RADIO
It's time to kick-start the weekend with some fantastic NBA action and make some money. The league offers up a 10-game schedule on Friday night, including 10 of the top 12 teams in terms of pace to provide us with all the counting stats and fast action we desire.
The early slate is chock full of games, six of them to be precise, while we only have two on the late slate. Two of the fastest-paced and weak defensive teams meet between Atlanta and Washington, and that should cause some fireworks for Bradley Beal and Trae Young. And then to cap off the evening, there is a potential NBA Finals preview where Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James face each other inside the Staples Center.
These recommendations will send you in the right direction to take home some cash on Monkey Knife Fight for Friday, March 6. If you need any more advice on other picks for tonight's games, follow me @EuanOrYouOut on Twitter or post a question in the NBA chat room. Good luck, Rotoballers!
Editor's Note: Here's a great special offer for all RotoBaller readers from our Monkey Knife Fight friends: New AND Existing Player Bonus. All players receive a 100% matched signup or reload bonus up to $50 with code 'BALLER'. Sign up and deposit, and use our prop picks to get off on a winning foot!
STAR SHOOTOUT - EARLY GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Bradley Beal MORE THAN 34.5 POINTS – Beal is averaging 36.1 points over his last 10 games, and takes on an Atlanta defense that gives up the fifth-most points to shooting guards in the league. He "only" averages 30.4 points per game at home, but the last time he faced the Hawks, he lit them up with 40 points.
Domantas Sabonis LESS THAN 12.5 REBOUNDS – It would be far more tempting to take the over if the number was 11.5, but we can only play with the cards we are dealt. Sabonis averages 12.4 rebounds on the year and the road, but that has been propped up by some massive rebounding performances earlier in the season. Since the calendar flipped to 2020, the All-Star has 11.4 rebounds per game and just 10.8 boards per game in his last 10 road contests.
Lonzo Ball MORE THAN 7.5 ASSISTS – Since Zion Williamson stepped on the court for the Pelicans, Ball has averaged 8.4 assists per game. On Friday, he faces a Miami team that allows the 10th most assists per game to their opponent. Lonzo has also averaged 7.9 assists per game when he plays 30 minutes, and he has only played less than that in one game this calendar year. The math checks out, let this Pelican guide you to some easy money.
RAPID FIRE
Davis Bertans +0.5 THREE POINTERS vs. Duncan Robinson – Bertans and Robinson both make 3.6 threes per game, but this pick is a pure matchup play. Washington and Bertans' opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, both rank top-six in pace, bottom-three in defensive rating, and bottom-12 in three-point defense. All that adds up to a massive shootout. On the other side, Miami ranks 26th in pace, and the Pelicans have improved their three-point defense from 36 percent to 34.2 percent since you know who made his debut.
STAR SHOOTOUT - LATE GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Giannis Antetokounmpo MORE THAN 14.5 REBOUNDS - The artist known as Giannis will be taking on the only challenger for his second-straight MVP award tonight in LeBron James on national television. Motivation should not be a problem for him. Considering Antetokounmpo is averaging 16.2 rebounds per game over his last 17 contests, and has only fallen below 15 rebounds in five of those makes this a confident selection.
Damian Lillard MORE THAN 3.5 THREE POINTERS MADE - Lillard returned on Wednesday night after a six-game absence and scored 22 points with four three-pointers. Before the injury, he was averaging 4.6 made threes per game in 2020, and, now that he has shaken off the rust, should be expected to return to the blistering form that thrust the Trail Blazers back into the playoff mix. Also, Phoenix has the eighth-worst three-point defense in the league allowing their opponents to sink 36.5 percent of their attempts this season.
Devin Booker LESS THAN 29.5 POINTS – Portland has a bottom-five defense in the NBA this season, but that won't be enough to push Booker to the 30-point threshold. He has only gone over this mark in two of his last 14 games and zero of his previous 10 games, where he has averaged 21.5 points per game despite Kelly Oubre Jr. missing Phoenix previous four games.
RAPID FIRE
LeBron James -0.5 ASSISTS vs. Ricky Rubio - This one is relatively simple. Take the better player averaging better numbers in the category. If you want more information, though, you can get that too. James is averaging 10.5 assists on the season compared to Rubio's 8.8 dimes per game. The Lakers opponent, Milwaukee, ranks first in pace this season with 105 possessions per game, while Phoenix's foe for the evening, Portland, ranks 11th at 100.8 possessions per game. Those extra opportunities will add up for a Lakers team that averages 28 assists per game at home this season. Take LeBron and cash that bet.
