NBA Player Props: Embiid, Beal and Players to Bet or Fade on Monday
Four Players Set for Great or Underwhelming Performances
A Monday night doubleheader has an elimination game with Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers looking to sweep Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards while Rudy Gobert’s Utah Jazz look to go up 3-1 against Dillon Brooks’ Memphis Grizzlies.
The NBA betting lines have Philadelphia (-360) and Utah (-225) as sizable favorites here and you can expect all the aforementioned players to play a significant role. But when looking to bet or fade, go with the favorites and go with the bigger team.
Player Props Preview
Joel Embiid: Big Man Cometh
Elite big men who can dominate in both ways are a true rarity in today’s NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers are blessed with Embiid, who is averaging 29.3 points, seven boards, and 2.7 assists against Washington. His seven boards is modest compared to his season average of 10.3 but that’s because Philly is not missing.
Joel Embiid’s combination of size, skill, and speed is so filthy 🔥🔥
One of a kind. pic.twitter.com/gD3VwCGjtn
Hilltop Hoops (@HilltopNBA) May 30, 2021
The four-time All-Star usually averages two to three offensive boards per game. The Sixers won’t hit 50 percent of their threes again and the desperate Wizards will throw everything at the basket, giving Embiid a good opportunity to collect his overdue double-double.
Pick: Philadelphia 76ers (PHI) Double Double – Yes (-145)
Bradley Beal: Running on Empty
Gassed. That’s one word to describe Beal, who has started to gas out after having to carry Washington through the series. The three-time All-Star scored “only” 26 points in Game 3 and shot just 10-of-26. Notably, he went 4-of-14 in the second half and hit just one three.
Beal will get plenty of opportunities to rack up another 30-point game. The question is how efficient will he be. He shot over 50 percent in the first two games and will have to shoot somewhere close to that to go over 31. This is also factoring in that Washington keeps this game close. He’ll get his shots, but bet against 31.
Pick: Bradley Beal (NYK) Total Points – Under 31½ Points (-110)
Rudy Gobert: Man in the Middle
Rudy Gobert honored Utah Jazz great Mark Eaton with his stellar Game 3 performance as Utah fought back to regain home-court advantage. The aptly named “Stifle Tower” is averaging 3.7 blocks and has been the difference-maker against Memphis that attacks aggressively.
Gobert has blocked, altered, or prevented paint scoring. The likes of center Jonas Valanciunas, guard/forward Kyle Anderson, and star guard Ja Morant have found it a tad more difficult to keep coming at Utah with Gobert in the middle. With the Grizzlies in a must-win scenario, expect them to attack even more giving Gobert more opportunities to swat.
Pick: Rudy Gobert (UTA) Total Steals+Blocks – Over 3½ Steals+Blocks (-145)
Dillon Brooks: Lock Him Down
While the basketball world continues to be enamored by Morant, Brooks has been lighting up the Jazz. The Canadian is averaging 27 points and hitting 53.1 percent of his attempts. This is considering he’s been in foul trouble in his last two games.
But the hot shooting shouldn’t continue for Brooks, who Utah has finally started to lock in on. Brooks hit just 1 of 7 three-point attempts. Prior to that, he had just 14 total field goal attempts but hit 10 of them. That’s an overachievement for a guy that’s averaged just 17.3 points against Utah in the regular season.
Pick: Dillon Brooks (MEM) Total Points – Under 20½ Points (-105)
