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It's clear that the oddsmakers at Monkey Knife Fight know what they are doing. With only two games posted for Friday's eight game slate, there is an unrivaled amount of variance, specifically tonight. With so many playoff spots settled and only a few play-in tournament positions remaining, nearly every team is either subject to resting their top players or playing some deep bench options.
Up until tip-off for most games, the starting lineups are completely up in the air. However, there is one certainty, being the Wizards need to keep winning games. If you have the chance to bet on Russell Westbrook, take the over, just be wary that tonight's main contest also requires a bet on Collin Sexton. We know he won't pass, but that doesn't mean he is going to have a productive game.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com continues to be 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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CLE @ WAS
Russell Westbrook (WAS) MORE 28.5 Points - Collin Sexton (CLE) LESS 26.5 Points
Even with Bradley Beal returning, there is no stopping Russell Westbrook. If Beal scores 50-points, there is still potential for Westbrook to drop 30-points himself. He's done it before, and now that the stakes are even higher with the season closing, it makes this bet feel even safer. Since the Wizards need a combined effort despite their offense being carried by their two stars, rebounds are the only source of production you need to stray away from. Westbrook is too valuable to Washington's offense, and now that he has secured the triple-double record, the rest of the team knows they are allowed to get theirs....in terms of rebounds.
Collin Sexton hasn't necessarily been all over the place this season, but it's hard to see him not scoring, at least, over 20-points tonight. Washington might have a dynamic offense, but defensively they are going to struggle even if they target Sexton. They could let him score at will or lock him down, either way, Sexton having a stellar game doesn't translate to wins for the Cavaliers. If the Wizards allow him to do all the scoring in hopes of shutting everyone down, that still doesn't mean he is guaranteed 27-points.
Play the Contest Now on Monkey Knife Fight
UTA @ OKC
Jordan Clarkson (UTA) MORE 21.5 Points - Darius Bazley (OKC) MORE 15.5
The fight for sixth man of the year is down to two people, Jordan Clarkson and Derrick Rose. Tim Hardaway Jr. has some momentum in that category as well, but luckily we can avoid talking about his inconsistencies for the time being. Clarkson, however, has dominated stat lines recently and unless he simply doesn't play, the Jazz are going to utilize his skill-set to try and steal the one-seed back from Phoenix. He's averaging 28-points over the last week and 23-points over the last month, so this is the exact type of momentum you want to see if his line is sitting at just 22-points against an arguably terrible defense.
And then we have Darius Bazley, who has only scored over 20-points in 10 of his 54 games this season. That statistic improves to 22-games if you lower the threshold to 16-points, which makes this bet seem much more reasonable up against the Jazz defense. Since returning from injury in early April and thanks to some injuries, his usage has skyrocketed. Since the Thunder still need that type of playmaking every night and whenever they can get it, both Oklahoma City and the Jazz are going to let Bazley produce. If Utah decides to rest Rudy Gobert, Bazley becomes a very valuable play across every format you can think of and his ability to get to the rim will be virtually uncontested.
Play the Contest Now on Monkey Knife Fight
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