Fantasy basketball picks and betting tips for Monday’s NBA slate
There is only one game on tap tonight with the New York Knicks at the Toronto Raptors. The NBA Cup quarterfinals and final four play out this week, and the league schedule will revolve around that.
Monday’s game is the last calm before the storm. Let’s dive into the matchup and find a couple of fantasy streaming options and betting angles for the lone game that tips off our week.
Monday’s Stream Team
Gradey Dick, Toronto Raptors (Available in 58.6% of ESPN leagues)
Dick returned last week from a five-game absence (calf) and didn’t miss a beat. He dropped 15 points in 23 minutes in his return, then upped that to a team-high 27 points in 34 minutes in his second game back. On the season, Dick is averaging 18.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.6 3PG, 2.1 APG and 0.9 SPG in 32.5 MPG.
Kelly Olynyk, Toronto Raptors (88.9% available)
Olynyk made his season debut on Saturday and scored 13 points with 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 3-pointers and an assist in 14 minutes off the bench. He will likely continue to ramp up his minutes slowly, but is already clearly a solid part of the Raptors’ rotation.
Dre’s bets for the day
Odds by ESPN BET
Josh Hart over 8.5 total rebounds (-140)
Hart has long been arguably the best rebounding swingman in the NBA, but with Karl-Anthony Towns a game-time-decision to potentially miss his second game in a row, Hart could be relied upon even more heavily than usual to clean the glass. If KAT does sit, he takes the 15.3 RPG he’s averaged in his last seven games with him, leaving a vacuum that Hart could potentially help fill. Hart has averaged 9.4 RPG in his last five outings, with three double-digit rebound efforts in that span.
Jakob Poeltl over 14.5 points (-125)
Poeltl has become a primary scoring option for the Raptors this season, and has put some huge scoring efforts on the board over the past several weeks. In his last 11 games, Poeltl has averaged 18.6 PPG, with five efforts of 20-or-more points including two efforts of 30-or-more. Poeltl has scored at least 17 points in four straight games, including the 20 he dropped on the Mavericks on Saturday.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET
Players in italics are available in a majority of ESPN Leagues
New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors
7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Line: Knicks -6.5 (-110) | Raptors +6.5 (-110)
Money line: Knicks -250 | Raptors +210
Total: 231.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Raptors by 0.2, straight up 51%, 230.9 total points.
Injury Report:
Knicks: Mitchell Robinson, (OUT – Ankle); Cameron Payne, (GTD – Elbow); Karl-Anthony Towns, (GTD – Knee); Kevin McCullar Jr., (OUT – Knee)
Raptors: Bruce Brown, (OUT – Knee); D.J. Carton, (OUT – Foot); Immanuel Quickley, (OUT – Elbow)
Knicks projections:
-
Jalen Brunson, PG: 42.3 FPTS (26.8 pts, 2.9 reb, 6.4 ast, 2.3 3PM)
-
Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C: 40.0 FPTS (22.5 pts, 10.8 reb, 3.2 ast, 2.0 3PM)
-
Josh Hart, SG/SF: 35.1 FPTS (14.3 pts, 7.5 reb, 5.7 ast)
-
Mikal Bridges, SG/SF: 33.0 FPTS (18.9 pts, 3.2 reb, 3.9 ast, 2.4 3PM)
-
OG Anunoby, SF/PF: 30.7 FPTS (17.0 pts, 4.3 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.2 3PM)
-
Miles McBride, PG: 19.5 FPTS (9.7 pts, 2.1 reb, 2.4 ast)
-
Precious Achiuwa, PF/C: 14.2 FPTS (6.7 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.7 ast)
Raptors projections:
-
Scottie Barnes, SG/SF/PF: 43.6 FPTS (21.4 pts, 8.8 reb, 7.5 ast, 1.8 3PM)
-
RJ Barrett, SG/SF/PF: 38.2 FPTS (23.1 pts, 6.3 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.9 3PM)
-
Jakob Poeltl, C: 31.3 FPTS (14.9 pts, 10.7 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.2 blk)
-
Gradey Dick, SG/SF: 25.7 FPTS (16.0 pts, 2.9 reb, 2.3 ast, 2.4 3PM)
-
Kelly Olynyk, PF/C: 18.7 FPTS (9.8 pts, 4.0 reb, 2.5 ast)
-
Ochai Agbaji, SG/SF: 18.6 FPTS (8.9 pts, 3.1 reb, 2.0 ast)
-
Davion Mitchell, PG: 17.1 FPTS (7.4 pts, 1.8 reb, 4.0 ast)
Source: espn.com