Welcome back to NBA betting.
Now that the NFL season is over, it is time to dive deep into the NBA with two months left in the regular season.
The NBA betting landscape has changed significantly over the last few days because of the trade deadline. A handful of teams are still figuring out their rotations, but there are some clear trends from both buyers and sellers from the last few days that we can use to bet on Monday's slate.
Instead of doing just three plays for Monday's 3-Point Play, I'm broadening the list of plays to double the group of player props because of the spots I like and the large schedule on hand.
NBA Player Props
Season Record: 22-21
Jarrett Allen Over 16.5 Points (-120)
You're going to find out very quickly that I believe Monday can be a huge night for center props.
Jarrett Allen enters Monday on a six-game streak with 18 or more points. He is averaging 20.3 points per game in February.
Allen has a terrific opportunity in front of him on Monday against a San Antonio Spurs defense that is lacking center depth after the Jakob Poeltl trade.
San Antonio gave up 14 points and 12 rebounds to Clint Capela and 17 points to John Collins against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart combined for 45 points and 28 rebounds for the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
Allen does share the frontcourt load with Evan Mobley, which is why you could be scared off his props, but I think it is the right move to ride the hot hand in a fantastic matchup.
Clint Capela Over 13.5 Points (-105)
Capela is not on the same scoring clip as Allen, but he does a strong matchup playing in his favor on Monday.
The Atlanta center faces a Charlotte Hornets team that has shifted to Mark Williams at center after trading Mason Plumlee to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Capela produced 12 points and nine rebounds and 14 points and 10 rebounds in his two previous matchups with the Hornets this season, both of which put him head-to-head against Plumlee.
He should be able to get to the rim fairly easily against Williams, and Nick Richards from the second unit, and that should result in a healthy chunk of points.
Collin Sexton Over 4.5 Assists (-120)
The Utah Jazz's assist distribution has been shared between Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson since Mike Conley was shipped to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Sexton produced at least five assists in each of the last three games. The first of those performances came in a Utah-Minnesota game that was affected by the impending trade. He had six and five handouts in the two contests after the deadline.
Indiana gives up the fourth most assists per game, so Sexton and Clarkson should have ample opportunities to record assists on Monday.
I'll run with Sexton here because of his consistency with the starting unit since the roster shakeup.
Spencer Dinwiddie Over 5.5 Assists (-110)
Spencer Dinwiddie has taken over as the Brooklyn Nets' primary ball-handler.
The former Dallas Mavericks guard produced six assists in each of his first two games with the Nets. He outplayed Ben Simmons by over 15 minutes in both contests.
Dinwiddie has an abundance of shooters to pass to on the wings, and he has the added element of New York's paint absence of Mitchell Robinson to take advantage of on Monday.
Dinwiddie should feed Nic Claxton and other cutters to the rim to create points in the paint against New York's biggest weakness at the moment.
Nic Claxton Over 9.5 Rebounds (-135)
While we're on the topic of the Knicks' weakness down low, let's talk about Claxton.
Joel Embiid recorded 11 rebounds and Walker Kessler pulled down 15 boards in the last two games against the Knicks.
New York is missing Robinson on the boards, and while it has Julius Randle and Isaiah Hartenstein to cover that spot, the Knicks have been unable to patch together a strong response to Robinson's injury.
Claxton produced a double-digit rebounding total in five of his last eight games, and he should have a better path to hitting this prop instead of his points total because of the muddled scoring distribution across the starting lineup.
Wendell Carter Jr. Over 14.5 Points (-105)
Revenge Game!
Wendell Carter Jr. averaged 20.1 points per game in his seven matchups with the Chicago Bulls since he was dealt to the Orlando Magic.
Carter has four 20-point performances and six games with 19 or more points as part of his history against his former team.