College basketball will get most of the attention on Saturday evening, but there are also four NBA games to choose from. The action gets underway with a pair of contests at 8 p.m. ET and wraps up with a 10 p.m. ET tip-off.
Let’s dive into some of my favorite wagers on DraftKings Sportsbook for Saturday’s NBA slate.
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Kings +6
The 76ers have managed to survive without Joel Embiid, but they are coming off a loss vs. the Bucks in their last game. Their overall level of play has also, unsurprisingly, been worse without Embiid this season. The 76ers have played 978 minutes with Embiid off the court this season, and they’ve been outscored by an average of 2.2 points per 100 possessions over that time frame.
That makes the Kings an appealing underdog play. Sacramento isn’t the best team, but they have managed to pull off back-to-back road wins against the Wizards and Celtics. I think they can ultimately keep this game close.
Spurs +9.5
The Bucks have been absolutely rolling recently. They’ve won 10 of their past 11 games, including all four games following the All-Star break. That said, they haven’t exactly been dominant. They’ve posted a Net Rating of +7.6 in those 11 contests – which is definitely an impressive number – but it’s worse than the marks that they posted in each of the past two years.
They’re definitely the better team in this matchup, but I think the spread might be a smidge too high.
The Spurs have also been playing solid basketball of late, and their lineup is essentially back at full strength. They got DeMar DeRozan back in the lineup for their last game, and Derrick White is playing starter-level minutes for the first time all year.
They still don’t have LaMarcus Aldridge, but I would argue that’s a good thing. The Spurs have been markedly worse with Aldridge on the floor this season, decreasing their Net Rating by 8.8 points per 100 possessions.
P.J. Washington over 11.5 points
Let’s wrap things up with a player prop bet. Washington’s minutes have been a bit all over the place this season, but he’s coming off a whopping 39.4 minutes in his last contest. That was the highest mark on the team, so he appears to be in favor with the coaching staff at the moment.
If Washington sees anywhere near that many minutes again vs. the Clippers, he’s going to cruise past 11.5 points. He’s averaged 15.4 points per 36 minutes this season, and he managed 18 points vs. the Lakers in his last game. The Lakers are the top team in the league in terms of defensive efficiency, so if Washington can score against them, he can score against anyone.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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