It’s LeBron’s return home to Cleveland in what should become a vintage performance, while elsewhere European wings Bilal Coulibaly and Franz Wagner should get hot from beyond the arc.
LeBron and the Lakers travel to Cleveland after their 3-1 West Coast stand where we saw JJ Reddick take complete control of his squad, especially on the defensive end.
On Monday, the Suns’ come-from-behind win should spark a fire in LeBron as he travels to a place that is extremely close to his heart. Last season he dropped 22 and 24 points against Cleveland, but dating back to when he joined the Lakers LeBron has poured in 29.7 PPG against the Cavs in dominating fashion.
With Cleveland’s rim protection one of the best in the NBA, LeBron’s mid-range and three-point ball will have to be on-point but in yet another close game, we trust The King to hit the over.
One of my favorite up-and-coming stars in the Eastern Conference, Bilal Coulibaly faces Atlanta two nights after dropping 17 points against them.
While the Wizards are at home, I’m looking for plenty of 3s to be chucked up in this one with Trae Young and Jordan Poole opposite each other. As for Bilal - he’s played 30+ minutes in each of the Wizards’ three outings while making 5 of 14 three-pointers in those outings.
Although a small sampling size, Coulibaly’s 43% 3PT shooting in wins vs 33% in losses makes for a big difference, and in a game where I believe Washington has the edge, watch for Coulibaly to strike once again.
After Paolo Banchero’s monster game against Pacers where he nearly dropped a 50-point triple-double, we are pivoting to Franz Wagner’s prop in this game.
The German star went out early in the Pacers game leaving room for Banchero to have the best game of his young career. Against a streaky Chicago defense, Wagner should be able to take advantage of guard and wing mismatches away from home.
Shooting 44% from beyond the arc this season should sway this bet as well - the Bulls allow 120.5 PPG on 40 3PA per contest.
While Josh Giddey has been outstanding as a playmaking rebounder for the Bulls thus far, we are taking him under on points against an Orlando defense that allows less than 110 PPG with the backcourt of Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black shutting down opposing guards.
Here are some notable guards they’ve held to poor scoring nights. Herro (14), Ben Simmons (7), Morant (16), Haliburton (19). With Giddey’s average shooting, under 12.5 is a solid bet against the best defense the Bulls have faced this season.