The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the NBA, and they have a great chance to add to it against a struggling Philadelphia 76ers team.
Cleveland will be looking to bounce back from a rare loss as it fell 109-108 to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. No one is more aware of this than Darius Garland as he stepped to the free throw line with the team trailing 109-107 with just 2.1 seconds on the clock and went just 1-for-3 from the charity stripe.
The Cavaliers will travel to Philadelphia to face the Sixers tonight which will make the third matchup between these two teams this season. Philadelphia is on a seven-game losing streak and has dropped to 15-27 on the season.
The Cavaliers enter this game as 10.5-point favorites and -535 on the moneyline. The 76ers hold +400 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 229.
Here are my favorite Garland prop bets for the Friday night matchup.
Best Darius Garland Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Garland’s props are listed at over/under 21.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 made three-pointers and 31.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Darius Garland Over 21.5 Points (-110)
Garland enters tonight’s game averaging 21.2 points per game along with 6.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds. He has taken a massive step forward in his efficiency and is shooting a career-best 49.8 percent from the field and 42.9 percent on three-point attempts this year. Garland has recorded over 21.5 points in 22 of the 42 games he has played this season.
This will be the third matchup already between the Sixers and Cavaliers. Garland finished with 25 and 26 points in each of the first two matchups. He also dropped 26 points in the previous loss to the Rockets and has recorded over 21.5 points in nine of the past 15 games.
Philadelphia has struggled defensively this season. It ranks 13th in opponents’ points allowed, 29th in opponents field goal percentage and 21st in opponent three-point percentage. Across the 76ers’ recent seven-game losing streak, they have looked especially concerning. They are tied for last in the league in opponents points allowed.
Garland has already had success against this Sixers team and the defensive concerns have only increased for Philadelphia since this point. Expect him to be focused on washing away the missed free throws from last game and be in attack mode in this matchup. Count on Garland to take advantage of a vulnerable Philadelphia defense and record over 21.5 points tonight.
Darius Garland 4+ Made Three-Pointers (+180)
Expect Garland to be prepared to attack from beyond the three-point arc. He is attempting long-range jump shots at a career-high rate of 6.8 per game and connecting at a career-best percentage of 42.9 percent this season. This comes out to an average of 2.9 made three-pointers per game.
The standard made three-pointer prop for Garland in this game is set at 2.5 with the over-favored at -130 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. However, look for Garland to be a bit more active than this.
The one-time All-Star has made four or more three-pointers in 14 games this season including shooting 6-for-7 from beyond the three-point arc during a previous matchup with the Sixers this season. Philadelphia ranks 21st in opponents’ three-point percentage on the season and has particularly struggled against shot-creating guards. Damian Lillard knocked down four three-pointers against the Sixers earlier this week and CJ McCollum connected on six three-pointers during this losing streak as well.
Expect the perimeter opportunities to be prevalent and for Garland to continue operating in attack mode. While I also like the over 2.5 made three-pointers line, which he has reached in three consecutive games, expect Garland to be comfortable letting it fly often and connect on at least four perimeter shots tonight.
