This article is part of our NBA Picks series.
Alex Barutha
Trae Young under 36.5 points + assists at Celtics (-115) -- DraftKings, 3:46 PM CT
The Celtics are the best defense in the league right now, and they have the personnel to slow down Young specifically, with Marcus Smart and Derrick White to bother him, plus Robert Williams to play help defense at the rim. Young has struggled against Boston this season already, averaging 23.0 points and 8.7 rebounds on 33.3 percent shooting.
Nick Whalen
Dallas Mavericks -5.5 (-105) at LA Lakers – DraftKings Sportsbook, 3:06 PM CT
The Lakers have entered official dumpster fire territory, with the latest evidence being Sunday's beatdown at the hands of the Pelicans. At some point, we're either going to see LeBron throw this team on his back, or he's going to shut it down. It really doesn't feel like there's an in-between. Based on the first two games out of the break – plus the absence of Anthony Davis – I'd bet on the latter. Take the Mavs with the points in LA.
Ivica Zubac OVER 12.5 points (+100) at Houston Rockets – DraftKings Sportsbook, 3:06 PM CT
The fact that this is plus money scares me a bit, but I'm going to follow the numbers and roll with Zubac against one of the NBA's worst defensive frontcourts. Perhaps the thinking is that this could be a blowout in LA's favor, but Zubac may only need 18-to-22 minutes to go over this number. In his last five games, he's gone over three times, including in Sunday's 99-98 win at Houston (14 points, 15 boards, six blocks in 34 minutes).
