The NBA returns to action after a necessary week off to decompress and re-assess the rest of the regular season. Two of our sleeper teams that should make deep runs in the postseason – Indiana and Denver – headline our two prop picks for tonight. T.J. McConnell and Julian Strawther should both give boosts off their respective benches in this game.
In Madison Square Garden, expect the Knicks to take care of business against their kryptonite this season in the form of the lowly Chicago Bulls.
The Indiana Pacers play at the 6th highest pace in the league. Tonight’s opponent Memphis plays at the quickest pace in the NBA. This is a matchup in heaven for McConnell, who dropped 15, 4, and 4 on Memphis during their matchup on December 1st where the Grizzlies won by 15 points.
Rick Carslile will put his trust into T.J. to fully get this bench unit involved against a Memphis team that won’t beat Indiana due to their pace. McConnell dropped 27 PRA in his first game back from the All-Star break last season and averaged +5.6 PPG, +0.2 RPG, and +2.3 MPG post ASB last season.
I’ll say it now so it is forever etched in stone should this prediction come true. The Denver Nuggets will win the 2025 NBA Finals. Why? The addition of Russell Westbrook and emergence of guys like Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and our guy Julian Strawther has brought elite pace to the Nuggets that hasn’t been seen before. Denver ranks 5th in pace this season.
In 2021 through 2024, they ranked in the 20s during the regular season. Better yet, they have a deep bench that houses one of the best up-and-coming shooters, Julian Strawther. The Gonzaga product averages 1.6 3PM this year on 36.4% shooting from beyond the arc.
Playing extended minutes as of late (28.8 in February before the break), Strawther has the green light from Mike Malone and should continue heading into the later part of this season. Charlotte is coming off a tight victory against the Lakers and should have their hands full tonight against Denver’s deep bench. Expect Strawther to have a great outing.
The Bulls are in no-man’s-land. A starting lineup consisting of four combo guards that can’t shoot it from deep at a consistent rate and Nikola Vucevic is currently what they have on tap.
Heading into Madison Square Garden against a rested Knicks team, I’d be shocked if this game stays within single digits past halftime. Especially dropping two games to Chicago earlier in the season, redemption is on tap for Thibs’ squad and Jalen Brunson, who could have one of those 40-point outbursts in his return to MSG after the week off.
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