Germantas Kneita
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The first NBA Saturday of the season brings along with a 9-game slate. The highlight of the night should be the matchup between Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies against the Dallas Mavericks. Morant has been the stand out player few the first few games of the season, but Luka Doncic and the Mavs will be looking to put a stop to his hot streak.
You can find our full game previews here, but now lets dive straight into my favorite player props.
Giannis Antetokounmpo over 43.5 points + assists (-113)
Giannis Antetokounmpo could be set to have a field day today. Going up against the Houston Rockets, the former MVP will find himself facing off against a very young frontcourt. The combination of Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun do not have the size, speed or physically to cause the Greek star many problems. Considering the pace the young Rockets are likely to try and set here, he should get opportunities in transition too. That is an area that few in the league can match Antetokounmpo on.Going up against one of the best defensive bigs in Joel Embiid in the season opener, the Bucks man managed a combined 34 points and rebounds. With the way this matchup is set, he should be able to comfortably exceed this here.
Take a look at our full game preview for Houston Rockets vs Milwaukee Bucks
Ja Morant over 30.5 points (-115)
No player in the league is scoring more points per game than Ja Morant so far this season. The superstar point guard opened his season by scoring 34 points. He then followed this up by dropping 49 in just 31 minutes of action last night against the Houston Rockets. When someone has a hot hand like this, it’s hard to ignore.There are only a handful of NBA guards who have the athletic and defensive ability to stay in front of Morant. Unfortunately for the Dallas Mavericks, none of them are on their roster. Look for Morant to thrive and to repeatedly beat the likes off Spencer Dinwiddie and Luka Doncic off the bounce. That will allow him to get into the paint, rack up points and draw fouls from the Mavericks bigs. It should all add up to a third straight offensive outburst for the star.
Take a look at our +885 same game parlay for the Memphis Grizzlies vs Dallas Mavericks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over 1.5 made threes (+102)
On the opening night of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was able to knock down 2 of his 6 attempts from deep. He is undoubtedly an offensive leader on this Oklahoma City Thunder squad and while he isn’t particularly known for his outside scoring, there are few other options on their roster. Last year the Thunder were dead last in 3-point percentage and did little in the summer to address this. Look for the Nuggets to crowd the paint as a result, encouraging them to attack from deep. Gilgeous-Alexander has the green light and the ability to knock a couple of those chances down.
Check out our full game preview for Oklahoma City Thunder vs Denver Nuggets
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