The NBA is the Wild West right now with COVID-19 and the league’s health protocols, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t edges to be had. We’ve been splitting a ton of articles lately, and we did again on Monday. That puts us at 65-57-2 on article plays this season. Let’s get some wins on Tuesday.
Follow along on Twitter — @julianedlow — for what we hope to be another great season, as some plays jump out late due to news, particularly in the player prop market. Here’s what jumps out to me on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Boston Celtics
Jaylen Brown OVER 26.5 points (-107)
The Celtics were red-hot entering Sunday, when they slipped up and had an embarrassing blowout loss to the shorthanded Hornets. Boston will be without Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker on Tuesday, but I’d expect them to come out looking to set the tone in a bounce-back game. Of course, the Thunder have been making that easy on their competition recently, coming off another blowout loss in Philly on Monday. In six contests without Tatum this season, Brown’s averaging 29 points in just 31 minutes per game — good to see, considering the blowout factor in this contest. There’s risk of JB not playing in the fourth quarter, but taking Walker and Tatum’s combined 43.9 PPG off the floor leaves too much upside here for Brown. Setting his point prop just two points above his season average in this situation is too light.
Portland Trail Blazers at Indiana Pacers
POR -5 (-112)
Weird spot here, as we have a road favorite that’s coming in on a five-game losing streak, with the home team on a three-game winning streak. But maybe that gets us a better number on a Portland team that’s showed up on the road this season, and should be desperate for a bounce-back. The Blazers have now lost eight of 10, but all to playoff teams. Damian Lillard has had a few games to get his legs back under him since returning, and Portland is essentially healthy heading into this game. The Blazers are 16-12 straight up and ATS on the road this season, and 22-12 as favorites. Indiana has three wins over dumpster fire teams in the Magic, Pistons and Thunder. The Pacers are arguably the worst home team in the NBA, going 2-13 ATS in their last 15 in Indy. The Blazers have handled this matchup well in recent seasons, going 6-1 ATS the last seven times these teams met. Indy will remain without Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, giving a strong Portland frontcourt a pretty sizeable advantage in the paint.
Refer a friend and get a free DraftKings Sportsbook bet up to $100! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details!
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
GSW 1Q -1.5 (-114)
The Warriors have been a significantly better team at home this season, and it’s shown in their starts. Steph Curry is also as hot as anyone in the league, giving us good reason to back the Dubs here. But this is more of a Dallas fade, so as long as Golden State has Curry and Draymond Green on the floor, this feels like a strong spot. The Mavericks got stomped in Sacramento on Monday night, thanks to losing the first quarter 31-17. That’s been a theme for the Mavs this season, who are an NBA-worst 20-39 1Q ATS, thanks to a 1-10 1Q ATS stretch in their last 11. Kristaps Porzingis and Josh Richardson, who sat in Sacramento, are both doubtful on Tuesday. Luka Doncic is among four Mavericks that are questionable. Give me the Warriors early.
Place your NBA bets at DraftKings Sportsbook and bet online by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO), 1-800-BETS OFF(IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN).
21+ (18+ NH). CO/IL/IN/IA/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.