With Julius Randle questionable tonight due to left foot soreness, the quick question becomes who will handle the ball more if Randle is out of the Timberwolves’ lineup. The first instinct is Naz Reid, but he banged up his shoulder on Saturday, and his 5-of-15 shooting on Tuesday did not ease those worries. Jaden McDaniels will literally handle the ball more without Randle around, and he has already cleared this prop in five of his last eight games.
Coby White doesn’t have an easy matchup on Thursday, as he’ll be facing the Minnesota Timberwolves with Jaden McDaniels likely serving as his primary defender. However, where this prop really stands out is that the 16.5 line is priced well below White’s expected minutes and usage. That means we don’t necessarily need peak efficiency from White against an elite defense—it’s a volume bet. A key part of White’s offensive game is creating separation for pull-up jumpers beyond the arc, which should limit the number of times he’s forced to attack the paint and challenge Rudy Gobertat the rim. I price White closer to -165 to go over 16.5 points, making the -104 currently available a strong value.
Total PicksCHI 150, MIN 145
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