Prime-Time First TD Bets — Monday Night Football, Week 16
Alex Christenson
We have 11 NBA games in front of us Friday, and that can be a little overwhelming. The best game on paper for fantasy and DFS production appears to be the late-night hammer between the Houston Rockets and the Portland Trail Blazers. There are plenty of other spots that hold appeal, so let’s get rolling with our five stats to know for the slate.
The Rockets are allowing the ninth-most 3-pointers
That bodes very well for Anfernee Simons, who is going to take the reins for the Trail Blazers with Damian Lillard out. Simons has taken 44 attempts even with Lillard playing the majority of the first five games. It should also help Jerami Grant and Shaedon Sharpe, who is shooting 42.1% and 50% from beyond the arc so far.
Damian Jones practiced with the Lakers starters Friday
That’s not a stat, but Jones starting would push Anthony Davis (if he plays) to power forward, and the Lakers are in the bottom five in rebounds allowed in the paint. Jones isn’t exactly going to stem that tide, and Rudy Gobert is in a smash spot. It’s just a matter of him getting enough shots to matter and Gobert only having 16 rebounds in the past two games is not going to continue since he has 25.2 rebound chances per game.
Wendell Carter is 10th in rebound chances per game with 18.4
Given that the Magic are extremely shorthanded Friday and Carter already is hitting the glass, this matchup is beautiful for him. Charlotte is 20th in rebounds allowed per game in the paint, and he’s averaging a double-double on the season.
Nikola Vucevic is scoring 6.4 points per game in the paint
I would lean toward betting that Zach LaVine sits for the Bulls. Even if he doesn’t the San Antonio Spurs are playing at a top-five pace in the league and they’re allowing the second-most points in the paint. If LaVine does sit, the usage and points per minute for Vucevic go up and the matchup is perfect for him.
Jalen Smith is close to averaging a double-double
Even with Myles Turner back, the Pacers are playing at a top-10 pace on the season and Washington is in the bottom 10 against stretch bigs. Turner and Smith shared the court for about 15 minutes in the last game and Smith still had 1.29 points per minute while the Wizards are 19th in rebounds per game.
