March has now arrived, and with it is the madness set to occur on the court. While much will place on the collegiate level soon, the final push of the NBA regular season is already in full swing.
Six games will occur across the NBA slate with a fairly tame day of action. At 6:00 p.m. ET, the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets face off in a battle for the worst record in the NBA. Then, at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Detroit Pistons host the Brooklyn Nets. Detroit has emerged as one of the more intriguing young teams and has climbed to the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
A double-header of games tip off at 8:00 p.m. ET between the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets, as well as the San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies. The Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors face off in the ESPN game tonight. At the same time, the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Dallas Mavericks.
With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for the Saturday slate.
Cade Cunningham Over 24.5 Points (-125)
The Detroit Pistons saw their eight-game winning streak snapped last night at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, 134-119. They still hold plenty of momentum on the season and wisely pulled the plug on last night’s matchup in preparations for tonight. Cade Cunningham was limited to 28 minutes of action in which he finished with just 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Expect a different outlook for Detroit tonight as they face off with the 21-38 Brooklyn Nets. While the Nets have a scrappy young squad that competes every night, there is far more talent in Detroit with Cunningham spearheading the effort. The former number-one overall pick earned his first All-Star appearance this season and is averaging 25.4 points, 9.4 assists, and 6.2 rebounds. He has recorded over 25.5 points in 26 of the 55 games he has played this season, including 38 and 32-point outputs earlier this week.
Brooklyn ranks ninth in opponent points allowed, but 27th in opponent field goal percentage and 22nd in opponent three-point percentage allowed. Cunningham was held under his scoring prop in both of the previous matchups with the Nets but was limited due to the game growing into a blowout. While the same risk is there today, look for Cunningham to be in attack mode and make a statement after last night’s disappointing results. The Pistons only go as Cunningham will take them and look for him to lead the charge by recording over 24.5 points against a struggling defense today.
Chris Paul Over 6.5 Assists (-135)
The San Antonio Spurs are set to take on the Memphis Grizzlies tonight. Their outlook as a team greatly changed following the news of Victor Wembanyama being shut down for the season. Regardless, the season powers on and Chris Paul will continue to be responsible for setting the table for this San Antonio offense.
On the season the 29-year-old is averaging 9.0 points and 8.0 assists across his 28.9 minutes per game. The five-time assist champion has recorded over 6.5 assists in 43 of the 57 games he has played this season. This includes five of his past seven games. While he was held under 6.5 assists in two of the three previous matchups with the Grizzlies, each game got out of hand early with Memphis losing by a combined margin of 61 points. The Grizzlies play at the fastest pace of any team in the league so there should be some additional offensive opportunities in this matchup.
Memphis is on the second night of a back-to-back and should have some tired legs after a gritty one-point loss to the Knicks last night. In contrast, the Spurs have not played since Wednesday which is especially advantageous for a player of Paul’s age. Expect him to be ready to play some of his best basketball and record over 6.5 assists just as he has done in 75.4% of the games so far this year.
Fred VanVleet Over 18.5 Points & Assists (-120)
The Houston Rockets are set to receive a spark with Fred VanVleet returning after missing 11 straight games with an ankle injury. He is expected to step immediately back into the starting lineup and is necessary for this Rockets team to function in its full form. There is plenty of young talent on this Rockets roster, but the veteran presence of VanVleet and his ability as a playmaker are crucial.
So far this year VanVleet is averaging 14.6 points and 5.8 assists in the 45 games he has played. He has eclipsed 18.5 combined points and assists in 24 of the 45 games he has played. Houston will take on the Sacramento Kings tonight who have some weaknesses on this side of the floor. They rank 21st in opponent points allowed, 18th in opponent field goal percentage, 29th in opponent three-point percentage, and 21st in opponent assists.
While he may see a slightly smaller workload in his first full game back, this number is low enough that I am still confident in playing it. VanVleet’s connective passing has been missing on this Houston team. Look for him to assert himself once again and take advantage of this vulnerable Kings defense. His playmaking numbers are especially enticing, but look for the former Raptors star to capitalize from the perimeter when the opportunities arise. Count on him to record over 18.5 combined points and assists for the 25th time this season.
Guerschon Yabusele Over 5.5 Rebounds (-125)
In one of the final matchups of tonight’s slate, the Philadelphia 76ers host the Golden State Warriors. All goals for the season are off the table for this Sixers team, cemented by the latest news that Joel Embiid has been ruled out for the season. In an otherwise disastrous year, Guerschon Yabusele has been a bright spot for Philadelphia. The Olympic standout is averaging 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds across his 26.2 minutes per game.
Embiid’s absence isn’t exactly a change for this Sixers team, but Yabusele should see additional time at the center spot moving forward. Andre Drummond will likely get the first dibs at the center spot, but Yabusele’s ability to play either the power forward or center gives him an edge. He has tallied as many as 13 rebounds in a game this year and recorded over 5.5 rebounds in 28 of the 54 games he has played.
The Warriors are also limited on the interior and rank 20th in opponent rebounds per game allowed. Yabusele tallied six rebounds in the first matchup with the Warriors despite it resulting in a 34-point blowout. Look for him to continue proving his worth to this Sixers team and cementing his NBA future. Expect him to be active on the boards and benefit from the additional opportunities by ultimately recording over 5.5 rebounds for the 29th time tonight.
