NBA Best Bets & Player Props January 30: Targeting Rebounds For Pascal Siakam
Two of three successful bets yesterday, and another profitable night. Victor Wembanyama let his rebounding line die on the hook, despite needing only one more rebound with over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. That is how dialed in some of the projections are, however Rudy Gobert smashed his prop, and the Denver Nuggets did exactly as Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets expected them to do.That brought in just under a unit profit. However that is old news as there are five NBA games today, and two nationally televised on TNT, where players appear to give a little more effort. There is a familiar prop bet tonight and a parlay bet featuring one team on back-to-back games. Tuesday is somewhat of a focal point for the NBA and that brings up the Bet of the Night.
NBA Bet of the Night
PASCAL SIAKAM OVER 6.5 REBOUNDS +110 MGM
The Indiana Pacers play the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The house will be packed with 19,600 for this Eastern Conference showdown on TNT. The game begins at 7:30 PM ET and the Celtics are seven point favorites. The Pacers enter with a three game win streak, while the home court advantage of TD Garden has slipped away from Boston as they have lost two games after a perfect start. It is no coincidence that the Pacers three game win streak coincides with Pascal Siakam becoming familiar with Rick Carlisle’s system. He is playing well over thirty minutes a game and tonight could be his first game with Tyrese Haliburton since January nineteenth, his first as a Pacer.
The Boston Celtics are a stingy defense allowing only 110.7 points per game, second fewest in the Association. With T. Haliburton expected to return, P. Siakam will play off the ball more, and this in theory should allow for more rebounding opportunities. The Celtics allow 51.9 rebounds per game, and allow third most to forwards. Siakam is very familiar with the Celtics as they were an in division opponent for the first seven years of his career. Kristaps Porzingis did not play last night, but the other starters will be on tired legs after a battle against the New Orleans Pelicans. P. Siakam is coming off of a day's rest and should play thirty-three or more minutes tonight. He averages 6.5 per game, and should go over his average tonight, place the unit with confidence.
ANOTHER PROP BET
SCOTTIE BARNES UNDER 7.5 REBOUNDS -135 DK
'One more time, we’re going to celebrate! Oh yeah, alright, don’t stop the dancing!’ Of course the famous lines from Daft Punk, and it applies to our guy Scottie Barnes in the month of January. Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets stopped laying wagers on S. Barnes as his line dipped to 6.5, but it is now back to 7.5. He has recorded seven or less rebounds in ten of twelve games this month, and this line has bought more than one hot Italian beef sandwich this winter… with giardiniera. He’s back on the column as the Toronto Raptors are on the road against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls starting Center, Nikola Vucevic, is collecting more rebounds than a recycle bin does cardboard. He has 122 in eleven games this month, and DeMar DeRozan has five or more in four of his last six games. Newly acquired forward, Bruce Brown has played over thirty minutes the last two games and has nine rebounds in each of those games. Look for this to continue with RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Immanuel Quickly all out or questionable. This is the last game for the Raptors this month, and it is one more chance to build the bankroll on this month’s most profitable bet. ‘...We’re going to celebrate. Oh yeah, alright, don’t stop the dancing.’
PARLAY OF THE NIGHT
2 PAR MONEYLINE: ATLANTA HAWKS AND CHICAGO BULLS +113 DK
A two home team parlay on the moneyline at positive odds is the third bet of the night. The odds were at +121 last night, and a slight shift on odds as the sharks made their move on the Bulls. The Toronto Raptors are on a horrific losing streak, losers of nine of their last ten. The trade to deconstruct this team, and mold it into a new future is in the ugly stage, the demolition stage. The Raptors could make more trades before the quickly approaching deadline too. The Chicago Bulls are playing without Zach Lavine and have won three of their last five games. They have been playing better with the return of Nikola Vucevic, and have a -6.5 spread tonight. The Bulls are three games under .500 and have two favorable matchups this month that they need to win.
The Atlanta Hawks are hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on the second of back-to-back games. Last night LeBron James played thirty-seven minutes and D’Angelo Russell played forty-one. Both could sit out, be on restricted minutes, or be inefficient in their minutes on the floor. As of now Anthony Davis and Lebron James have proposition bets, A. Davis has been as consistent as the sunrise this season and will likely play again. If he doesn’t this line will dip into the negatives. The Hawks will be without De’Andre Hunter and possibly Dejounte Murray, but still have the big three of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela. The Hawks are over five point favorites, and even though they are bad defensively, they should outpace an older team on back-to-back nights. A plus money parlay with the favorites to win.
Thank you for reading and remember to check out Fantasy Alarm for all your fantasy and betting needs. Also check out the NBA DFS show with Jon and James as they have been on a roll lately.
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.