Expected to make his Philadelphia 76ers debut Friday night, James Harden faces the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sixers vs. Timberwolves should be an entertaining, offensive affair, with DraftKings Sportsbook dealing the total at a whopping 229 points. Per Harden’s player props, the betting market is projecting a lot of production from Philly’s new acquisition in Minnesota. At FanDuel Sportsbook, Harden’s point total is set at 21.5 points (-108) as of about 3 p.m. ET.
Below, I breakdown the best way to bet this contest and Harden player props for his first game since February 2.
Sixers vs. Timberwolves Totals
These teams have high-powered offenses featuring two excellent guards and two of the top-4 centers in basketball. Joel Embiid vs. Karl-Anthony Towns should be a big-time matchup to watch, as both players are having marquee seasons. While the total and team totals seem high, the Timberwolves have the ninth worst defense in the NBA, giving up 111.7 points per game (stats provided by ESPN).
Philadelphia has the seventh best defense in the league, giving up just 106.0 points per game, but inside presence Andre Drummond was sent to Brooklyn in the Harden trade. While Harden is a terrible defender, projecting the Timberwolves get ‘over’ the 114.5 team total is difficult to get to.
Sixers vs. Timberwolves Game Pick: Timberwolves team total ‘under’ 114.5 -120
James Harden Player Prop Bets
Didn’t we miss watching out-of-shape James Harden on the court? Well, Harden needs to show he can play with Joel Embiid. Embiid is unlike any player he has ever played with, so this is a legitimate challenge.
While Harden was allegedly battling a hamstring injury at the end of his time with the Nets, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst threw cold water on that supposed injury. “He is screaming in every way he possibly can ‘I don’t want to be here, get me out of here,'” Windhorst said.
In other words, Harden used this injury as leverage to get out of Brooklyn.
Now that he’s in Philly, I am not buying his point total for his Sixers debut. He hasn’t played in three weeks, and this is his first game with a new team. Instead, I am backing the ‘over’ on James Harden’s assist total prop at 9.5 -108 on FanDuel.
His three pointers-made prop is set at 2.5 (+130) for this game. While I expect him to look to pass a lot, Embiid, the MVP favorite, commands attention more than anyone on the floor. Embiid kickouts to Harden should be a bread-and-butter play. Back ‘over’ Harden’s three-pointer prop bet for his NBA debut.
James Harden Player Prop Bets: Over 9.5 Assists -108 (FanDuel) | Over 2.5 Threes Made +130 (DraftKings)
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