Happy Easter! Sunday features a light NBA slate, with five games starting at 6 p.m. ET or later.
Let’s dive into some of my favorite wagers on DraftKings Sportsbook for Sunday’s NBA slate.
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Hornets +9
The Hornets are going to be without two of their best players Sunday vs. the Celtics. LaMelo Ball remains out of the lineup with a fractured wrist, while Gordon Hayward will miss at least the next four weeks with a right foot sprain.
That said, this still feels like way too much respect for the Celtics. They’ve definitely got a bit unlucky this season, but their Net Rating still ranks just 11th in the league. They’ve outscored their opponents by an average of just 1.2 points per 100 possessions, so asking them to cover a nine-point spread seems ambitious.
Additionally, the Celtics could also be without one of their best players. Jaylen Brown is currently questionable, and his absence would be a big deal.
Pelicans -5.5
I’m going to roll the dice here with the Pelicans. The big question is will this team be any healthier for tonight’s matchup? Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball have missed their past two games, which has left the team without arguably their three best players. They own the top three marks on the team in terms of Net Rating differential, so it’s not surprising they’ve lost their past two contests.
All three players are currently listed as questionable, which suggests there’s a chance that at least one of them will return to the lineup vs. the Rockets. If that happens, this line is simply too low.
Calling the Rockets bad is a massive understatement. They’ve lost 25 of their past 27 games, and they’ve been outscored by an average of 13.5 points per 100 possessions over that time frame. They’ve also traded away Victor Oladipo, and John Wall will be sidelined for tonight’s contest. Overall, there simply isn’t much talent left on the roster.
New Orleans Pelicans (-5.5) @ Houston Rockets:
Sterling Brown Over 8.5 points (-118)
Let’s finish things up with a player prop. Brown is someone who should see a bit more run than usual for the Rockets on Sunday. Not only is Wall out of the lineup, but the team just released Ben McLemore earlier today. Brown has averaged 28.8 minutes and 11.7 points over his past seven games, and he has scored at least 10 points in five of those contests.
He also has a bit more scoring upside than usual in this matchup since the Pelicans have been dreadful defensively this season, ranking just 28th in defensive efficiency. I like his chances of hitting the over on Sunday.
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