NBA Best Bets Today: Predictions for Jarrett Allen, Julius Randle and Rockets-Spurs
By Peter Dewey
We’ve got a loaded schedule in the NBA on Wednesday night, as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Trae Young are all in action.
There’s plenty more to watch as well, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown take on the Indiana Pacers, and the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls square off for supremacy in the Eastern Conference.
I know that I’m going to have multiple games going at once tonight, so why not place a few bets in the process?
I am back to fading the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, and I have a pair of player prop picks to make as well. We’ve gone 11-3 in the picks in this column since last Thursday, so let’s keep up the positive momentum tonight.
All odds courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
NBA Best Bets Record to Date
- NBA Best Bets Record: 88-91-2
NBA Best Bets Today
- San Antonio Spurs -5 vs. Houston Rockets (-110)
- Jarrett Allen OVER 10.5 Rebounds (-105)
- Julius Randle to Record a Double-Double (+100)
Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs: Spurs -5 (-110)
The San Antonio Spurs are fighting through a COVID-19 outbreak as they host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. This line has moved from Spurs -5 to Spurs -6 at WynnBET, but I was able to lock it in at -5 earlier in the day.
Houston could be getting rookie big man Alperen Sengun back in this game, but is it enough for the Rockets to end their three-game losing streak? The Rockets are just 1-9 in their last 10 games, and they have covered just once in their last 13 contests, losing 12 of those games and 11 of them by double-digits.
The Spurs have also lost three in a row since Keldon Johnson, Derrick White and Devin Vassell went in the league’s health and safety protocols, so something has to give on Wednesday. The Spurs fought hard against the Brooklyn Nets in overtime on Sunday, but they were outclassed by the New York Knicks in the second night of a back-to-back.
San Antonio is 10-7 against the spread at home this season and 6-5 ATS as a favorite, but can we trust the supporting cast around Dejounte Murray?
I think we can, as the Rockets have been absolutely reeling over the past month, and currently rank 30th in defensive rating and 26th in offensive rating.
The Spurs and Rockets both are top four in pace as well, but with the total set at a lofty 232 I’m just going to back San Antonio in this one.
Jarrett Allen OVER 10.5 Rebounds (-105)
Jarrett Allen and the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on a Utah Jazz team that is expected to be without Rudy Gobert on Wednesday night due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Gobert has missed three games, and Utah is 22nd in the NBA in rebounding percentage over that stretch and has the worst defensive rating in the NBA.
Allen grabbed 10 boards in the first meeting between these teams, but that was against a healthy Utah team that ranks No. 1 in the NBA in rebounding percentage when Gobert plays.
Over his last six games since returning from the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Allen has cleared this total four times and is averaging 11.3 rebounds per game. I think he clears it with Utah struggling to do much of anything defensively.
Julius Randle to Record a Double-Double (+100)
Julius Randle’s double-double prop has been taken down at WynnBET, but consensus has him at +100 to record the feat against Dallas.
Last season, Randle posted a double-double in both of the New York Knicks’ games against the Dallas Mavericks, and he’s averaging 19.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season.
Randle has put up double-digit rebounds in six of his last seven games, and he’s facing a Dallas team that is middle of the pack (16th) in rebounding percentage this season.
While Randle scored just two points in his last game, he has followed single-digit scoring performances this year in a big way, scoring 24, 31 and 30 points in his last three games following single-digit showing.
I like the plus odds on Randle to grab a double-double against the Mavs tonight.