The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the hottest team in the NBA, winning six in a row and 14 of their last 15 games. Tonight, they’re a double-digit favorite in Washington. Donovan Mitchell will look to lead the way in another victory.
The Celtics are also double-digit favorites over the Hawks, but they have lost of their last six games at home. Tonight’s total also is 245 points and there are usually a lot of points on the board these two get together. I am expecting Jayson Tatum to be a major contributor tonight.
However, first we will begin in Charlotte when R.J. Barrett and the Raptors will be taking on the Hornets.
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NBA Player Props Tonight | Picks for Wednesday
R.J. Barrett Over 20.5 Points (-115, DraftKings)
7 p.m. ET| NBA League Pass
R.J. Barrett missed a couple of games with a knee injury, but he returned to the lineup Sunday in Oklahoma City. Despite a difficult matchup, Barrett scored 23 points and went 9-for-16 from the field. Barrett has now hit this line in seven of his last 10 games and was hooked on 20 in another. Tonight, he gets the always favorable matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
Charlotte is 25th in points allowed per game and last in defensive rating. While with the Knicks, Barrett did not have much difficulty with the Hornets as he has 21 points in four of his last six games, surpassing 25 twice in the process. Now Barrett is not the third wheel behind Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle anymore.
Barrett’s efficiency was questionable at times in New York, but he is shooting 55% from the field with the Raptors. In 14 games with the Raptors, he is the team’s leading scorer at 21.1 points per game- though not by much. Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley are right behind and the three of them average between 14 and 16 field goal attempts per game. As a result, Barrett may not exceed this line by much, but I like him getting to 21 tonight.
Additionally, in Monday’s loss to the Lakers, Charlotte allowed 25+ points to Anthony Davis, LeBron James, and D’Angelo Russell. That could be Barrett, Barnes, and Quickley tonight.
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Donovan Mitchell Over 31.5 Points + Rebounds (-115, DraftKings)
7 p.m. ET | NBA League Pass
In eight of his last 10 games, Donovan Mitchell has scored at least 25 points and finished with 23 points in another. He also has scored 22 and 26 points in two games against Washington this season. Both of those games were 20+ Cavaliers victories, which is relevant with tonight’s spread.
Mitchell plays with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, so rebounds are not always to come by for himself and Darius Garland. However, Mitchell has had at least four rebounds in eight of his past 10 games. He has had five rebounds in three of his last five games against the Wizards.
Washington presents a great matchup for him to contribute in both areas tonight. It is last in the league in points allowed and rebounds per game. That will give Mitchell a great chance to clear this line once again. He has done so in 54% of his games this season as well as five of his last 10 games. He also had 30 and 31 points and rebounds in two other games in that span.
Mitchell could clear this line with a big scoring night and he has scored 30 in three of his past six games. However, he could also get to this line with 27 points and five rebounds. That is also doable for him in three quarters of playing time.
Jayson Tatum Over 36.5 Points + Rebounds (-113, FanDuel)
7:30 p.m. ET | NBA League Pass
Jayson Tatum has scored 25 points in five of his last seven games, including 30 or more in three of those games. He also enjoys playing the Hawks. He has averaged 29 points in his last three regular season games against the Hawks. The Hawks are 27th in defensive rating and 29th in scoring defense this season. They are also 27th in points allowed to power forwards.
Tatum may have another 30-point game against the Hawks, but he also regularly contributes on the glass. Tatum is averaging 8.4 rebounds per game this season. He has had at least seven rebounds in nine of his last 10 games. The Hawks are also 27th in rebounds allowed to power forwards. Tatum has averaged 10.3 rebounds in his last three regular season games against them.
With this line, we are asking for 30 points and seven rebounds from Tatum, which is a typical game for him. He has done in three of his past 10 games already. He may get there with the help of the long ball. Tatum has made four 3s in each of his past three games and Atlanta is 27th in 3s allowed per game.
Tatum has hit this line in four of his past seven games and two of his last three games against the Hawks. Those trends should continue tonight.