We’re breaking down two NBA prop bets from a busy 12-game schedule on Wednesday night.
That leaves us plenty of options to pick from, but these two in particular pop out from the big slate.
Coming off a 1-1 card on Tuesday night, we’re looking for a nice, tidy sweep tonight, and we begin Orlando, where the Magic host the Spurs.
Spurs SG DeMar DeRozan
Over 5 Rebounds (-115)
DeRozan is averaging 5.5 rebounds on the year and has had at least five boards in five of his last six games, while hitting the mark in 18 of 31 appearances in total on the year.
He had six rebounds when his Spurs met the last met the Magic in early November.
- Orlando ranks 19th in total rebounds allowed with 53.9 per game.
- However, the Magic are particularly vulnerable on defensive rebounds, where they rank fourth last in the league.
Defensive boards are DeRozan’s bread and butter. His 4.8 defensive rebounds per game ranks third among all shooting guards, while his 0.8 offensive rebounds per game ranks just 15th.
I’d be willing to pay the juice up to -130 on this prop.
Bulls PF Lauri Markkanen
Over 17.5 Points (-125)
Markkanen’s scoring has been sporadic since returning to action in early December — in eight games, he’s surpassed 20 points three times, while being held to 10 or less on three other occasions.
One huge factor affecting his scoring appears to be whether the 7-24 Bulls are able to stay competitive in games:
- In the four games that Chicago has either won, or lost by six or fewer points, Markkanen is averaging 18.8 points.
- In the four games where they’ve been beaten by more than six points, he averages 11.8.
With the visiting Nets coming in as two-point favorites tonight, odds makers are anticipating a tight contest, brightening Markannen’s outlook.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that Brooklyn is allowing 128 points per game over their past three, by far the worst mark in the league.
I’d play this number to 18, and at the current line, would pay up to -130.
