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Jake Finnen provides his NBA DFS prop picks for February 1st, 2021 on Monkey Knife Fight. Make your DFS picks with his fantasy basketball advice.
There's a 10-game slate Monday, and following yesterday's slate of games, the new month is set to start off right, especially seeing how Sunday ended. Early in the day, Immanuel Quickley made a valiant effort, but late-game coaching cost New York the game against the Clippers. Following that, the Jazz almost made a miraculous 30-point comeback after Nikola Jokic had a 24-point first quarter, but their defense wasn't able to stop Jokic from scoring throughout the game. Then the main slate started.
Not to take away from the 76ers, Pacers, Raptors, or Magic, but the Wizards-Nets contest had one of the craziest endings in that's been seen in years. Heading into the new month, the Wizards set a precedent. Even by beating the Nets without James Harden, it was the effort of Russell Westbrook and perseverance of Bradley Beal that was so inspiring...and a timely steal from Garrison Matthews. Teams are going to see the worst team in basketball beating one of the best teams in basketball, and put themselves in that same spotlight.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com continues to be ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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CHA @ MIA
Gordon Hayward (CHA) MORE 22.5 Points - Jimmy Butler (MIA) MORE 19.5 Points
Both of these teams are in the bottom third in pace over their past 10 games, and a promising sign for Jimmy Butler is that he had a 35% usage rate in his first game back against Sacramento, where he scored 30 points. There are going to be few people taking the under for Butler, but for Gordon Hayward, his outcome seems inconsistent despite showing promising averages. His scoring isn't entirely dependent on the rest of his team, but the way the Heat defense is set up, it's more likely Hayward will be passing out and in more catch-and-shoot situations.
For players that like getting to the rim and taking mid-range attempts, it'll be much easier for someone like Butler to go up against Cody Zeller than it will be for Hayward to get by Butler and Bam Adebayo. Based on matchup, it's much harder to see Butler having a worse night than Hayward although both should hit 20 without much problem.
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LAL @ ATL
Trae Young (ATL) MORE 27.5 Points - LeBron James (LAL) LESS 24.5
With Anthony Davis, LeBron James isn't certain for any type of production, but the Hawks specifically do not have anyone outside of John Collins and Clint Capela to clog the paint. Anthony Davis usually plays a more reserved role until needed, and James is notorious for utilizing his teammates and chasing stats other than points. Exampled by his 20-point half against the Pistons, where he finished with 22 points in a loss. With all this, the Hawks still don't have a defensive playmaker and James simply won't walk away from points. He looks to continue to his 30-point streak against Atlanta.
Trae Young tends to be on the trendier side, mostly having high-scoring games in bunches, trailing off, then responding with a huge game, silencing the doubters. Young is in a groove currently and even though the last two guards to score over 20 points against the Lakers were Jrue Holiday and Zach LaVine, Young is also looking to post his third consecutive 30-point game against the Lakers.
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MIN @ CLE
D'Angelo Russell (MIL) LESS 24.5 Points - Collin Sexton (CLE) MORE 22.5
First off, D'Angelo Russell is still clearly dealing with a lingering injury and him scoring 25-points during this period seems highly unlikely. He was looking to pass all game and near the end of the game, he finally was able to get a shot off. Since this will be the second game between the two in two days, the Timberwolves are likely to rest Russell based on how well the rest of his team was able to produce. If Russell plays, go with the under.
Sloppy play from the Cavaliers ruined upside across the board. Collin Sexton isn't excused from the blame, and in many cases, mis-timed cuts and awkward passes ruined their momentum. Sexton slightly struggled to get to the rim, but the poor spacing didn't help. It's easy to see him rebounding from this and posting another quality night of at least 23-points, but based on how the first game went, he'll need to be more aggressive with his outside shooting.
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SAC @ NOP
Zion Williamson (NOP) MORE 24.5 Points - De'Aaron Fox (SAC) MORE 22.5
Both of teams rank last or next to last in defensive rating over the past 10 games and Zion Williamson has scored over 20 points in 11 of his last 12 games. Williamson is going to join a group of other forwards that are able to post career games versus the Kings, and luckily for us, De'Aaron Fox will have just as much upside against the Pelicans backcourt.
It's been another stellar season for Fox and the Pelicans are his nemesis. If there was a game that Fox circles on his calendar, its the Pelicans. If the first outing between these two was any indication of anything, it's that he can score 23 points against that defense.
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PHX @ DAL
Luka Doncic (DAL) MORE 28.5 Points - Devin Booker (PHO) MORE 22.5
If Devin Booker actually does play, he's been on a scoring tear that up against the Mavericks defense surpasses 23 points, easily. Earlier in the season, he was adapting to playing with Chris Paul, and it was impacting his scoring significantly, which makes sense. Now that the two have started to learn to play with eachother, and Paul has learned how hard it is to play without Booker's scoring, the entire Suns team is going to start to cherish his ability to actually knockdown open shots from the backcourt, even more.
For Luka Doncic, it's pretty clear. This is the Suns defense and even though Jae Crowder puts up a fight in the post, without Kristaps Porzingis, he's the only option they have. In another high-scoring affair, expect both Booker and Doncic to lead scorers with efficient shooting from the field.
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