We’re just a few hours removed from the craziest trade in NBA history, but there’s still some basketball to play this weekend.
My NBA picks for Sunday, February 2 focus on a first-quarter point prop for James Harden as well as a points + assists prop for Darius Garland and a fade of Jakob Poeltl in a tough rebounding matchup.
Best NBA player props today
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Harden Over 7.5 first-quarter points (+105 at bet365) -
Garland Over 29.5 points + assists (-115 at bet365) -
Poeltl Under 9.5 rebounds (+115 at bet365)
NBA player props for February 2
James Harden Over 7.5 first-quarter points (+105 at bet365)
Kawhi Leonard returns to Toronto for the first and only time this season, but my attention will be on James Harden as I look for the Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard to get off to a hot start in the opening quarter.
Harden is averaging 21.5 points per game this season, but more than one-third of those points are coming in the first quarter. The 35-year-old is scoring 7.8 points per game in the opening frame, and that number jumps up to 8.8 on the road.
This matchup could suit Harden’s hot starts as the Toronto Raptors rank 24th in the NBA in opponent points per game in the first quarter (29.4).
The Toronto Raptors have improved down the stretch with seven wins in their last nine games, but they went back to old habits on Friday night as they gave up 30 points to the Bulls in the opening quarter.
Darius Garland Over 29.5 points + assists (-115 at bet365)
The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to pick up their fourth straight win when they tip off against the Dallas Mavericks this afternoon, just over 12 hours since the visitors announced an earth-shattering trade that saw them send away Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
My focus is on Darius Garland, however, as the Cavs guard continues to be the straw that stirs Cleveland’s drink.
Garland averaged just under 25 points and exactly seven assists per game in January, scoring at least 30 points + assists in four of his last five games and six of his last nine.
The dimes shouldn’t be a problem, as Garland has picked up at least seven assists in 14 of his last 17 contests, so this likely comes down to him scoring at least 23 points.
The Mavericks have been a decent defensive team this season, though they've fallen off a bit in recent weeks. Dallas has allowed 115.8 points per game since January 14, and it’s hard to see how they’ll be fully invested in today’s game, given last night’s news.
Jakob Poeltl Under 9.5 rebounds (+115 at bet365)
Jakob Poeltl has been an excellent resource for the Raptors this season, averaging a career-high 10.3 rebounds per game, though he could be in for a tough matchup tonight against the Clippers.
Poeltl will go toe-to-toe with Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who ranks fourth in the NBA with 12.8 boards per game.
Meanwhile, Poeltl has seen a slight dip in his performance down the stretch, possibly due to an increased workload that’s seeing him play more than 31 minutes per game.
After averaging about 12 rebounds per game through November, Poeltl picked up just 8.5 boards per game in December and 9.1 in January. The Raptors center has also recorded 10+ rebounds just once in his last six contests.
The Clippers have been excellent at controlling the rebound battle, ranking third in the NBA in opponent boards per game (42.2), so I think it’ll be another relatively quiet day on the glass for Poeltl.
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NBA odds today
Here are the full NBA odds for all of today’s matchups.
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