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Best Bets
Jalen Johnson over 1.5 steals (+130) vs. Lakers
FanDuel, 4:05 PM CT
Alex Barutha: Johnson has at least one steal in eight straight games, with a 2.0 average over that span. The Lakers have been throwing the ball all over the gym lately. In January, they have the third-highest TOV% in the NBA.
D'Angelo Russell O23.5 points at Atlanta Hawks
DraftKings Sportsbook, 3pm CT
Nick Whalen: I've never been much of a Russell guy, but I have to acknowledge the run he's been on of late, which continued Monday night despite a blowout loss to Houston. Russell has now scored 20-plus points in seven straight games and is averaging 27.0 points per game over his last nine. The Lakers will be down Anthony Davis tonight – and could be without LeBron James (questionable) – while the Hawks may be missing their best defensive guard in Dejounte Murray (questionable). Over the last 10 games, the Lakers rank first in the NBA in pace, while the Hawks rank fifth. Both teams are also in the bottom 10 in defensive rating during that span.
Jalen Brunson O7.5 assists vs. Utah Jazz
DraftKings Sportsbook, 3pm CT
Nick Whalen: Brunson carried the Knicks to a win last night against Charlotte and will look to do the same as New York continues to play without Julius Randle. The hope is that OG Anunoby is back in the mix, but either way I like this number for Brunson against a Jazz team allowing an NBA-high 32.1 assists per game to opponents over the last 10 games. This should also be a notable pace-up spot for the Knicks, as Utah ranks No. 1 in pace since the start of January.
I'm taking the OVER on Aaron Nesmith scoring 12.5 points
(FanDuel, +104, 4:10 EST)
Ken Crites: The Pacers had Nesmith playing out of position at power forward before they acquired Pascal Siakam. With Spicy P in the fold, they can now move Nesmith and his high-energy motor to small forward, where he belongs. The move has led to the Vanderbilt product averaging 16.8 points over his last four games. Tyrese Haliburton should return tonight for the Pacers, which will result in some lower usage rate for Nesmith. But it should also result in some easier catch-and-shoot threes via sneaky avoid-the-double-team passes from Hali. I also like the storyline of Nesmith returning to Boston for a revenge game. Nesmith put up 17 points versus Boston in their last match-up in Indy. That said, I'm a mediocre 21-20 on the season, so feel free to fade!
