Embiid can only miss another 5 games to remain eligible for end of season awards including the MVP. Will he be back to face The Warriors?
Best Bet
Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics (11:40am)
We always like the Pacers matchup as they play at the second-fastest pace in the league. That means more shots, which equates to more buckets and more rebounds.
Jaylen has had great success against the Pacers, obliterating this line in 5 of the last 6 matches with totals of 45, 35, 39, 23, 34 and 41. In the game where he combined for 23 points and rebounds, he only logged 25 minutes as the Celtics won that game by 51(!) points. Still a great per-minute rate, which is relevant considering Jaylen is averaging over 33 minutes per game this season.
With the addition of Pascal Siakham, the Pacers should be able to keep this one close, meaning 30+ minutes should be no issue at all for Brown.
SGM – Celtics Win / Siakham 20+ Points / Derrick White 15+ Points = $4.00
Next Best
Philadelphia 76ers @ Golden State Warriors (2:10pm)
Getting in early on this one as I truly believe Embiid will suit up (famous last words!). The Sixers are playing the second night of a back-to-back, so Embiid was always likely to miss one of those… and who are you more likely to get a win over without your star player between Portland and GSW? It obviously didn’t work out to plan for Philly after getting their pants pulled down by Portland, but I’m tipping this would have been the reasoning.
If Embiid is a confirmed starter, the 29-16 Philadelphia 76ers will likely start this contest as favourites against the 19-24 Golden State Warriors. Even if my gamble is wrong and he doesn’t suit up, The Warriors are not the team they used to be. A 4.5 head start for the third-best team in the East is plenty – especially considering they will be looking to make amends for yesterday’s debacle.
SGM – Over 235.5 Total Points / Kuminga 20+ Points / Draymond 8+ Rebounds = $5.75
Value Bet
Los Angeles Lakers @ Atlanta Hawks (11:40am)
The Lakers have reportedly been sniffing around about Dejounte’s services for some time, so this is an absolute audition! You’d think that Murray would be pretty keen to trade Atlanta for the bright lights of Laker-Land.
The Lakers are bottom 5 in the league for points conceded to the guard positions. Dejounte is likely to see most of his time matched up against either DLo Reaves, neither of whom is known for their athleticism nor their defensive prowess.
Murray has consistently been thereabouts, scoring at least 22 points in 12 of his last 14 match-ups. The extra motivation of putting on a show for a suitor will be the added bump he needs to get over the line here.
SGM – Murray 25+ Points / Murray 6+ Rebounds / Murray 6+ Assists = $7.50
Wednesday NBA Multi
Celtics / Knicks / Hawks = $3.06
