NBA Player Props And Sides: Best Bets For Monday, Nov. 18

The NBA has an eight-game slate this Monday, including a matchup between future Hall-of-Famers Stephen Curry and James Harden. Keep reading for NBA best bets below, and bet with your favorite sportsbook apps. 

NBA Best Bets For Monday, Nov. 18

Check out five bets below — three sides and two player props.

Hawks +4.5 (-108 FanDuel) & Hawks Moneyline (+154 FanDuel)

It’s a good spot to buy low on Atlanta after a brutal loss to Portland. 

Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, and Malik Monk remain sidelined, so it will once again be “the De’Aaron Fox show.” Over the Sacramento Kings’ past two games, Fox was directly responsible for 153 of their 247 points through scoring or assists. That’s 61.9%! He also took 36.3% of their field goal attempts. 

Outside of Fox, the ailing Kings severely lack self-creation and playmaking. Even an average night from the former All-Star would crater Sacramento’s offense and lead to an overall unproductive night. 

Enter Dyson Daniels. His current steal percentage would finish as the second-highest in NBA history for a single season, and he’s on pace to shatter the deflections record. Fox cannot be stopped, but Daniels will at least apply tremendous on-ball pressure and force tough shots or turnovers. Essentially, look for the Defensive Player of the Year candidate to disrupt Fox’s rhythm and limit Sacramento’s offense as a result. 

Dyson looking poised to SHATTER the record books 👀

The all-time season record for deflections is 302. Right now, Daniels leads the league in deflections with 76 through 10 games – on track to surpass 600!

Oh, and he’s also leading the #NBA with 3.6 steals per outing… 🔒 pic.twitter.com/7B1MIvEBPo

— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) Nov. 14, 2024

On the other end, the Kings have allowed a staggering 121.7 points per 100 possessions in their last two games. They lack a traditional rim protector, and injuries have forced them to give defensive liabilities more minutes (hello, Doug McDermott). Atlanta’s guards should create advantages at will when Keon Ellis rests, which is about half the game. 

Clint Capela’s rolling and offensive rebounding also pose issues for a Sacramento defense that does not possess much vertical athleticism. The same is true of Jalen Johnson’s slashing. 

Overall, the Kings are too reliant on Fox here, especially with Daniels in town. Atlanta’s offense has a bright outlook, as well. The Hawks should actually be favored, in my opinion, so I’m thrilled to grab +4.5 and a +154 moneyline. 

Detroit Pistons -4 (-110 FanDuel)

I couldn’t decide between Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, or Jalen Duren points here. They all had legit cases, which made me realize — take the spread. 

Detroit is primed for a monster performance. The Pistons will face a pitiful Bulls defense that’s surrendering the most rim attempts per game and the third-highest rim field goal percentage. Coby White and Josh Giddey cannot stay in front of ball-handlers, while Nikola Vucevic is now one of the worst defensive bigs in the association. 

Cunningham and Ivey should have a field day around the basket, and Duren’s lob threats will stop Chicago’s bigs from straying too far. 

Meanwhile, the Pistons finally have competent outside shooting! They are collectively knocking down 36.8% of their catch-and-shoot triples, which is right around league average. There will be plenty of chances because the Bulls are allowing the ninth most wide-open 3-point attempts per game. 

With their stars successfully slashing and role players sinking triples, it projects to be a fruitful night for Detroit’s offense. 

Can the Pistons get enough stops? They are by no means in the same stratosphere as past rosters led by Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace, but the current Pistons are … kind of good? 

Detroit ranks fifth in defensive rating. Opponents are producing the seventh fewest wide-open field goal attempts per game, the fifth lowest offensive rebound rate, and the fourth lowest rim field goal percentage. It’s clear that their veteran signings have made a substantial impact. 

It would likely take a superb 3-point shooting night for the Bulls to keep pace with the Pistons. Chicago definitely has shooters who can get hot in an instant, but it’s wise to fade them from a probability standpoint. 

Tyus Jones Under 10.5 Points (-105 DraftKings)

Orlando ranks second in defensive rating and features an elite guard trio of Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Anthony Black. Those three are a nightmare for opposing ball-handlers. 

Tyus Jones already struggles to score off the bounce, and it will only be worse against Orlando’s pests. 

Now, he’s a legit off-ball sniper who doesn’t need self-creation to rack up points. In fact, 43.8% of his field goal attempts are as a catch-and-shoot player, and 54.9% are triples. This Orlando defense absolutely suffocates the arc, though. Opponents are averaging the second-fewest catch-and-shoot attempts and second-fewest wide-open triples against them. 

Plus, Orlando snuffs out transition opportunities, which is where Jones can sneak in a couple of buckets per game. 

And while Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal’s injuries may mean more usage for Jones, the Magic will subsequently devote more defensive attention to him.  

Jordan Poole 20+ Points (-125 FanDuel)

New York’s defense is far from championship caliber, especially when Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are both involved in the primary action. 

The Knicks have conceded the most field goal attempts per game to pick-and-roll ball handlers, as well as the seventh most dribble-jumpers per game. That bodes well for Jordan Poole, who gets massive volume in these departments. He should thrive as a pick-and-roll scorer here and consistently hunt Brunson. 

Finally, All-Defensive candidate OG Anunoby will often guard Kyle Kuzma or Bilal Coulibaly, thus limiting their shots.