In the sports world, Monday nights have become synonymous with the NFL. However, with a less-than-stellar game on the docket, you may have your eyes on the NBA instead. There is an eight game slate for Monday, meaning we have plenty of games to watch and plenty of player props to choose from. Here are the props I have my eye on for Monday night.
Joel Embiid Over 28.5 Points (-120)
| Pacers vs. 76ers | 76ers -11.5 |
| Time | TV | 7 p.m. ET | NBA League Pass |
| Best Book | DraftKings |
The Philadelphia 76ers have gotten off to an 0-3 start and have been a disappointment this season. Philadelphia has championship aspirations and lost its first two games to fellow title contenders in Boston and Milwaukee. However, on Saturday, the 76ers lost to a Spurs team more interested in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
On Monday, Philadelphia faces another team likely to finish at the bottom of the standings, the Indiana Pacers. One way for the 76ers to snap their losing streak is to throw the ball inside. The Pacers are undersized in the front court with Myles Turner and Daniel Theis out of the lineup.
The Pacers won't have an answer for Joel Embiid inside. I expect the 76ers to feed Embiid early and often, making his points total a great prop bet. Embiid has gone over this number in just one of three games this season, but he's also coming off a 40-point outing against the Spurs.
Last season, the Pacers ranked 27th in defending centers, 25th in points allowed and 29th in field goal percentage allowed. Embiid is averaging 19 field goal attempts per game this season. When you combine his volume against the Pacers poor defense, it's clear he could be in for a big night.
Jaylen Brown Over 22.5 Points (-105)
| Celtics vs. Bulls | Celtics -5 |
| Time | TV | 8 p.m. ET | NBA League Pass |
| Best Book | DraftKings |
The Boston Celtics have one of the game's best tandems in forward Jayson Tatum and guard Jaylen Brown. However, one thing I have noticed about them over the past few years is that they like to trade off big scoring nights. Brown and Tatum both had it going in the first two games, with each scoring 35 points in the season opener. They then combined for 57 points Friday night against Miami.
However, in the second half of against Orlando, Tatum scored 40 points and Brown scored 12 on 4-of-16 shooting from the field. I see Brown bouncing back against the Bulls.
Brown has hit this number twice in three games this season. He is a volume shooter and not bashful about getting shots up. Brown has taken at least 16 shots in every game this season. He will be facing a Bulls defense that was 27th in three-point percentage defense last season. Brown is averaging seven three-point attempts per game this season.
Brown faced the Bulls three times last season and went over this line in two of those matchups with games of 28, 19 and 25 points. The Bulls have allowed 23 points to Tyler Herro, 24 to Jimmy Butler and 19 to Bradley Beal in the first two games. Brown is the next guard in line to have a big scoring night against the Bulls.
