Nets vs. Suns, Warriors vs. Celtics

After a 3-0 win last Thursday, we’re back with a few more player props in tonight’s five-game NBA slate.

The NBA on TNT doubleheader will see the Celtics host the Warriors for the first time since last season’s NBA Finals. After that, it will be a matchup between the two teams, with the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns dealing with injuries.

Here are your best bets for these games and one more during Thursday night’s action.

Celtics vs. Warriors (7:30 PM ET, TNT)

Jordan Poole Under 25.5 Points (-109, Caesars Sportsbook)

These two teams enter this game with sufficient health. All of the Warriors’ headliners are expected to play tonight, but only Celtics’ Jaylen Brown is in doubt, though he expressed optimism that he will play Wednesday.

The Celtics have a rotation full of players who can create unique shots and take advantage of weaker defenders, so Poole and his questionable defense make for a terrible matchup against Boston.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr knows this, as we saw in last year’s NBA Finals. Poole saw him play less than 25 minutes in his six games in the Finals against the Celtics, and in his final two games, Kerr was mostly out of the pool, both of which he played less than 18 minutes. just didn’t play.

Of course, it affected his scoring numbers. Poole failed to score more than 17 points in all of his games in last six finals, averaging just 13.1 points per game. This disappointing trend seems to continue in the first matchup between these teams of the season, with the pool overall scoring 5-for-16 with him scoring 20 points and 3-9 shooting. he got 1

With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson healthy, it remains to be seen how Poole will reach this number against a full-strength Celtics team.

Nets vs. Suns (10pm ET, TNT)

Deandre Ayton 10.5+ rebounds (-108, FanDuel)

Injuries have taken the sexiness out of this marquee matchup, but there’s still one good betting angle. There is no So Ayton, Michal Bridges and Kam Johnson, who has returned from injury, will carry the weight.

If he plays (and as Suns fans know, it’s not always a given), Ayton should be successful on the board against one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA. Brooklyn’s 47.8% rebounding percentage is better than the Dallas Mavericks and their infamously short lineup alone.

These numbers also include when Kevin Durant was healthy. With Durant out of the lineup with a knee injury, the Nets’ rebounding percentage has plummeted to 46%. Serves as power forward and occasional center.

Ayton’s playing time also increased slightly as injuries impacted Phoenix’s rotation. He has a season-high averaging 32.1 minutes per game, compared to just his 28.9 minutes in December.

These offenses don’t exactly shine with all the injuries these days, so there will be plenty of missed shots for Ayton to skim over.

Bet on the NBA?

Raptors vs. Timberwolves (8 p.m.)

Gary Trent Jr. and Fred VanVleet make 3-pointers of 3 or more (-140, -190, FanDuel)

It’s been a strange season for the Raptors. The oddsmakers led the season with about 45.5 total over/under wins for Toronto, depending on the sportsbook. They are nowhere near reaching that number with his 20-25 record and are currently out of the playoff/play-in picture.

Gambling opportunities abound in this still-talented group anyway. The Raptors face off against the equally disappointing Minnesota Timberwolves tonight, but their lopsided defense should help Toronto’s outside shooters succeed. is.

Minnesota’s most important offseason addition, three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, has taken a step back, but he still keeps opposing teams from scoring near the basket. . The Wolves only allow opponents to score in the paint per game with 48.1 points, his seventh-lowest number in the NBA.

Good for Minnesota, if they weren’t set on fire from the outside. I’m here.

The Raptors aren’t the best three-point shooting team in the league, but they do feature two snipers: Trent Jr. and VanVleet. Both guards like the combination of the pair as they have more shots from deep position in January.