NBA Monday player props: Bet Barrett, fade Beal
It's a clean slate on the hardwood, and eight games are on tap to open the week.
Here are the best player props on Monday's board.
R.J. Barrett over 2.5 assists
Barrett should crush this total with the way he's been playing lately. The second-year New York Knicks forward is averaging 4.4 assists in his last five starts, playing at least 40 minutes in three of them.
The Memphis Grizzlies' defense, meanwhile, ranks No. 25 in assists per made field goal (0.621) and has allowed more than five per game to shooting guards during the last seven contests.
Bradley Beal under 1.5 made threes
The Washington Wizards will run up and down the court on a nightly basis - the offense is No. 1 in pace - but aren't going to put up a flurry of threes. They're second-last in the NBA in both 3-point shot rate (32.5%) and makes per contest (10.2).
The player to fade in this department against the Indiana Pacers is Beal. He's been held without multiples triples in three of his last four outings and hasn't had more than six attempts in nine straight.
To top it off, Indiana's defense - as spotty as it's been recently - surrenders the third-fewest 3-point makes in the league (2.2) to small forwards.
Keldon Johnson under 0.5 made threes
The only club shooting threes less frequently than the Wizards this season is the San Antonio Spurs (32.1%). They make only 10.3 per game on just a 35.7% collective shooting clip.
We'll make it back-to-back fades on small forwards and go under on Johnson's 3-point total. He's been blanked from beyond the arc in three of his last four outings, and the Utah Jazz rank No. 4 in the league in both 3-pointers allowed per game (2.2) and field-goal percentage allowed (43.6%) to the position.
Saddiq Bey over 16.5 points
Monday's tilt versus the Orlando Magic is a solid spot to back Bey, who's combined for 40 points across his last two outings and averaged 13 attempts from the floor in the previous four.
Orlando's letting small forwards convert on 53.1% of their shots during the last 15, which is the highest mark in the NBA.
Damian Lillard under 6.5 assists
Lillard's exploded for 22 combined assists in his last two after being held to six or fewer in five straight prior. Though he appears trending in the right direction, the six-time All-Star could find it difficult to create buckets on Monday.
Not only do the Portland Trail Blazers rank dead last in assists per made field goal (0.512), but the Atlanta Hawks' defense has surrendered the second fewest per game to point guards (7.0) in their last seven.
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.