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Ladies and gentlemen, the weekend. We’ve got a splendid six-game slate coming your way on the hardwood on Saturday, kicking off with one afternoon game before five games make up the main slate. With so much to choose from, let’s survey DraftKings Sportsbook for some player props, totals and sides to bet. You can follow me on Twitter (@KennyDucey) for any late adds.
Here’s what jumps out to me tonight.
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Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics
Warriors +5
The Celtics are already weak in the frontcourt and are without Robert Williams for this one. The frontcourt has also been the Achilles’ heel of the Warriors, as they consistently get crushed on the glass. Without a clear advantage there, I think this game could open up and be pretty close. The Celtics have allowed a poor 38.3% of threes to fall from deep in the past 10 games, ranking inside the bottom seven in the league, which is bad news when you’re facing a team that lives and dies by Stephen Curry’s ability to knock down shots from deep. The Warriors’ defense has gone missing over the past month or so, but so has the Celtics’ defense lately, and I don’t see any real edge on either side here. I’ll take the points.
The total for the Pistons/Wizards game is moving fast! #HammerTheOver here: https://t.co/fVM25Z9Z11
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) April 17, 2021
(MI/VA Bettors) pic.twitter.com/UiMEnAGTk2
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Grizzlies +8
The Grizzlies have covered in three straight, and the Bucks have covered in three straight. Something’s got to give.
Memphis is locked in a tight battle for playoff seeding, trying to avoid the play-in tournament, but at the very least, trying to get two cracks at a playoff spot with the No. 7 or 8 seed. The Grizzlies are playing some inspired basketball at the moment, playing some much-improved defense with a 108.1 efficiency rating over the past eight games. With Donte DiVencenzo and a little scoring punch missing for Milwaukee, things could be just a little easier on that end for Memphis. I expect the Grizzlies to challenge Milwaukee for this one.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
Under 227.5
Speaking of the playoff hunt, the Spurs are right there in 10th, currently in the very last spot out West. On paper, their offensive efficiency looks strong over the past 10 games, but good performances against some sleepwalking defenses like the Nuggets and Magic have inflated that number. Against the league’s best defensive units, it’s been a struggle.
Phoenix is one of those teams, and though the Spurs haven’t been good lately on defense, they’ve shown the ability to play soundly on that end to keep them in games. I expect a close, grind-it-out affair with Chris Paul able to drag this game to a slow pace against a team that likes to play slow.
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All betting 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 jetsfan196) 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 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.
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