After a light week, the NBA has seven games on the scoreboard this Friday, anchored by a nice doubleheader on NBA TV. The second game of that doubleheader features the Minnesota Timberwolves rolling into San Francisco to take on the Golden State Warriors in a Western Conference matchup. Both teams have plenty of storylines and drama to follow coming into this matchup, so let’s take a look at my favorite player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook from Friday night’s matchup.
In the big picture, the Warriors are slight 1.5-point home favorites, with the game total set at 230.5.
The Wolves won five straight games before losing on Monday at home against the Suns, while the Warriors won both games of their back-to-back set on Saturday and Sunday against the Cavs and Bulls, but haven’t played in the last four days. With so much time off, the Warriors will get Stephen Curry (quadriceps) back from his injury, although Draymond Green (personal) is away from the team after missing the last two games with a foot injury. The other big injury is from the other side of the matchup, where the Timberwolves list superstar guard Anthony Edwards (foot) as questionable with right foot soreness, which hasn’t been an issue for him until this contest.
Timberwolves vs. Warriors Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Julius Randle 35+ Points + Rebounds + Assists (+102)
If Edwards is out or limited, Randle would be one of the key Timberwolves to help carry the offensive workload, but he has already been good enough to like at this prop even if he’s just in his normal workload.
This season, Randle is averaging 22.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists for 35.9 PRA (points, rebounds and assists) in his 24 games. Randle played four games without Edwards earlier this season, averaging 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists, for an average of 39.8 PRA per contest while Edwards was sidelined.
Since this is a new issue for Edwards, it’s likely he plays through the injury, but Randle could get more work to help take the load off Edwards. The Warriors should be a pretty favorable matchup for Randle as well since they’ll be missing Draymond Green, who anchors their defense down low.
Randle has at least 35 PRA in only two of his last five games, which is why his odds are so favorable. Zooming out, though, he has at least 35 PRA in 14 of his last 23 (61%), making this a solid spot to attack to get plus-money odds on Friday night.
Stephen Curry under 8.5 Rebounds + Assists (-134)
Curry is averaging 7.7 assists and rebounds per game this season, contributing 3.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. After missing five games and two weeks of work, he could be on a minutes limit on Friday night in his return.
Even if he does play his usual minutes and takes his usual shots, his rebounds and assists are a good spot to attack the under. He was under this mark in four of his last six and 10 of his last 16 games this season before the injury.
Curry’s return will definitely make a huge difference on offense, and his scoring makes him hard to pick against with his shooting. His peripherals could be a little slower to return, though, and he could be eased back in, so getting this prop at under 8.5 makes it a good spot to play the under on Friday night.
Naz Reid over 14.5 points (+100)
Like Randle, Reid should benefit from the absence of Draymond in the Warriors’ front line. He has averaged 13.5 points per game on the season, but he had been surging a little bit before a down game on Monday. In that loss, Reid only had six points while shooting a rough 2-for-12 from the field. He had been on a roll before that with 15+ points in four straight games and in eight of his previous 11.
Reid can be a streaky shooter, but he almost always gets enough opportunity to produce over this point line, and as long as his shot bounces back to it’s normal production levels, I like his opportunity to go over this scoring line on Friday night. If Edwards is limited or out, he’ll get a boost in usage as well.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Quinten Post over 1.5 3PM (-166)
If you’re looking for a fourth leg for your Same Game Parlay or SGPx, you can add in this Post prop to push your parlay to +900, as you can see below.
Post has hit multiple 3-pointers in three straight games while filling in for Green and Al Horford (back), who both remain out on Friday night. He is shooting 9-for-20 from long range in those three contests, and even with Curry back, he should get enough opportunities to knock down at least two triples on Friday night.
SGP odds: +900
