Friday night in the NBA brings another exciting slate of games, and we’ve pinpointed two standout player prop bets to target. Vasilije Micic has a prime opportunity to capitalize on an assist-heavy matchup against the Bulls, while Joel Embiid faces a tough task hitting threes against the Pacers’ defense. Let’s dive into why these props offer excellent value and how the matchups set up for success.
Hornets PG Vasilije Micic Over 6.5 Assists vs. Bulls (-122, FanDuel)
Filling in for the injured LaMelo Ball, Micic gets the best possible matchup for an opposing point guard (Chicago has allowed an NBA-high 11.2 assists per game to the position) and has racked up 12, seven and nine assists over his last three games. For context, that 9.3 average was the 6th-best in the NBA in that span, as was his 15.3 potential assists in that trio of contests. Playing 35, 35 and 34 minutes, I’m not worried about him getting benched, either, in what should be a shootout.
The Hornets are a 5.5-point underdog, this game has a hefty 231.5-point total, and this is a huge pace-up spot for the Hornets, who play at the NBA’s 4th-slowest pace while the Bulls play at the fastest pace in the Association. Chicago ranks 2nd-worst in Defensive Rating and has allowed a whopping 29.5 total assists per game to their opponents, 2nd-highest in the league. This is a smash spot for Micic and I would have bet the over if it was 7.5 in this matchup.
76ers C Joel Embiid Under 1.5 Made Threes vs. Pacers (-114, Caesars)
The Sixers (7-15) have been a disaster this season and Joel Embiid’s status has been frustrating, to say the least. When he has played, he’s seen a mixed bag of results, scoring 13, 20, 11, 35 and 31 points, but has struggled from the field, shooting 40.7%, including just 13.0% from three. Likely due to a lack of conditioning and consistency, Embiid has averaged just 0.6 made threes per game, shooting 1-for-5, 0-for-5, 1-for-3, 1-for-5 and 0-for-5 from deep.
The Pacers have allowed 1.07 made threes per game to the opposing center position and Myles Turner has held him to one or zero made threes in 14 of 16 career head-to-head matchups. Based on what he’s shown us this year and the fact that he’s stayed under this in all five starts and in 87.5% of his career games against Turner, I love this play.
Jazz SG Jordan Clarkson Over 2.5 Rebounds vs. Suns (-110, DraftKings)
Clarkson will make his return to the floor after a multi-week absence for the Jazz tonight against the Suns and he’s gone over this mark 11 consecutive times. In the month of November, he averaged 6.8 rebounding chances per contest and this is probably a full rebound too low. Since he plays roughly 25 minutes per game off the bench, I don’t anticipate his workload to be affected too much coming off his plantar fasciitis ailment. I don’t necessarily love the play, but I think there’s clear value here.
Nick Ashooh: 76ers SF Paul George Over 22.5 Points + Assists (-110, BetMGM)
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