There are a handful of integral matchups this Monday night across the NBA, including the 3rd place Western Conference Memphis Grizzlies taking on the 3rd place Eastern Conference New York Knicks. While New York has won their last three games, Memphis should come in and take an early lead with their league-leading pace and scoring on display.
Desmond Bane continues to serve as our x-factor, hitting his points & assists prop in each of the Grizzlies' last five games. Elsewhere, look for Malik Monk and his playmaking to get Sacramento back into the win column as they take on the Nets, who are 1-9 in their last ten.
Live player props data coming soon for Malik Monk.
G Malik Monk (SAC) OVER 5.5 Assists
The Sacramento Kings find themselves searching for a win after dropping two straight-away games against the Nuggets and Knicks. With Malik Monk’s red-hot January continuing with a 31-point performance at the Garden on Saturday, I’m expecting the Kings sharpshooter to have another great performance tonight in Brooklyn.
The Nets allow nearly 5 APG to the shooting guard spot and Monk, who is averaging 7.7 APG in January, should be able to hit this prop mark for the sixth time in his last seven matchups. Brooklyn has recently allowed 8 assists to Tyler Herro, 6 assists to Devin Booker, 9 assists to Josh Hart, and a staggering 37 total assists to the OKC Thunder last week. Expect this trend to continue with Monk and the Kings searching for a win tonight.
Live player props data coming soon for Desmond Bane.
G Desmond Bane (MEM) OVER 23.5 Points + Assists
The Memphis Grizzlies will shock the New York Knicks tonight with depth and pace. The underdogs, led by the spectacular Desmond Bane, Luke Kennard, and Jaylen Wells stepping up on the wing - lead the league in PPG and pace, while sitting 2nd in rebounds per game.
The Knicks are coming off three wins against Atlanta, Brooklyn, and Sacramento. Ultimately, I don’t think they will be prepared for the offensive juggernaut that is Memphis, alongside the 95-foot defense that has been implemented with Jaylen Wells pestering the lead ball handler all game.
Bane’s 24+ points and assist prop has hit in each of the Grizzlies' last five games. During January, DB is averaging 21.1 PPG and 7.1 APG. This is the best bet of the night.
Miami First Quarter Winner (-112)
Orlando and Miami meet in an extremely important Eastern Conference matchup between two bubble play-in teams. The Magic are 3-7 in their last 10 while Miami is 5-5 in their last ten, with both teams struggling to find any rhythm between the Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero return for Orlando and the Jimmy Butler saga for Miami.
With this being said, the Heat have figured out a way to start games off the right foot, averaging 30.7 PPG in the first quarter of their last three games. Orlando on the other hand has scored just 25.3 PPG in the first quarter during their last three games.
Even more concerning? Orlando has gone under 25 points in 7 of 13 games this month. Miami has gone 9 of 14 in January. With the Heat defense starting this game off strong at home, look for Miami to start this game on top of Orlando, who will have to claw their way back into it.
