Germantas Kneita
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There’s another big NBA slate tonight with a number of potential title contenders in action. The pick of the bunch may be a matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are 0-2 to start the season and will be desperate to get their first win. You can see our full game previews here but for now lets take a look at two of my favorite player props tonight.
Damian Lillard over 7.5 assists (-115)
While his scoring so far this season has been up and down, Damian Lillard has been consistent when it comes to sharing the rock. In the season-opener, Lillard recorded 11 assists and he followed that with 8 assists in 24 minutes in a blowout win over the Phoenix Suns. The Portland Trail Blazers are a deeper team this year and Lillard now has several high-quality offensive weapons he can rely on. Jusuf Nurkic is a strong player in the pick-and-roll while Norman Powell and CJ McCollum are both terrific shot-makers who can easily pop off for 25 or 30 points.
The Clippers have a quality defender in the backcourt in Eric Bledsoe who should make it more difficult for Lillard to get his points tonight. That should encourage him to utilize his passing more. Ivica Zubac is far from a great defender in the pick-and-roll situations, which should allow Lillard to force the Clipper defense to collapse and in turn hopefully lead to Lillard assists. Back him to keep his good passing run going.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Pat Connaughton over 2.5 made threes (+162)
With Bryn Forbes leaving in the summer, Pat Connaughton has taken sole ownership of the ‘3 and D’ role on this Milwaukee Bucks team. Seventeen of the 28 shots that Connaughton has taken this season have come from beyond the arc, and he has hit those shots at a 41% clip. The Indiana Pacers should represent a great opponent for him tonight as they are currently 27th in the league in opponent 3-point percentage. Teams are shooting just over 40% against them. And with the attention that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton are likely to draw, he should get some nice open looks tonight. He has hit at least 3 threes in 2 of the 3 games the Bucks have played this season. The only time he failed to do so was in a blowout loss to the Heat. At plus money, this seems like a good value bet.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers
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