Wednesday was a losing night, but it brought some clarity. Tyrese Haliburton is going to be the first member of the banned list for this season. He was airballing threes while deferring to any guard on the floor. By the end of the first half, I knew that he was not getting the over. It was good to move on early and not sweat it out. So good riddance to that bet.
Now we move on to Friday with another 10-game slate for us to bet on. There are plenty of plays on the board that caught my eye. However, three bets stood out from the rest.
Tobias Harris Under 23.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-104)
Tobias Harris is looking to redeem himself with the Detroit Pistons after floundering the last several seasons in Philadelphia. Opening night for the Pistons was a moderate success, as they pushed the Indiana Pacers to the brink, but couldn't pull out the win. Harris was excellent in the first half; showing an aggressive side of his game that we haven't seen in years.Â
However, the second half came and Harris turned into the player we saw on the Sixers. He was tentative and invisible throughout the rest of the game. He also didn't contribute to the rebounding or passing department. The Pistons face the Cleveland Cavaliers, which is a tall task for Harris and this line because of the size the Cavs bring.Â
On opening night, the Pistons did look better than they did the previous season, but the Cavs might be a top-tier regular season team at the very least. With Harris not bringing anything to the table outside of scoring, I cannot envision him surpassing the over. I think the Cavs put on another masterclass performance against their old head coach and Harris struggles.
Anthony Davis Over 24.5 Points (-122)
Anthony Davis was a man amongst boys in the Los Angeles Lakers' victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. AD finished with 36 points and 16 rebounds against the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. It was a statement for AD and he looks to continue the momentum.Â
The Lakers face off with the Phoenix Suns and AD should be excited for this matchup. The Suns have Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee as their centers and will be tasked to halt AD. However, they might not be the guys to do so. Nurkic will be the man to start on him, but he has an issue with fouls. He was third in the NBA last year in fouls per game. AD shot 15 free throws on Tuesday night and he might shoot even more tonight against a big man who cannot help but foul. Plumlee is athletic and can offer a better effort against AD, but he is overpowering and will be a force regardless of the matchup.Â
This is going to be a star-studded affair on both sides, but I think AD is going to be the one to shine tonight. 25 points seems like a very easy assignment for the superstar big man. I love this over and might even sprinkle him to score 30+ points (+220).
Ben Simmons Under 19.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (+100)
Before the season began, we got the annual Ben Simmons training videos that were met with quotes from himself and his trainer about how healthy he is now and this is the best he's ever felt. This has been the same schtick over the past several years and we are simply done with the nonsense.Â
Simmons was mediocre on opening night for the Brooklyn Nets despite finishing right below the under for this PRA line. He had 5 fouls and 6 turnovers against the Atlanta Hawks. He faces the Orlando Magic tonight, who put a beatdown on the Miami Heat on Wednesday. The Magic look scary and have the makings to be one of the better defensive teams in the NBA. This also has the potential to get ugly fast.Â
The Magic are a young squad looking to win every game possible. They do not care about the long grind of an NBA season, they are going to want to put teams down every night. Simmons is not going to score against this Magic team, so it comes down to assists and rebounds. Rebounds could be his best case because I don't see the Nets scoring that much regardless of who passes the ball around. This is a dangerous matchup for anyone on this Nets team, but I think fading Ben Simmons until further notice is the best way to go.Â
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