Seven games will be tipping off across the National Basketball Association to mark the Friday night slate.
Tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Clippers will play the Charlotte Hornets while the Detroit Pistons host the Dallas Mavericks. A half-hour later, the Philadelphia 76ers will host the Denver Nuggets as Joel Embiid is expected to miss his 14th consecutive game. At the same time, the Chicago Bulls travel to face the Toronto Raptors.
At 8:00 p.m. ET, the New Orleans Pelicans will host the Boston Celtics, and the San Antonio Spurs will play the Milwaukee Bucks. The night’s final matchup will occur at 10:00 p.m. ET and will be between the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors.
With a ton of exciting basketball set to take place, here are my favorite prop bets across the Friday slate.
Russell Westbrook Over 24.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-110)
The Denver Nuggets have greatly benefitted from the injection of life brought to their offense since Russell Westbrook joined the starting lineup. The former MVP has demonstrated some impressive chemistry alongside Nikola Jokic. Westbrook has benefitted from some great scoring opportunities created from off-ball cutting and has a knack for doing the dirty work for this Denver team.
On the season, Westbrook is averaging 13.2 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game. Across his 26 games as a starter, the 36-year-old has increased his averages to 14.6 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.4 rebounds per game. Westbrook has recorded over 24.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists in 20 of the 47 games he has played. This includes eight of the past 14 games. He also finished with 11 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds (27 PRA) in the first matchup with the Sixers this year while only playing 25:01 of game time.
Philadelphia is playing better basketball of late but still holds some defensive concerns. They have a record of 19-27 and rank 12th in opponents’ points per game, 30th in opponents’ field goal percentage allowed, 20th in opponents’ three-point percentage, 23rd in opponents assists allowed, and 30th in total team rebounds. Denver has played at the second-fastest pace on the road over the past 25 games with Westbrook being a driving force behind this. Expect his high level of effort to stand out in this game and for the nine-time All-Star to make his impact felt across the box score. Count on Westbrook’s effort level to set the tone against a sometimes lackadaisical 76ers roster and for the two-time scoring champions to record over 24.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists tonight.
Tyrese Maxey Over 3.5 Made Three-Pointers (-115)
After a slow start to the season, Tyrese Maxey has returned to his All-Star caliber form. He enters tonight’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets having scored 28+ points in 12 consecutive games and will have some fresh motivation in his pocket after not finding himself on this year’s All-Star roster. Maxey’s impact from beyond the three-point arc has been one of the bigger holes in his game this season. The Kentucky product is shooting just 33.7% from beyond the arc this year and was connecting on below 30% of these long-range attempts for most of the first half of the year. This is well below the 38.3% he has shot on three-pointers across his career or the 43.4% he has shot throughout a season.
Over his past 12 games, Maxey is averaging 31.5 points per game and has recorded over 3.5 made three-pointers in four of his last six games. Joel Embiid is listed as out on the injury report and is expected to miss his 14th consecutive game with his knee issues. Paul George also remains out after suffering a finger injury. This will continue to keep the vast majority of the offensive responsibilities on Maxey’s shoulders. He has not been shy to let in fly attempting 9.6 three-point attempts per game this season, the sixth most in the NBA, and 10.3 perimeter attempts across this recent 12-game stretch.
Denver has done a nice job turning things around of late but defensive issues remain one of the bigger concerns with this team. The Nuggets rank 24th in opponents’ points per game, 25th in opponents’ three-point attempts allowed, and 11th in opponents’ three-point percentage. Expect Maxey to be utilized both on and off the ball and headline the Sixers scoring production, knocking down at least four three-pointers in the process tonight.
Derrick White Over 7.5 Assists & Rebounds (+100)
The Boston Celtics will travel to face the New Orleans Pelicans tonight with Zion Williamson expected to be suiting up. Boston should continue to be looked at as a legitimate threat to repeat as title contenders but have dropped some concerning games of late. New Orleans also has far more talent than their record would indicate. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Browns headline the team’s production, Derrick White has continued to prove his importance to the team and be the glue that keeps them together. Expect this to be the case tonight.
Overall, White is averaging 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He sees plenty of opportunity, clocking 33.8 minutes per game, and has recorded over 7.5 combined assists and rebounds in 27 of the 45 games he has played this year. New Orleans has played at the second-fastest pace of the league over the past ten games so there should be increased opportunities for him to add to his box score outputs. While the injury issues have greatly played a role in these numbers, New Orleans ranks 29th in opponents’ points allowed, 28th in opponents’ rebounds allowed, and 25th in opponents’ assists conceded this year.
Expect White to assert himself in this game and play a key role in doing all the little things for this Celtics team. He has recorded over 7.5 assists in four of his past six games including logging double-digit rebounds and assists in three of these matchups. Expect a focused effort from this Celtics team as they are just 5-4 in their past nine games which included losses to the Raptors, Hawks, Lakers, and Rockets. Look for White to be vital to the team settling in and for him to record over 7.5 assists and rebounds tonight.
Bradley Beal Over 12.5 Points (-120)
The Phoenix Suns will conclude tonight’s slate in a matchup taking place against the Golden State Warriors. Both these teams have heard their names brought up in trade rumors with Bradley Beal being a large part of this. The former Wizards’ star controls his own destiny due to his no-trade clause but has been reduced to a role off the bench despite holding the fifth-highest values contract in the entire league.
Across the 33 games he has played this year, Beal is averaging 16.9 points per game. He has recorded over 12.5 points in 23 of the 33 games and is still producing at a solid level even when operating in a reserve role. Across the 10 games that Beal has come off the bench, he is averaging 14.9 points per game and has recorded over 12.5 points in five of these games.
Golden State looked to be embracing more of a defensive-minded approach this season but has faded after their strong start to the season in this category. Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga each remain out which further solidifies the defensive concerns. This will be the third game between these two teams this season with Beal missing one matchup and finishing with 28 points in the other. Expect Beal to continue playing through the trade rumors and provide a nice spark off the bench in this matchup. Count on him to record over 12.5 points for the 24th time this season as Beal makes the most of his opportunity running the second unit and plays in attack mode tonight.
