Portland Trail Blazers small forward Jerami Grant (9) dribbles the ball while defended by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15). Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

NBA best bets: Jerami, Grant us a winner

We've had better weeks on the betting streets, but that doesn't mean we can't end it in style with a few straight plays from Friday's slate. There's plenty of NBA action and some inviting NHL matchups as well, so let's prop ourselves up and pick up some profit.

Three plus-money props to end our week right

De'Aaron Fox 30+ points

Fox is absolutely rolling for Sacramento right now, averaging 31.6 points per game over his past five games, exceeding his 24.5 points line each time. He's also enjoyed some big games against his opponent tonight: the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In his past six against the T-Wolves, Fox has gone over his 24.5 line each time, averaging 29.7 points per game. By all means, look to his standard over tonight; we like taking a chance on the price we're getting a bit higher.

Betting: Fox 30+ points (+220 DraftKings)


Jerami Grant 3+ threes

Portland's Grant is facing a Memphis team that allows the most threes per game to opposing forwards, which aligns nicely with the success Grant is having lately from deep.

Grant has covered his 1.5 threes line in six of the past seven, three times finishing with three treys. In two meetings with the Grizzlies this season, Grant has finished with three and four made threes. This is a nice spot to ladder up a guy to a plus-money price, and we'll do just that.

Betting: Grant 3+ threes (+195 FanDuel)


Shane Pinto 4+ shots on goal

Pinto is starting to come alive for the Ottawa Senators as the top-line center, and that's a good place to be against Arizona. The Coyotes rank among the most generous teams to shots, and they've allowed the third-most to centers this season.

Pinto is averaging 3.8 SOG per game over his last five on 6.4 attempts/game, three times finishing with 4+ shots. This is a nice opportunity to go for a better price, but similarly to Fox above, the 2.5 line that is standard is a fine direction to go with too.

Betting: Shane Pinto 4+ shots (+178 FanDuel)


In the news ...

Victor Wembanyama has another historic night — It's business as usual for San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama. This man is delivering on what were next-level expectations of the young rookie star. Last night in a win over the Thunder, Wembanyama became the first player to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, five blocks and five three-pointers in a game. Just absurd production. Wembanyama has Rookie of the Year all but in the bag, currently priced at -1400 to win the award. The Spurs have the third-worst record in the NBA, but another high lottery pick should chart a promising future for San Antonio with Wembanyama at the lead.

It's officially March: Action Network has us covered with some teams to be wary of — As we near closer to filling out our brackets, now is the time to get prep in if you've been following college hoops only passively. Luckily, our friends at Action Network have us covered with five of the most overrated teams heading into March. Names to know include Kansas and South Carolina, but hop over to read why as we head to one of the most exciting times on the sporting calendar.

Caitlin Clark to enter the WNBA this year — Iowa star and all-time leading scorer in women's college basketball history, Caitlin Clark, has made it official: She's going to the WNBA. Clark could have come back for a fifth season under the COVID rules, but instead will opt to make this her final collegiate season before turning pro. It's great news for the Indiana Fever, who own the No. 1 selection in the WNBA draft this April. This will be the second straight season the Fever draft first, having taken Aliyah Boston last year, the unanimous rookie of the year. The Fever are +2200 to win it all this season if you want to take a chance on an immediate Clark bump, and Iowa is +800 to win the championship this season.


Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll. Follow him on Substack: griffybets.substack.com.

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