warriors and this should be looked at as a launching point for his production moving forward. He also will benefit from the matchup with the Sacramento Kings who have struggled defensively. The Kings rank 19th in opponents’ points per game and also are allowing the second-highest three-point percentage to opponents this season. Shooting guards are scoring 18.1 points per game against the Kings this season which is the second-worst rate in the league.
The Warriors needed a player with Schroder’s skillset and the veteran is beginning to settle in. Expect him to continue to become an important part of the team and be effective in giving Steph Curry more opportunities off the ball. Look for him to score over 12.5 points for the third consecutive game tonight against a poor defensive opponent.
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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.
