Germantas Kneita
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The NBA is back tonight with another 8-game slate. One of the picks of the bunch will be the meeting between the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. Both teams should be firmly in the playoff mix this season. They also played each other on Saturday in a game that was getting very physical. The Heat pulled of a 3-point win. If the sides can recreate something similar here, we’ll be in for a treat of a game.
But now lets just straight into my favorite player props for tonight.
OG Anunoby over 15.5 points (-113)
This will be the second straight meeting between the sides, after the Miami Heat overcame the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. Scottie Barnes left that game with an ankle injury and is doubtful to play tonight. That should leave more shots and more responsibility on the shoulders of OG Anunoby. The Raptors forward was able to score 13 points on 14 shots in the first outing. A career 46.9% shooter from the field, Anunonby has the ability to improve on his efficiency tonight. If he succeeds in doing that while also picking up the slack for Barnes by taking more shots, the over on this line seems like a great bet to make.
With Chris Boucher coming back into the fold for the Raptors, Pascal Siakam might spend less time playing center and could draw the defensive attention of Jimmy Butler. That could have a knock on affect for Anunoby, who would likely get picked up by either Tyler Herro or Caleb Martin. The Raptors man is far more physical than the pair and should have success backing his opponents down. His ability to grab offensive boards could become a factor in that case too. The Raptors will lean more heavily on him tonight, look for Anunoby to answer the call.
Take a look at our full game preview for Toronto Raptors vs Miami Heat.
Lauri Markkanen over 20.5 points (-113)
Lauri Markkanen has seen his season going from strength to strength. He started the year by scoring 17 points but has followed this up with 24 and 31-point efforts. He will get the chance to keep that going tonight against a Houston Rockets team that currently ranks dead last in defensive rating in the NBA. Matched up against him will likely be the pair of Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun. The latter could struggle dealing with Markkanen. The forward from Finland became well accustomed playing as a small forward last season and would have the ability to cause the Turkish center problems on the perimeter. Rookie Smith Jr. has the worst defensive rating of any Rockets starter and is unlikely to do much better.
The Rockets have also struggled defending the perimeter this season. They are currently 24th in the league in opponent 3-pointers made per game. Markkanen is one of the better marksmen on the Jazz roster. He has also now played 39 minutes in 2 straight games and will likely see a similarly large role tonight. It should be more than enough time for him to knock down a few perimeter shots and put him in a great position to clear this over.
Check out our full game preview for Utah Jazz vs Houston Rockets
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