Final Update: Well, it was close, but D-Rose fell short of his points total after one hell of a sweat. He scored 21 points, only 10 points in three quarters after dropping 11 in the first quarter. Rose ended up going 4-16 in the final three frames, though he did score 20 points or more in his ninth straight game.
Third Quarter Update: Rose’s cold streak continued into the third. He’s shot 2-8 from the field since the first quarter and only has 15 points in 22 minutes heading into the fourth. The game is close and we should see more offense to close this out (and potentially OT to save the OVER hit). In fantasy, Rose isn’t returning value at this point, but we’ll see what happens. The Pistons will need Rose to keep up with the Wizards offense, so we shouldn’t give up hope.
Halftime Update: Rose had a quiet second quarter, but is still in good shape with how this game is going. He’s got 13 points and 18.25 fantasy points on DraftKings at $7,200. Rose will need to score 10 points in the second half to reach the OVER here, so we’ll be monitoring that.
First Quarter Update: Rose is looking like he’ll reach his point total and then some against the Wizards. The veteran guard is up to 11 points after the first quarter on 4-5 shooting from the field. Rose only needs 12 more points in three quarters to hit his OVER on the 22.5 point player prop.
The Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards start us off on the 14-game Martin Luther King Jr. Day NBA slate. We’ve got so many odds, lines and player props to choose from with so many games, but why wait until later to get in on some action. The Pistons may be having a down season but Derrick Rose sure as hell isn’t. The former MVP is playing at an elite level again, mostly because injuries have left the Pistons depleted and without many scoring options. Rose has dropped at least 20 points in eight straight games, playing like it’s 2011 when he was with the division rival Chicago Bulls. Let’s take a look at his point total on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Derrick Rose betting analysis vs. Wizards
Point total: 22.5 (-117)
As I mentioned above, Rose has scored at least 20 points in eight straight games dating back to Jan. 4. Most of those games were against weak defensive opponents, but he also had two solid outings against the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The good thing about today’s matchup is it’s against the weakest defense in the NBA. The Wizards boast a league-worst defensive rating of 115.8, allowing opponents to score 120.2 points per game. That alone tells us Rose is in a good spot to hit this OVER.
Without Luke Kennard and Blake Griffin, Detroit is basically down to Rose and a bunch of question marks on offense. Mostly streaky shooters who can come alive at times, but are mostly inconsistent. Because of this, Rose’s usage rate hasn’t dipped below 25% since Nov. 22! During this recent stretch, he’s had a usage as high as 38.6%. If that trend continues, in an up-and-down game ... that is expected to be close ... against a bad defense ... I mean I’m losing breath over here.
Pick: Derrick Rose OVER 22.5 points