Last night, the NBA All-Star Game reserves were announced. In the East, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Maxey were first-time honorees and validated their selections as each topped 40 points.
Devin Booker earned his fourth All-Star selection last night. He could join them with a scoring outburst in Atlanta.
However, All-Star spots are tough to come by in the West. De’Aaron Fox was not named an all-star despite another outstanding season. He may take out that anger on the Pacers tonight.
But first we will begin in Detroit where the Pistons will be hosting the Clippers as James Harden tries to help the Clippers pick up another victory on their road trip.
Let's dive into my top three NBA player props tonight.
James Harden enters tonight's game having hit this line in four of his past six games. In three of those games, he went well above this line with at 39 points, rebounds, and assists. That includes Wednesday's game at Washington when he had 25 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Harden's scoring has led the way as he had 20 points in four games during this stretch.
Harden also had at least eight assists in eight of his last 10 games. The Pistons are 27th in scoring defense so scoring and assisting should be on the table for Harden again tonight. There are also more rebounds available with Ivica Zubac out of the lineup.
Harden has had at least five rebounds in six of his last seven games and seven rebounds in each of his last four. Zubac's replacement. Mason Plumlee is a capable rebounder as well, but tonight he has to deal with Jalen Duren. Additionally, few coaches love small ball more than Tyrann Lue.
These factors could lead to Harden filling up the stat sheet like he typically does against the Pistons. In 27 games against Detroit, he is averaging 24.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. If he has a typical game against Detroit, that would get us well over this line with 40 PRA tonight.
Additionally, he has had a triple-double in five of his last eight games against the Pistons and flirted with one in two other games. For additional value, you can take him for a double-double at +115 and a triple-double at +2000 on DraftKings.
Pick: James Harden Over 33.5 PTS + REB + AST (-106)
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To say Devin Booker has been hot lately would be an understatement. In his last eight road games, Booker is averaging 39.1 points per game. He has scored 30 points in six of those games, including four consecutive 40-points. Additionally, Booker appears to enjoy Friday nights on the road. The last two Fridays he scored 52 points at New Orleans and 62 points at Indiana.
Booker topped 30 points in the first half of both of those games. He has a fantastic matchup to do so again tonight. Atlanta is 29th in scoring defense and 27th in defensive rating this season. They are also 27th in 3-pointers allowed per game and 28th in 3-point percentage defense. Booker has made four or more 3-pointers in four of his last eight games.
Booker did not play in either matchup against Atlanta last season, but he is averaging 27.8 points per game against them in his career. He has scored 30 points in four of his last five games against the Hawks, topping 35 points in two of them.
If he goes off against the Hawks again tonight, he may hit 40 points once again. You can bet on Booker to score 35 points at +230 and 40 points at +600 on FanDuel.
Pick: Devin Booker Over 29.5 Points (-113)
One thing I found interesting looking at De'Aaron Fox this morning is that he is averaging exactly 27.2 points both home and away. Either way, he is going above this line on average. Lately, he has enjoyed playing on the road a little more. Fox has hit this line in four of his past six road games and scored 30 points in three of them.
Fox can score regardless of the matchup, but he has an excellent one tonight. Indiana is 28th in scoring defense this season. Last night, the Pacers played one of their best defensive games of the season in a slugfest against the Knicks. Yet, Jalen Brunson still went for 40 points. Miles McBride went over his line with 16 off the bench last night and Jrue Holiday cleared his line on Tuesday as well.
With the Pacers playing last night and flying back to Indiana for tonight's game, the Kings will have a rest advantage. If the Pacers are a bit tired tonight, that will be a significant issue for them defending Fox with his speed. Another factor with the back-to-back is the status of Tyrese Haliburton. He came back on Tuesday and has been restricted to 22 minutes in each of the last two games.
If he is in the lineup, this game will have a little faster pace and tonight's total is 248.5. Either way, these teams rank in the top 11 in pace, so this should be an up-and-down game. This will benefit Fox in transition as well getting downhill and into the paint.
This is a great spot for Fox tonight regardless, but if he is feeling slighted from after being excluded from the All-Star team, he may be inclined to put on a show tonight. Fox is listed at +340 to score 35 points and +800 to score 40 on FanDuel.
Pick: De’Aaron Fox Over 26.5 Points (-125)
