Germantas Kneita
Tonight’s NBA slate brings us a monster 12 games on Monday night. They will include a couple ogf nationally televised games on NBA TV, with an immediate rematch between the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder the standout matchup. The Thunder rallied in the 4th quarter to pick up a comfortable win yesterday and will be hoping to keep that momentum going. That game will be followed by the New York Knicks’ trip to take on the Sacramento Kings. You can find out all of our NBA picks for today’s action, but for now, let’s dive into my 3 best NBA player prop bets.
LaMelo Ball (CHA) over 11.5 assists & rebounds (-145)
Odds available at Bet365 at time of publishing.
LaMelo Ball has been incredibly productive against the Miami Heat this season, especially when it comes to assists and rebounds. In his first appearance against them this season, he managed 15 combined in these 2 categories, following up with 17 in the second meeting between the pair. He has also hit the Over on this line in 3 of his last 5 games. He was on track to hit the over in his last game too, though he got into foul trouble.
The Heat have a lot of size on the inside, with Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware defending the rim. It should encourage Ball to kick the basketball out on his drives to the paint while also dropping back and helping his team rebound the ball. Mark Williams will be on the court for the Hornets, giving Ball one of his main lob threats to look out for.
Precious Achiuwa (NY) over 3.5 rebounds (-140)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
The Sacramento Kings will be playing their second game in as many nights as they welcome the New York Knicks. With last night’s game having gone to overtime, the conditions are set for a hustle player to thrive on the opposing team. Precious Achiuwa fits that bill. He is a strong rebounder, averaging 6.2 boards in just over 22 minutes per game this season. The center also managed 5 boards in 18 minutes when these teams met earlier in the season. The Kings’ backup center Trey Lyles is mainly used for floor spacing, with Achiuwa the stronger rebounder of the pair. If matched up against Jonas Valanciunas, the battle would be limited to the paint, which would put him in a great position to grab rebounds. I expect Achiuwa to collect at least 4 boards tonight.
Josh Giddey (CHI) over 16.5 assists & rebounds (-115)
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey is starting to come into his own of late. Over his last 8 games, Giddey has been a constant triple-double threat, managing at least 17 assists and rebounds in 7 of those games and recording 16 in the other. The Pacers should prove to be a favorable opponent too. Over the last 10 games, they have ranked 17th in both opponent assists and rebounds per game. They also rank in the top 10 of the league in blocks, which should encourage Giddey to find shooters on the perimeter.
With the Bulls being in the top 10 of three-pointers made during that stretch, his teammates should be well-positioned to convert those chances. The teams are 3rd and 13th in three-point attempts per game over their last 10 games. It should mean there are plenty of long rebounds for Giddey to track down. Giddey averages 10 boards over his last 9 games, showing he is more than happy to help out on the glass.
