NBA Best Bets & Player Props January 22: Barnes Fails to Grab Many Rebounds
Ma! More Meat Loaf! Two out of three to end the betting week and ‘that ain’t bad’. That allows for a 20.81 unit profit at the halfway point of the season, which puts Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets right on pace for the forty unit goal. Nikola Jokic came through again, going just above the hook, and cashing in on the double unit bet of last night. Tonight the NBA returns with eight games, and two nationally televised games on NBATV. The first of those matches features rookie sensation Victor Webanyama and the San Antonio Spurs against reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. There is a plus odds prop bet from this match. The Charlotte Hornets travel to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a game at the Target Center. Minnesota is a tough team to beat at home, and there is a point prop worth a wager before the 8:00 PM ET start time. The bet of the night, is a Fantasy Alarm favorite that takes place in the Memphis Grizzlies at Toronto Raptors game, which has a 7:30 PM ET tip off.
BET OF THE NIGHT
SCOTTIE BARNES UNDER 8.5 Rebounds -145 DK
‘The Well’ makes another appearance this month, a record tenth time, and he has only let us down once. Oddly enough S. Barnes did not hit his rebound line in the last game and it moved up one to 8.5. Granted, the Memphis Grizzlies are not good at preventing the other team from rebounding, but that is not Scottie Barnes new role with the team… despite moving to power forward. Listen, this bet has been successful eight of nine times, and the one time it wasn’t they moved his rebounding line to 6.5, and it is now at 8.5… a number S. Barnes has only achieved once in eleven games this month. There are usually one to four of ‘the well’ bets per year, and S. Barnes is that bet this year. Trust the under to come through, as this line moved from -125 last night to -145 early this morning.
PROP BETS
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA OVER 9.5 REBOUNDS +110 MGM
Victor Wembanyama gets his first opportunity to play the defending MVP, Joel Embiid, and the Philadelphia 76ers. This is an epic battle between two fantastic young centers. J. Embiid has been on a tear since returning from injury, scoring thirty-three or more points in every game. Yet he has a maximum of ten rebounds, and two games with just seven. V. Wembanyama has had a dip in rebounding in his last two games, but prior to that had four games with double digit rebounds. His average is at 10.1 rebounds per game and the Philadelphia 76ers allow the eighth most rebounds to opposing centers. This is a nationally televised game and V. Wembanyama’s minutes have steadily been going up, with over twenty-six minutes in his last three games.This bet at plus odds is too good of an angle to let get away.
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS OVER 21.5 POINTS -110 DK
The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Charlotte Hornets at the Target Center, where the Timberwolves have a 17-3 record. This article has repeatedly stated how terrible the Charlotte Hornets are, winners of two of their last ten games. They have a -11.5 point differential which is the worst in the league. Meanwhile Minnesota has a +5.8 point differential and Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT) is a significant reason they are over five per game. When he is on, he is an All-Star level player, and is averaging 21.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Minnesota has one of the most lethal front courts in the NBA, and although KAT has experienced a small dip in production, earning his average against a team with the worst point differential sems well within reach. In addition to that, Anthony Edwards is becoming more of a pass first point guard, this should allow KAT to get in a rhythm early against a terrible defensive team.
Thank you for reading and remember to check out Fantasy Alarm for all your fantasy and betting needs.
Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy
*All Bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise
Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.