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Friday’s NBA schedule brings four Game Threes, plenty of opportunity to play props and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
The Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics are both up 2-0, looking to take a stranglehold in their series against the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. However, the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz series as well as the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks series are both tied at one, so the third game becomes pivotal.
Here are some prop angles to consider for Friday’s Monkey Knife Fight NBA Playoffs schedule:
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TORONTO-BROOKLYN
MORE OR LESS
Caris Levert LESS THAN 24.5 POINTS
Through the first two games of this series, LeVert has found out the hard way that the Raptors can guard the wings. LeVert averaged 25.0 points per game in the bubble before the playoffs started and, in two games, the Raptors have held him to 31 points on 10-for-36 (27.8%) shooting.
Pascal Siakam LESS THAN 21.5 POINTS
Game Two was a little better for Siakam – he scored 19 points while shooting 42.9% from the field but was just 5-for-9 from the line – and yet he’s still mired in a shooting slump overall. Maybe the Raptors could try to get Siakam more into an offensive rhythm but he’s scored 22 or more points just once in the past seven games and the team keeps rolling so, while it would be nice for him to drop 30, there’s also no real urgency.
RAPID FIRE
Norman Powell +1.5 fantasy points vs. Garrett Temple
Which version of Powell do the Raptors get in Game Three? In Game One, he played 17 minutes and had six points and three rebounds. In Game Two, it was 32 minutes, 24 points, six rebounds, a couple of assists, and a steal. Temple, the 34-year-old veteran wing for the Nets, might have a higher floor but also has a lower ceiling so getting Powell as an underdog makes sense.
DENVER-UTAH
MORE OR LESS
Donovan Mitchell MORE THAN 25.5 POINTS
Not only has Mitchell dropped 87 points on the Nuggets in the first two games of the series but he has done it while shooting 61.7% from the field, and 54.5% on threes. The Nuggets have some defensive issues and it’s apparent that one of them is they don’t have players who can stay in front of Mitchell.
Nikola Jokic MORE THAN 23.5 POINTS
In five games against the Jazz this season, matched up against Utah’s defensive stalwart center Rudy Gobert, Jokic has scored 28 points twice, 29 points once and 30 points twice. Guess it’s reasonable to think he can deliver at least 24.
RAPID FIRE
Michael Porter Jr. -2.5 fantasy points vs. Mike Conley Jr.
There is quite a bit of variability with Porter because of his defensive shortcomings but he did play more than 31 minutes in Game One and nearly 33 minutes in Game Two. Conley is returning to action after leaving the bubble for the birth of his son and he was productive enough in the bubble, averaging 19.8 points and 5.6 assists per game in his first five games (when he played full starter’s minutes).
BOSTON-PHILADELPHIA
MORE OR LESS
Joel Embiid MORE THAN 29.5 POINTS
The Sixers center dropped 34 on the Celtics in Game Two and even though he was held to 26 in Game One, it does feel like he’s the one hope that the 76ers have to compete in this series. If Embiid doesn’t drop 30-plus, the Sixers are probably sunk.
Jayson Tatum LESS THAN 28.5 POINTS
While 29 or more is a big number to cover, Tatum has found his groove again. He started slowly in the bubble, scoring five points on 2-for-18 shooting in the first game, but he’s averaging 27.1 per game since and that includes 29 or more in each of the past four games.
RAPID FIRE
Jaylen Brown -4.5 fantasy points vs. Marcus Smart
For all of the contributions that Smart makes to the Celtics, he’s so far behind Brown as a scorer that it is difficult for him to make up that deficit. In the first two games of the series, Brown has outscored Smart 49 to 13.
L.A. CLIPPERS-DALLAS
MORE OR LESS
Luka Doncic MORE THAN 30.5 POINTS
After scoring 42 points in Game One, Doncic managed 28 in Game Two but he played just 28 minutes in that second game as the Mavericks won comfortably. Presuming that there won’t be too many times that the Mavericks are cruising to victory by so much that they can sit their best player, ride Doncic for another big performance in Game Three.
Kawhi Leonard LESS THAN 30.5 POINTS
Kawhi has been more aggressive in the bubble, putting up 29.9 points per game, including 35 in Game Two against Dallas but the Clippers aren’t as dependent on Kawhi to score as the Mavericks are with Doncic.
RAPID FIRE
Ivica Zubac +3.5 rebounds vs. Kristaps Porzingis
There are reasonable questions about how much Zubac can play in this matchup against Dallas but he’s averaging 9.6 rebounds per game in the bubble. That’s enough to like him as a significant underdog getting 3.5 rebounds.
