RADIO
A massive 13-game slate on Wednesday is the perfect chaser for last night's trio of competitive games. As of right now, Spencer Dinwiddie and Tyrese Haliburton are available to play, while Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, and D'Angelo Russell are all still listed as questionable. It's still early in the day and since updates usually come out much later, make sure you don't make any rash decisions based on availability when most of the teams are still unsure.
The amount of games tonight doesn't really affect the risk or reward aspect of each contest, it just allows for more chances to win money. Basketball is arguably the most unpredictable out of any sport, mainly because of the amount of variables to be accounted for that is combined with natural human error. We might know what will generally happen, but for added reference, it's only been nine days since soon-to-be-3PT-record-holder Steph Curry went 4-21 (3-14 from 3PT-Range) against the Suns. It happens.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com is always ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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WAS @ DET
Bradley Beal (WAS) MORE 23.5 Points - Jerami Grant (DET) MORE 21.5 Points
After scoring 34 points on 19 shots against the Pacers, it was the first time in a while that Bradley Beal looked like his normal self. He was scoring at ease despite Myles Turner clogging the paint and now has the Pistons frontcourt to look forward to. Detroit's only real hope of winning games is trying keep up on the offensive end, and defensively, it'll be even more of a struggle with Dinwiddie re-entering the Wizards rotation. Of course, that'll make it harder for Beal to hit the over, but watching him dismantle a decently equipped defense just a few nights before isn't exactly a confidence booster for the Beal-under-bettor.
Regardless of how you frame it, Jerami Grant's high-scoring games outweigh the low-scoring ones. They are present, but scoring at least 20 points in four of your last five games, or expanding that stat to six of his last eight games makes it more reassuring. Grant is also averaging near 18 shot attempts a game, just second to Cade Cunningham. However, if you watch this offense, Grant is clearly the teams' favorite player to pass to and can easily attack the offensive glass against this frontcourt.
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PHI @ CHA
Joel Embiid (PHI) MORE 27.5 Points - Kelly Oubre Jr. (CHA) MORE 21.5 Points
Even though Charlotte lost the game, the 76ers had nothing, and have nothing to stop Kelly Oubre Jr. He just needs some help in the scoring department from his fellow Hornets. Joel Embiid's defensive presence isn't much when players can stroll into the paint, and this current rotation of hybrid forwards replacing Charlotte's backcourt is tough to match up against if you don't have the size. Philadelphia doesn't and even though they won the first matchup, it was borderline hilarious watching both defenses try to keep it together.
Joel Embiid might not put up 43 points again, but when you manage to draw that many fouls against a frontcourt, it's almost hard NOT to score. His team is basically defending up a position and it's not like individual defense is Seth Curry, Tobias Harris, or George Niang's strong suit, so there's a reason why Danny Green, Shake Milton, and Matisse Thybulle received the most minutes. Those guys getting more minutes just means more touches for Embiid since only Embiid, Harris, and Curry can create for themselves consistently anyway.
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OKC @ TOR
Pascal Siakam (TOR) MORE 22.5 Points - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) MORE 21.5 Points
It's hard not to indulge when two struggling teams face-off, and there is not a team struggling worse than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Luckily, they have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to fall back on whenever they need to, the problem is, that's their only option and opposing teams know it. This is also ignoring the availability issue which ruined some bettors' Monday night since there was no indication Gilgeous-Alexander was going to play that game. He did post his one of his best stat-lines of the season, so on the positive side, he's playing well despite lacking support.
Pascal Siakam is playing better now than he has all season, so against the worst team in the league, mainly the the most exploitable defense, Siakam is going to have a field day. He's never been the type of player to play down to the competition, so against bad defenses, he will force switches onto guards and he will bully them in and around the paint. Siakam has made a career off of being difficult to defend despite limited tools, but he won't need to put anything on display to produce against this frontcourt.
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DEN @ NOP
Nikola Jokic (DEN) MORE 25.5 Points - Brandon Ingram (NOP) MORE 25.5 Points
Nikola Jokic is only averaging 22 points a game over the last week, but that is bound to increase playing against Jonas Valanciunas. Indifferent of how many points he's scored on Valanciunas in the past, Jokic is playing better and doing more this year compared to last year's MVP-season, and Valanciunas is on a worse defensive team. The forearm injury is unsettling, but even if Jokic' point total jumps to 28 or 29 points, it still seems worth it.
This version of Brandon Ingram is much more worthy of the considering the over. He's taken the reigns of this offense by force and it's allowed him more freedom in the offense. His natural ability to score and make plays for teammates isn't being sheltered like how he was playing when he first came back from injury, but the main thing to note is that he hasn't played the best defenses during this scoring outburst. Playing against Aaron Gordon might make things tougher, but ultimately it shouldn't keep him from leading the Pelicans in scoring.
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