The Toronto Raptors are missing All-Star forward Scottie Barnes (fractured left hand) when they take on the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday, which has opened up some interesting possibilities in the prop market.
Who will benefit most from Barnes’ absence? Will the Raptors be able to score at a high enough level without the All-Star’s production? If two players I’m betting on can seize bigger opportunities, the Raptors should be able to handle Charlotte – who enters this game on a three-game losing streak.
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Here are my favorite prop bets for this Eastern Conference matchup:
Immanuel Quickley OVER 33.5 points, rebounds and assists
Immanuel Quickley has thrived as of late, making 15 or more shots in five straight games and averaging 21.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game during that stretch.
We saw Quickley step in when players were down during his tenure with the New York Knicks, and now he’ll likely be the No. 1 or No. 2 option on offense until Barnes can return.
Quickley has been shooting a ton of 3-pointers lately — 9.6 per game over this five-game stretch — and he should torch a Charlotte team that is 26th in the league in opponent 3-point percentage and 29th in the league in defensive rating. .
Brandon Miller MINUS 28.5 points, rebounds and assists
I’m Hornets rookie Brandon Miller, who is dealing with a back injury, although he is expected to play Sunday.
Miller has scored 28.5 points, rebounds and assists in just two of his last 10 games, averaging 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game over that stretch.
It’s also worth noting that Miller scored 26 and 21 points in the two games he played this prop. Toronto isn’t great defensively, but Miller has only topped that number in 13 of 53 games.
Take the UNDER Sunday.
RJ Barrett OVER 22.5 points
Another Raptor who should benefit from Barnes’ absence is RJ Barrett, who is averaging 20.7 points per game since being traded to Toronto.
Barrett has scored over 22.5 points in four of his last five games, and now he should see an uptick in his usage with Barnes’ absence. Barrett is averaging 14.6 field goal attempts per game during his time in Toronto, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see that number get closer to 17 or 18 with Barnes out.
One of Barrett or Quickley will likely see a massive increase in usage, so why not bet on both to play at a high level?
Game odds are updated periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily games on BetStamp here.
