Welcome to Rivals Week, the week of the NBA season that didn’t exist until now. From January 24-28 the national television slate will be packed with old and new rivalries that should make for entertaining basketball.
The week’s marquee matchups will also bring the perfect opportunities for bettors to earn cash. And here at BetFTW, we’ll help you find the best bets to help you pocket some extra change for each of the week’s rivalry games.
Rivals Week is well underway and Thursday’s two marquee games feature an Eastern Conference matchup between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks and one Western Conference showdown between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks.
Who will win? And more importantly, who should you bet on? We’ve got some suggestions.
All odds via BetMGM
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks (7:30 pm ET on TNT)
Jaylen Brown – Over 26.5 Points (-110)
If there’s one person that loves to play against the New York Knicks, it’s Jaylen Brown. He already dropped 30 on them earlier this season and of course, had an unforgettable 46-point explosion in last season’s opener. Twenty-seven or more points shouldn’t be too much to ask for.
Julius Randle – Over 11.5 Rebounds (-135)
Randle’s rebound numbers this month: 13, 19, 9, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16, 16, 11, 13, 16.
Think he’s capable of grabbing more than 11.5 boards against the Celtics?
Malcolm Brogdon – Over 1.5 Threes (-175)
Malcolm Brogdon is one of the best reserve guards in the NBA, and honestly, he’s overqualified for his role. Nevertheless, he produces greatly when his number is called, and much of his nightly damage comes from beyond the arc. He’s made two or more 3-pointers in eight of the last nine games and should be a lock to do so again against the Knicks.
Phoenix Suns vs. Dallas Mavericks (10:00 pm ET on TNT)
Luka Doncic – Over 2.5 Threes (-140)
We all have plenty of recent Mavs-Suns games fresh in our minds. In just about all of them, Doncic is doing ridiculous things (to be fair, he doesn’t only do that to the Suns). His 3-point attempts (7.9) are at the lowest since his rookie, but his 35.2 percent clip from deep should give you optimism he’ll knock down more than BetMGM’s projected 2.5.
Deandre Ayton – Over 9.5 Rebounds (-120)
A couple of five-rebound games in blowout losses brought Ayton’s January averages down to 11.1 rebounds. But in his other six appearances this month, he’s landed double-digit boards. Dallas doesn’t offer many big bodies to challenge Ayton in the paint, so finding his way to 10 or more rebounds should be attainable.
Torrey Craig – Over 0.5 Threes (-225)
Just under half of Craig’s total field goal attempts this season have come from 3-point land, and he’s made a career-best 39.5 percent of those attempts. All we’re asking for tonight is that he gets one to drop. He can do it.
