This article is part of our NBA Picks series.
This article is part of our NBA Picks series.
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Best NBA Bets Today
Hornets vs. Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen to deliver under 24.5 total points + rebounds + assists -115 @ bet365
Allen might have a promising matchup on paper against the Hornets, as Charlotte has been downright awful on the glass against most teams this season. However, a few things might conspire against the big man's potential to fill the stat sheet Sunday. First, we must note that Allen has been quite inconsistent in his own right, and he can't be relied upon as a scoring weapon since he's failed to surpass the 12-point plateau in four of his last six games.
Furthermore, during that six-game stretch, the big man has recorded double-digit rebounds just two times -- 10 boards against the Nuggets and 14 boards against the Lakers. While that might be promising on paper, it's worth noting that he was also limited to just six boards against Philadelphia and Utah. In terms of assists, Allen has dished out two or fewer dimes in five of those six contests. And if the numbers aren't enough, the fact that the Cavaliers could blow out the Hornets could also limit Allen's influence, making it hard for him to reach the 24.5 line in the P+R+A department. Furthermore, he hasn't reached that mark in four of his last six outings.
Lakers vs. Rockets: Austin Reaves to score over 18.5 total points -110 @ bet365
Reaves is firmly entrenched as the Lakers' third-best player behind Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Even though that might be his ceiling under the current roster construction, there's a strong argument to say Reaves has been the Lakers' best player over the last few games. The evidence backs that up. He's coming off a 20-point performance in the win over the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 3 and has reached the 20-point plateau in four of his last five outings. The lone exception was his 15-point effort in the win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 2.
With that in mind, this line of 18.5 points looks a bit low on Reaves. Even though Davis and James are expected to play despite being listed as probable in the injury report for Sunday's game, Reaves should still handle a sizable role on offense, especially now that he's been operating as the de-facto point guard. His touches and usage rate are both on the rise, and he should have another solid outing against a Houston team that will have to focus more on LeBron and Davis rather than Reaves. For what it's worth, Reaves has yet to score more than 18 points in any game against the Rockets throughout his career but look for him to snap that streak here.
Pelicans vs. Wizards: CJ McCollum to hit over 3.5 three-pointers +110
Let's ride the hot hand for our third and final bet of Sunday's slate, as McCollum is coming off scoring a career-high 50 points in the 132-120 win over the Wizards on Jan. 3 -- and he'll face this team for the second time in three days. It'd be a stretch to believe McCollum will repeat that kind of output, or that he'll go 10-for-15 from three-point range like he did Friday, but the veteran should have another excellent performance against a Washington team that's not known for their defense.
Plus, McCollum has been playing at a high level in recent weeks, and the numbers back him up. He's scored at least 20 points in five of his last six games, and even in the lone exception in that stretch, he still made two threes while notching 13 points in a loss to the Rockets, one of the best defensive teams in the NBA right now. McCollum has also drained four or more threes in three of his last six games, a span in which he's shot 48.3 percent from beyond the arc. When mixing the hot hand and the opposition's problems on defense, McCollum has a good chance of putting up another impressive scoring line Sunday.
