Happy Monday! After a loaded nine-game slate on Sunday, we follow that up with an eight-game card in the NBA on Monday with plenty of fun matchups, including two nationally-televised affairs. 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 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
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Sacramento Kings vs. Charlotte Hornets
Hornets -3.5
If you recall, the Hornets had one of the more thrilling victories of the season just five games ago against the Kings, coming back from eight points down (without the ball, mind you) with just 60 seconds left to win on the back of a 12-3 run. That win came on what wasn’t the Hornets’ best night. They shot just 36.7% from behind the arc and posted a poor 127.3 Defensive Rating.
Since then, the scripts have flipped. The Hornets rank fourth in the league over the past four games since that thriller with a torrid 41.4% mark from distance and rank third in defensive efficiency. The Kings? Well, they still can’t play defense, ranking third-worst over that span. Sacramento also ranks second-worst against the three at 39.6% over the course of the season, as you may know. I think the law of averages comes into play here, the Hornets have a better night from three than they did in the last meeting and they win this by a healthy margin.
New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets
Knicks +8.5
Look, nobody is gonna want to take the Knicks here against one of the elite teams in the East after the sharps were on them against the Bucks and they got blown out. There were plenty of things to be excited about in the team’s win over the Thunder, though, and one of them was the New York’s guard rotation.
Immanuel Quickley has been the Knicks’ top point guard all season long, and now with injuries abound at the position, it seems as if Quickley will draw the start in Brooklyn on Monday after Frank Ntilikina started on Saturday and got a quick hook. The Knicks are a net +2.3 points per 100 possessions with Quickley on the floor, compared to -0.7 with him off, so they’d certainly be in a good position to win on paper should Quickely start and get 35-plus minutes.
The Nets’ defense has also been very bad all season long, and the team as a whole has been skating by some bad opponents with bad defensive performances thanks to some timely shooting from their stars. The Knicks rank second-best against the three, which could really be a thorn in Brooklyn’s side here.
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Los Angeles Clippers vs. Dallas Mavericks
Mavericks +1.5
The Clippers are a perfect 6-0 against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back, and 9-5 off of a loss. So ... fade them here? Really?
Well, yes. Los Angeles is in a backslide, losing four of five, and have slipped to the bottom six of the league in defensive efficiency over that losing run. That’s due in large part to the absence of anchor Patrick Beverley, who will once again be absent for this one.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, are scorching hot, and now that their starting lineup is intact — which leads the league in offensive efficiency — they look unstoppable. Kristaps Porzingis is averaging more than 22 points on 46.4% shooting from three over the past four games and enters on back-to-back 25-point outings. This is a story of teams heading in opposite directions.
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All betting odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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