Ricky Dimon
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The calendar is about to turn to March, when college basketball takes center stage. For now, though, the NBA is still king for the most part. Even though the all-star break just came and went, we are already coming down the home stretch of the regular season. Things are getting serious – especially for teams battling near the bottom of the playoff picture.
Let’s tip off a new week in the association by going big with some first basket best bets.
Timberwolves vs Cavaliers: Evan Mobley +550
The Cleveland Cavaliers can be expected to have possession first in their home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night. Needless to say, that is the first and most important factor that should be looked at when deciding on first-basket bets. Cleveland center Jarrett Allen is winning 64.41% of jump balls this season. In the opening tipoff circle he will be going up against Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who is winning fewer than half of his jumps in 2021-22 (45.59%).
Don’t be surprised if Mobley is the beneficiary of Allen’s tip success. The Timberwolves are relatively stout at defending the paint, but Allen will command more attention than USC product down low. Mobley is averaging 14.8 ppg as a rookie, including 16 ppg over the past 3 contests. With Darius Garland (back) sidelined, look for the Mobley to be active in the scoring department early and often.
Check out all of our NBA previews and picks for Monday
Spurs vs Grizzlies – Ja Morant +650
This is another case of the tipoff being a key component. Although Jakob Poeltl of the San Antonio Spurs is better than average (56.25%), he will be facing the best in the business. Memphis Grizzlies big man Steven Adams leads the league in jump balls won (54) and percentage (76.06%).
Assuming Memphis gains possession first, you have to like the odds on the best player on the floor (Morant) putting the ball in the basket first when he is only the third favorite to do so. Morant is playing at an MVP level and he is coming off a 46-point outburst during Saturday’s victory over Chicago. The former Murray State standout now has two 40-point performances in the last 4 games.
Check out our full game preview for Spurs vs Grizzlies
If you want to go really big, a Mobley-Morant parlay pays out at +4775!
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