This article is part of our NBA Picks series.
Alex Barutha
3-Leg Parlay: Nuggets moneyline @ ORL; Suns moneyline @ MIA; Zion Williamson over 38.5 P+R+A vs. LAL: +347 -- DraftKings, 2:21 PM CT
Both the Magic and Heat are about as healthy as they've been in recent memory, but I'm not worried about either team winning. At the very least, I like the value on the Nuggets and Suns to win. I believe both teams are at least one tier above their opponents -- Denver obviously being two tiers over Orlando.
As far as Zion is concerned, the Lakers have close to no frontcourt or wing resistance against him with LeBron James and Anthony Davis out and Marc Gasol's status in question -- not that Gasol really stands a chance against Zion anyway. Over Zion's past 10 appearances, he's averaged 26.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
Joe Bartel
RJ Barrett over 5.5 rebounds (-137) -- DraftKings Sportsbook (12:21 PM)
I would have taken the over if it was at 8.5 rebounds, so the fact we're at 5.5 almost makes me nervous. Barrett has gone over this figure in each of the last four games and is averaging 38.6 minutes per game over the last five contests. The Knicks are only favored by 2.5 in this one, so it's not as if the young forward is at risk of losing playing time due to a blowout, either. Here's another fun fact; the Wizards allow the second-most rebounds to opposing small forwards. I almost considered just taking the PRA over (over 28.5, -120) to get better odds considering Barrett's scoring acumen as of late, but we'll go with the safe option for this one.
Nick Whalen
Dennis Schroder OVER 18.5 points (-118) at New Orleans -- DraftKings Sportsbook
We know what this Lakers offense looks like without LeBron James and Anthony Davis (hint: not very good), but the Pelicans' defense might be porous enough to keep the Lakers in the game. Regardless, Schroder is essentially LA's top option for the foreseeable future, and he'll be counted upon for increased production so long as James, in particular, remains out. Schroder had 22 points on 14 shots against the Suns on Sunday, and he likely would've played more minutes (30) had the game not been so lopsided.
