Each week, Props.com selects five intriguing player and/or team NBA betting props from a busy night of action, and subsequently does what we do best: Provide in-depth analysis that you can choose to use (or not use!) for wagering purposes.
Here are our five favorite props from Monday’s slate of nine NBA games.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings and updated as of 2 p.m. ET on Nov. 1.
Cleveland Cavaliers: PG/SG Collin Sexton
The Prop: 20.5 points scored (at Charlotte)
The Odds: Over -110/Under -110
Sexton is averaging 17.3 points per game through seven contests, but consistency has been an issue. Sexton has rolled for 26-plus points twice but tallied 17 or fewer points in the Cavaliers’ other five contests.
The Alabama product is shooting 49.5 percent from the field, but only 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. (Then again, he’s only attempted eight triples over his last three games.)
Sexton’s scoring prowess relies on volume drives to the basket — he attempted 89 shots in the first five games — and free-throw shooting (he’s shooting an underwhelming 71.4 percent from the charity stripe).
One reason to like Sexton’s chances to get past 20 points in this contest: He’s facing a Hornets club that ranks 28th in scoring defense (115.3 ppg). Also, in two games against Charlotte last season, Sexton averaged 27.5 points while shooting 20 of 35 from the field and burying three triples apiece in both matchups.
**Looking for more NBA Props on Monday? Check out our Top 5 NBA Picks to place on Underdog Fantasy or your favorite legal sportsbook.
New York Knicks: PF Julius Randle
The Prop: 38.5 total points/rebounds/assists (vs. Toronto)
The Odds: Over +105/Under -125
Randle has enjoyed a strong start with the 5-1 Knicks, posting per-game averages that run similar to last year’s breakthrough campaign (20.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.2 blocks).
Now for the deflating news: Aside from opening night, when he had 52 combined points (35), rebounds (8), and assists (9) in a double-overtime victory over the Celtics, Randle has hit the Over on this prop just once.
Over his last three games, Randle has tallied only 16, 13, and 10 points. That drop in offensive production can be linked to a decline in his shooting rate (just 20 attempts the last two games) and fewer visits to the free-throw line (he didn’t get to the line at all against Philadelphia on Tuesday or New Orleans on Saturday).
Randle has notched four double-doubles this year, along with four separate outings of seven or more assists. And in last year’s three meetings with the Raptors, Randle cleared this prop twice.
Chicago Bulls at Boston Celtics
The Prop: Celtics -1.5 after the first quarter
The Odds: Bulls -135/Celtics +115
The Bulls (5-1) boast the NBA’s fifth-highest scoring differential at 7.8 points per game. This figure aligns well with Chicago’s 3-2-1 record in opening-quarter action, which includes a plus-7 cumulative point differential.
However, the Bulls have failed to hold a lead after the initial 12 minutes in both of its road games this year (Detroit, Toronto). In fact, Chicago ranks 23rd in first-quarter scoring offense (24.5 points per game) but dead last on the road (19.0 ppg).
The Celtics (2-4) have been a bit more productive at the outset, averaging 25.3 first-quarter points, but only 21 ppg in home contests. Boston is 1-3-2 in first quarters this season, with a scoring differential of minus-12 points.
Atlanta Hawks: C Clint Capela
The Prop: 11.5 rebounds (vs. Washington)
The Odds: Over +100/Under -120
Capela has corralled 12 or more boards four times in six games this season, and he’s averaging 10.5 rebounds in all. Last season, Capela owned the glass against the Wizards, averaging 15.7 boards in three meetings.
The only downer: Capela collected a season-low four rebounds against Washington last week while logging 23 minutes.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers
The Prop: 53.5 combined first-quarter points
The Odds: Over +100/Under -120
The Clippers and Thunder have a combined 2-9 record. One good reason why: They’re struggling to fill the bucket, and they aren’t particularly quick starters.
Los Angeles (102.8 ppg, 23rd overall) and Oklahoma City (97.2 ppg, 29th) rank among the NBA’s bottom-eight scoring teams. Also the Clippers (26 ppg) and Thunder (23 ppg) rank in the bottom half of the league in first-quarter scoring — with OKC netting just 19.7 opening-quarter points in three road games.
That said, the Thunder’s defense has gotten torched in the first quarter, allowing an average of 32.5 points, with all six opponents tallying at least 27. Five of those six games featured more than 53 first-quarter points, while the sixth landed right on 53.
The flip side: Los Angeles has topped this first-quarter total just twice in five contests, holding four opponents to 25 points or fewer.
