With the NBA regular season entering its final stretch, the league brings us another 6 games slate. The TNT double header will begin with the Miami Heat looking to move into the automatic playoff positions as they visit the chasing Toronto Raptors. That will be followed up by a Western Conference clash between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors. The teams are separated by just half a game. Tonight’s outcome could help' determine if a teams get a top 6-seed' or find themselves in a race to stay in the play-ins.
You can find my player prop selections for both games below. And do not forget to check out the rest of our NBA picks too.
Darius Garland has had plenty of success going up against the Atlanta Hawks this season. In 2 games so far he has managed to have points totals of 25 and 33, respectively. Going up against a point guard as defensively challenged Trae Young should allow him to excel once more here. Donovan Mitchell will find himself up against Dejounte Murray.' He will look to defer more of the scoring responsibility to the Cavaliers point guard who has the easier matchup. Garland is one of the most effective 3-point shooters on the Cleveland roster. With the Hawks in the bottom 10 of the league in opponent 3-pointers made per game over the last 10, he should be well position to convert it to a big scoring night.
Jonas Valanciunas has been a dominant rebounder for the New Orleans Pelicans lately but he could struggle to stay on the floor tonight. With the Golden State Warriors looking to play a small-ball lineup, he could find himself exposed defensively. If he is forced off the floor, it would leave a rebounding void that Brandon Ingram could look to fill. He is averaging 5.3 rebounds per game against the Warriors, having not recorded fewer than 5 in any contest. With the floor spacing ability of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson pulling Herbert Jones and CJ McCollum out to the perimeter, Ingram should play a integral part in cleaning up misses tonight. He certainly has the size and length to dominant on that front.