An 8-game NBA slate starting at 1 p.m. ET takes center stage with March Madness. Let’s dive into my best NBA player bet for Saturday.
Malik Monk, SGSAC, Over 16.5 points (-120)
Odds available on ESPN BET at time of publication.
Malik Monk begins to run away with the 6th Man of the Year award. It went from -400 at the start of the week to currently -1100 on FanDuel. Five 20-point games in his last 10 games have definitely helped. He’s averaging more than 15 field goal attempts per game during that span, but has yet to make a 3-pointer. The Kentucky product is shooting below 30% in his last 10 games.
Monk and the Kings will face the Orlando Magic as 3.5-point underdogs on the road. The Magic’s defense is great, but we’re putting up low numbers. Monk has topped at least 17 points in 28 of the 44 games in which he played at least 25 minutes. Closing the game helps.
Monk’s rotation in the 2nd quarter without De’Aaron Fox is where he can get the start. The volume should be there in a close matchup against a tough opponent, but this price is enticing at -120 (other big books offer -130).
In addition to having a unit above 16.5 points, I will upgrade this prop to 20+ at +165 on FanDuel.
Consult our +1200 NBA mega parlay!
