Dec 2, 2022
Setting The Pick – Friday Night NBA Best Bets
Bet on the things you know, stay away from the ones you don’t. As a general rule of thumb, that’s a principle I think all recreational or serious bettors should live by. In today’s best bets article, I’m going to go through three props worth considering.
By Wesley Cheng

Bet on the things you know, stay away from the ones you don’t.
As a general rule of thumb, that’s a principle I think all recreational or serious bettors should live by.
In today’s best bets article, I’m going to go through three props worth considering.
We just saw Zion Williamson bulldoze through the Raptors, we’ve seen O.G. Anunoby take on a more defined defensive role, and we’ve seen Canadian star Andrew Wiggins elevate his game as a championship winner.
Zion Williamson vs. San Antonio
Raptors fans got a front row seat learning how unstoppable Williamson can be when prioritized in the Pelicans’ offence.
Without Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, Williamson dropped a 33-10-5 stat line shooting 80 per cent from the floor against Toronto.
Even with McCollum probable for tonight’s game, Zion is such a mismatch for San Antonio’s league-worst defence, he should be the focal point once again.
The Spurs will be without their two most capable defensive players in Jakob Poeltl and rookie Jeremy Sochan and are paper-thin at rim protection.
These teams faced off last week in San Antonio, just like tonight, and Zion led New Orleans to an easy win scoring 32 points.
The play: Williamson over 37.5 points + rebounds + assists
O.G. Anunoby vs. Brooklyn
Readers will see this pick and think I’m a hater.
This isn’t a knock on Anunoby, it’s me cherry-picking a line I think isn’t properly adjusted for Toronto’s updated rotation.
With Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Gary Trent Jr. back in the fold, the Raptors’ rotation is suddenly much tighter especially when you add in Thaddeus Young’s integration.
In the first nine games before Siakam got injured, him and Trent Jr. were the only two players scoring above 16.0 ppg.
Anunoby was averaging just 15.6 ppg.
Over the past two games with Siakam back, OG has averaged 12 field-goal attempts. In the 10 games without Siakam, he was averaging 18.2.
Looking at the Brooklyn side, their defence is underrated.
Public perception gravitates to the scoring prowess of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but the Nets have impressed holding opponents to the second-lowest effective field-goal percentage this season.
For Toronto’s purposes, OG’s energy is best spent on the defensive end where he’s thriving. His hands should be full staying glued on KD all night. There’s also the added risk of him getting into foul trouble.
The play: Anunoby under 18.5 points
Andrew Wiggins vs. Chicago
From a team perspective, Golden State is known for having one of the most polarizing home and away splits.
They own a 9-1 record at home with a +11 net rating.
In 12 away games, they’re 2-10 going -8.6.
Wiggins is one of the key players who plays into this narrative.
He averages 21.1 ppg at home versus 16.1 ppg on the road.
In 10 home games, he’s covered the 17.5 point prop 9-of-10 games.
Chicago doesn’t offer a ton of defensive resistance, ranking 23rd in opponent effective field-goal percentage.
They rank in the bottom five at defending the three-point line where Wiggins has really grown this season.
He’s shooting 42.9 per cent over 20 games after never cracking the 40 per cent barrier in his previous nine seasons.
With Nikola Vucevic as Chicago’s rim protector, expect Wiggins to build on the 71 per cent clip he’s shooting at the rim.
The play: Wiggins over 17.5 points