Another night of In-Season Tournament action rolls on tonight as teams look to cement their spots in Las Vegas. In Group A, the Sixers will take on the Hawks in an important battle for group positioning. That means Tyrese Maxey will be on the floor, however another young player has my attention in that one tonight.
On Wednesday, Devin Booker returned t0 the Suns' lineup and he did not miss a beat, dropping 31 points in a comfortable Suns' victory. The Suns are looking for their first In-Season Tournament win and they will be in Utah to take on the Jazz, who are 2-0 in group play. Booker may lead the way to victory tonight.
Booker played his college ball at Kentucky shortly after fellow Wildcat Anthony Davis. Tonight, Davis and the Lakers will be in Portland to battle the Trail Blazers. The Lakers knocked off the Blazers on Sunday night. This time, Davis will be looking to shake off a poor outing on Wednesday.
Let's dive into my top three NBA prop bets for Friday, November 17.
It has not taken Jalen Johnson long to earn himself more playing time in Atlanta. In the offseason, the Hawks traded John Collins to Utah, clearing a path for more minutes for the 21-year-old. Saddiq Bey started at the four in the Hawks first three games, but Johnson has started the past eight.
Johnson has scored in double figures in nine of the Hawks first 11 games. He has hit this line in eight of those games, finishing with 11 points in another. Johnson has emerged as a lob threat for Trae Young and DeJounte Murray. He is averaging 1.5 offensive rebounds per game, which has led to putbacks. He can also step outside and shoot the three.
He is averaging 14.7 points per game this season, which means he is averaging nearly three more points per game than we need from him tonight. Johnson does not have crazy volume, which he will not have when Young and Murray are both in the lineup. However, he is shooting 61% from the field and 46% from beyond the arc. He is also averaging 30 minutes per game and he has hit this line in six of the seven games in which he has played 30 minutes this season.
This line feels awfully low for a player who can score in a variety of ways. The Sixers just allowed 14 and 27 points to Obi Toppin over their past two games. They also allowed 12 points or more to Jabari Walker, Jerami Grant, Kevin Durant (31) and Kyle Kuzma (28). If you want to back Johnson to join them, you can take him to score 15 points at +210 and 20 points at +850 on FanDuel. He has scored 15 points in four of his past six games and 20 points twice already this season.
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While we wait for the Suns' new Big 3 to make their debut, they received good news on Wednesday when Devin Booker returned to the lineup. Booker has only been in the Suns lineup for three games this season. However, he has scored 32, 31, and 31 points in those three games.
Booker also averaged 33.3 points per game in three outings against the Jazz. Now, that average is boosted by a 49 point performance, which is the only game that he went over last year. However, he still scored 27 and 24 points in the other two games, sparingly playing in the fourth quarter of the last meeting.
The Jazz are allowing 13 3s and nearly 120 points per game this season, ranking 23rd or worse in both categories. They also allowed big scoring nights to several guards this season. Anthony Edwards and Desmond Bane each have scored over 30 points against the Jazz while Bennedict Mathurin and Zach Lavine scored 22 and 24 points, respectively.
The Suns still haven't had Booker, Bradley Beal, and Kevin Durant on the floor together this season. However, when Booker and Durant play together, it is clear that the offense runs through Booker. In 22 games played with Durant on the floor, Booker averages 31.5 points per game and hit this line in 14 of 22 games. I expect #15 to happen tonight.
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Just to be clear: I am not thrilled about this play, however I have to take it. Anthony Davis is one of the most talented players in the league, which also makes him one of the most frustrating. During the playoffs, I mentioned the swinging pendulum that comes with Davis, but apparently it applies to the regular season too.
The cycle goes as follows: Davis has a subpar performance that does not match his talent level. Then, Lakers fans, media, and #GamblingTwitter all slander him for varying reasons ranging from underperforming, not taking the mantle from and providing enough support to LeBron, and not hitting the over on bets. Davis then dominates and everyone forgets about it for a few days until the cycle repeats itself.
Step one happened on Wednesday when Davis had nine points and nine rebounds while being thoroughly outplayed by Kings center Domantas Sabonis. The Lakers were on the second end of a back-to-back, but that did not stop LeBron James dropping a triple double with 28 points. Step two has happened Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. Step three could be loading as well.
Davis gets the Portland Trail Blazers tonight and he had just 30 points and 13 rebounds against them last Sunday. Portland has remade its roster, but Davis has hit this line in three of his last four games against them, averaging 24.5 in that span. Davis also dominates the Suns, DeAndre Ayton's former team. Davis has averaged 26.2 and 12.9 rebounds in nine career games against Ayton. When you combine these factors it is no surprise that Davis went off last Sunday.
This line is 24.5 points on FanDuel and I do not hate it there considering Davis may score 30 points again tonight. You can take him for 30 points at +250 on FanDuel. If he does drop 30 again, the cycle will repeat itself all over again.
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