Raptors vs. Hornets Player Props Tonight: Best bets, live updates & betting advice on Immanuel Quickley, Brandon Miller, more
Welcome to the latest edition of the Sporting News' NBA Prop-A-Shot, our weekly live betting blog that helps you boost your bankroll.
Today is all about the new-look Raptors, Immanuel Quickley and newly minted All-Star Scottie Barnes on the road against the Hornets.
From a betting standpoint, we have already identified plenty of value. Let's provide a little context about the NBA Prop-A-Shot, and explain how this all this works:
- Every Wednesday morning and throughout the day, we share our top prop bets and hand-picked wagers.
- During the live window, we'll follow our picks, surface any noteworthy lines, AND detail the angles and opportunities we look for in the live betting market.
- At the end of the night, we will follow up on each bet, discuss which of our wagers hit and which missed, and go over any major storylines or surprising developments in the NBA that may have shaken up the betting world.
Seven weeks into our Prop-A-Shot series, our Wednesday best bets have gone 68-45. That's a .602 winning percentage! The season is still young, and there's plenty more money for us to make — so let's dive back in and tip things off for Prop-A-Shot #8!
Remember to check back throughout the day for more picks, and then join us this evening at 7:00 p.m. ET for updates, live value betting opportunities, and all our betting results as the game concludes. For now, let's get you started with our favorite pregame bets and over/under props.
IQ's confidence has really grown since the Raptors traded for him last month. We're seeing him play with a natural rhythm and creating high-percentage shots off the dribble, and the results have been promising. He has knocked down 41 treys in his past 15 games with Toronto, and he has three or more triples in six of his past 14.
In case you didn't know, Charlotte stinks defensively. The Hornets struggle to defend the three-ball, surrendering the sixth-most threes in the NBA (13.6 per game) and allowing opponents to shoot an NBA-best 39.6 percent from outside the arc. Quickley should make it rain in the Queen City tonight, so we're loving the value we're getting with plus odds here.
Raptors president Masai Ujiri and head coach Darko Rajaković have made it abundantly clear that Barnes is the face of the Raptors (and in their eyes, the future face of the NBA). Thus, Toronto's recent roster retooling was basically an exercise in building around its superstar in the making. Barnes has the keys to this squad's offense — he's the main catalyst at all times now.
Moving forward, don't expect Barnes to put up a ton of big rebounding numbers like he did earlier in the season. His primary function, especially now that Jakob Poeltl has returned to 100 percent since coming back from in jury in December, is to score and create for others. Whereas the 2022 Rookie of the Year would often max out at 8-10 shots earlier in the campaign, he now regularly takes 12-24 shots depending on game script.
Over the 18 games since the Raptors dealt away O.G. Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa, Barnes has exceeded 20 points nine times. Across the 10 games since Toronto traded Pascal Siakam to Indy, Barnes has averaged 6.5 assists per game.
So, naturally, we like the young stud's chances of hitting 27 points + rebounds against the abysmal defense of the Hornets. Charlotte allows the sixth-most points per game and the fourth-most assists per game. Fire Barnesy up this evening.
Miller has started to hit his stride as of late, having just been named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. And with LaMelo Ball nursing a nagging right ankle injury, second-year big Mark Williams remaining out with lower back issues, and Miles Bridges the subject of trade rumors, we have every reason to believe Miller will stay hot.
He's coming off scoring totals of 35 and 32 points, and Toronto's perimeter defense has been pretty inconsistent all season. Smash the OVER as we continue to see what MJ saw in Brandon Jordan Miller.
Richards has done an admirable job filling in for second-year Hornets big man Mark Williams, and he double-doubled (just barely) the last time Charlotte faced Toronto (10 points, 10 rebounds). However, that was in mid-December when Raptors center Jakob Poeltl had just returned from a lengthy injury and only played 15 minutes.
With Poeltl back and the Raps playing a more physical brand of interior basketball as of late, we don't like Richards' chances of reaching double-digit boards this evening. He has been held to single-digit rebounds in eight of his past 13 games, a fate that we expect for the 26-year-old Jamaican once again this evening.
Another double-double prop we like: Jakob Poeltl double-double: Yes (+185)
Be sure to check in throughout the day for more props, updated lines, and up-to-the-minute news and storylines as they break. And join us from 8:00 p.m. ET until the end of the Spurs-Thunder game. We'll be dropping live betting advice all night, looking to help you boost your bankroll and surge toward the weekend in style.
