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With only two days left before the All-Star Break, players will be looking to make the most of their last game before the return to regular season action on February 20th. To give you an idea of how the night will go, look to target the Kings defense and Luka Doncic, the Denver defense who should get pummeled by LeBron James, and a slumping Indiana defense, that has the misfortune of guarding Giannis Antetokounmpo, just days after the birth his son.
With 11 games tonight, there is plenty of action throughout the league, so just because I chose these five players, doesn't mean there aren't other bets out there. I'd be glad to go over others with you, but like always, if you have any questions, find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter.
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Bradley Beal (WAS) OVER 31.5 Points
Over the previous two weeks, Bradley Beal has been averaging 32 points a game, which starts us on the right foot if we take the over here. This will be the last game for the Wizards and while it hasn't been all of Marcus Morris' undoing, the Knicks defense has collapsed. While they were managing some fairly impressive defensive numbers when it came to facing opposing guards, that has totally changed now that the paint is only being protected by Mitchell Robinson when he is in.
Since Robinson is getting minutes here and there depending on the matchup, he will most likely see 30 minutes again tonight, but with a injury tag already next to his name and Beal's ability to score from anywhere, this is going to be a night where he is forced to takeover in Madison Square Garden.
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Damian Lillard (POR) OVER 32.5 Points
Despite the Grizzlies having decent numbers versus opposing point guards, this is Damian Lillard. There have been very few players posting the same production over the last month and with this being the final game before break for the Trail Blazers, there is no way he is letting this go to waste. His history against the Grizzlies is a bit shady since he hasn't played them this year, but the Memphis defense has come primarily from Dillon Brooks and their athletic frontcourt.
The best part about this pick is that Lillard has been near impossible to guard this season, forcing nearly every team to throw some type of defensive scheme at him to stop him. That is a great strategy and although it has seldom worked, it is what teams need to do to stop him. This is where playing a very young Grizzlies team sells the pick. Defense is not their strong suit and especially not game-planned, team defense, trying to stop one of the league's best players playing at his best.
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Karl-Anthony Towns (PHO) Over 53.5 Points
First things first, Karl-Anthony Towns runs the Hornets. The last three times he has faced them, he has posted monstrous stats and to be fair, that is the case when most centers face Charlotte. Big men tend to to annihilate the Hornets frontcourt and there's no reason for that to randomly change tonight. Nothing against Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo, their defense is just not nearly enough for how little support they have.
The most important thing to note here is that even with D'Angelo Russell playing, Towns was still able to have one of his bigger nights of the season. His upside is increased playing with Russell, so look for him to continue to thrive on what I'll call the honeymoon phase of this deal.
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Trae Young (ATL) Over 10.5 Assists
Similar to the case with Karl-Anthony Towns playing the Hornets, Trae Young faces the Cavaliers with a ton of upside. Not only has he run them for 30 points and 11 assists previously this season, but he is averaging double-digit assists over the past week against everybody. The best part about Young is that scoring doesn't pull away from his ability to find open teammates.
Whether it's at the rim or on the perimeter, Young keeps his head up regardless of how many points he has scored that night. It's a blessing and a curse, but for us tonight, it's nothing short of a gift.
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Andre Drummond (CLE) OVER 15.5 Rebounds
It took me a while to decide which direction had more promise, but it's too hard not to bet the over here. The Cavaliers have rebounders that will compete with Andre Drummond and earlier this season while playing with the Pistons, Drummond was able to clear that 16 rebound benchmark just once. I understand betting the under, assuming there will simply be too many mouths to feed and everyone will be fighting for rebounds. But this is Andre Drummond, arguably one of the best rebounders, not to mention he is one of the biggest players in the league.
He is going to get his and playing with the Pistons actually hurt his upside when it came specifically to rebounding. There was minimal team-rebounding and not only was Drummond forced to box-out multiple opponents, but he had to grab the board as well. With Cleveland, it's already clear there will be less effort on his part to grab rebounds and that's where most of his upside lies.
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