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NBA Prop Picks and Predictions for Friday July 31

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

NBA Friday Prop Plays

Odds Via Fanduel Sportsbook
T&C's Apply, 21+, Only in NJ, PA, IN, CO and WV

Washington Wizards vs. Phoenix Suns
Player Prop Picks

Game set for 4:00 p.m. ET

Shabazz Napier – Over 21.5 points + rebounds + assists (-118)

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns tip off seeding play Friday afternoon against a very depleted Washington Wizards crew at the HP Field House in Orlando, Florida at 4:00 p.m. ET.

The Wizards will be playing in the bubble without all-star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal, completely devastating the team’s chances at winning a playoff series, yet making them an interesting target for regular season prop plays.

Beal has averaged 30.5 pts, 4.2 rebs, and 6.1 asts for the Wizards so far this season, leaving a large amount of statistical volume to go around to the Wizards fill-ins, but who will that volume fall to? The main beneficiaries: Rui Hachimura and Shabazz Napier.

In the Wizards second to last game before the NBA shutdown, Napier possibly had his best game as a pro, tallying 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists on 50% shooting from the field in a 11-point loss to the Miami Heat. Then in the Wizards last game, he put up 21 points, 2 rebs and 6 assists in a 7-point win against RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks.

Napier was beginning to go over this total pretty consistently leading up to the shutdown with Beal in the lineup. Now that Beal is not in the lineup, the oddsmakers are probably going to have to change this line. I expect the absence of Beal and Wall to create a generous uptick in volume statistics for the UConn product, easily pushing him over 21.5 total stats against a Suns lineup that defends poorly against point guards.

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Player Prop Picks

Game set for 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

Donte DiVincenzo – Over 20.5 points + rebounds + assists (-104)

Last night we got to see the long-awaited Western Conference showdown between the Clippers and the Lakers, and tonight we finally get to see the Eastern Conference blockbuster between the Bucks and Celtics in the same exact building the West Coasters were in last night.

Bucks point guard, Eric Bledsoe, will not be playing Friday night due to a positive coronavirus test, which usually gives role players like Wesley Matthews and Donte DiVincenzo upticks in volume stats to pad their point totals.

So far this season, DiVincenzo has averaged 9.7 pts, 4.9 rebs, and 2,3 asts , playing just 23-27 mpg off the bench for the Bucks.

Prior to the NBA shutdown, DiVincenzo went over 20.5 total stats in all 3 of his last 3 games, tallying 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 10-point win over Indiana in his best game over that stretch. He went over in all 3 of those games coming off the bench too, averaging about 26 minutes in those games. With Bledsoe’s absence Friday night, he will get moved into the starting lineup, which should give him an uptick in minutes tonight, yet his total stats line doesn’t reflect that.

The Bucks don’t have much to play for the remainder of the regular season, with the one-seed being all but locked down. I expect the Milwaukee starters to finish up this regular season defending and rebounding lazily, and allowing their role players to do the majority of the heavy lifting. Divincenzo gets a spot-start tonight during Bledsoe’s absence. I expect him to take full advantage of his first start in the Disney bubble and easily go over this total against the Celtics Friday night.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets
Player Prop Picks

Game set for 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN

Russell Westbrook – Under 42.5 points + rebounds + assists (-118)

The nightcap of ESPN’s Day 2 double-header is between reigning Rookie of the Year, Luka Doncic and James Harden’s Houston Rockets.

James Harden is coming off 24-point and 31-point scrimmages to end the NBA’s reboot period and Coach Mike D’Antoni says he feels like he is in mid-season form. That being said, his total point OU sits at 32.5, which is a mid-post season form line, and while I’m not going to bet against Harden tonight, we are going to head to Russell Westbrook’s line for today’s play instead.

In the Rockets restart scrimmages, Russ has looked rusty, going 5 for 12 from the field, tallying 10 points in 15 minutes against the Raptors in the Rockets first scrimmage; then following that up with a 3-14 performance across 26 minutes in their final scrimmage.

In those scrimmages, he was able to record a total of just 14 rebounds and 6 assists. I expect this game to be a showdown between superstars, Harden and Doncic, with the ball in their hands for the majority of the game. Westbrook has shown in his scrimmages that his game isn’t 100% where he wants it to be, especially his jumper and passing. Westbrook went under 42.5 total stats in 3 of his last 4 games leading up to the shutdown, and after watching the scrimmages in the bubble, it doesn’t appear to me that Westbrook is in better “basketballshape” than he was back in March.

Westbrook’s 2019-2020 seasonal averages are 27.5 pts, 8 rebs, and 7 asts, and his total stat line reflects that. It takes either an offensive explosion or a really well-rounded basketball game to go over that total, and my bet is not getting either out of Russ tonight. Under 42.5.


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