Knicks get the point (guard) vs. Lakers

It's going to be an NBA-heavy week here at Bark Bets, seeing as the NHL is about to go on the All-Star break and the Super Bowl isn't for another 12 days. For today, we'll be combining a pair of props at a modest +113 price.

Brunson should be the latest guard to capitalize against the Lakers

Over the past 30 days, Los Angeles has allowed the second-most points per game to opposing point guards. A quick look at recent box scores supports that ranking. Kyrie Irving scored 26 last night and Malcolm Brogdon dropped 26 on Saturday, and scanning back further, starting PGs are notching 20+ points far more often than not against this Lakers defense.

Given that, we'd naturally like to load up the Knicks' point guard tonight, if it makes sense to do. In Jalen Brunson's case, it most definitely makes sense. Brunson's standard line tonight is 23.5 on FanDuel, a number he's reached in 11 of his last 14 games. For tonight we're asking the Knicks' starting PG to just hit 20+ points, a number he's reached in 17 of his past 21 games.

Brunson should have no issue reaching this total. He's averaging an absurd 20 field-goal attempts per game in his last 10 and has scored 55 in his last two combined. Brunson has scored 20 in two of his last three games against the Lakers, and with his usage, we're following him in a plus-matchup.

Parlay Leg #1: Jalen Brunson 20+ points

Betting on Bucks threes

The Hornets are an ideal team to target for three-point props. They allow the seventh-most threes per game and the ninth-highest three-point percentage to opponents. They also seriously struggle to slow down shooting guards, which is one of the reasons we expect Grayson Allen to find success tonight from long-range.

Allen has gone over 1.5 made threes in 12 of his past 16 games and averages 5.3 three-point attempts per game this season. Against the Hornets, Allen has logged three treys in three of his past four meetings. 

The nail in the coffin for this play is Allen's involvement when Bobby Portis has missed time. Portis is sidelined for a bit with a knee injury, and Allen typically steps up in his absence. In the past 10 games where Portis did not suit up, Allen has made 2+ threes nine times, averaging 3.0/game. This includes three straight games this season since Portis got hurt. Given the defense opposite him, we like him to stay shooting (and making) his threes tonight.

Parlay Leg #2: Grayson Allen over 1.5 threes

Together, the parlay comes in at +113 on FanDuel.

In the news ...

Kellen Moore quickly hired to be Chargers offensive coordinator — After Dallas let go of Kellen Moore on Sunday, the offensive coordinator quickly moved on to a new opportunity. He's set to join the Chargers, who recently fired much of their offensive staff following their wild-card collapse against Jacksonville. Moore will now be tasked with continuing Justin Herbert's development, and Los Angeles' window for competitiveness may quickly close if the team can't make a postseason run while their QB remains on his rookie deal.

Canucks trade center Bo Horvat to Islanders — After months of speculation, Vancouver has finally moved its former captain in Bo Horvat. The destination came as a bit of a surprise to some in the NHL community, seeing as the Islanders are outside the playoff picture at this time. Horvat is tied for eighth in the league with 31 goals scored this season and adds some offensive firepower to New York as they look to get back into the playoffs. The Canucks, who recently fired their coach and sit 14 points back from the No. 8 seed, may not be done moving pieces.

Early Super Bowl betting action coming on the Eagles — The upcoming Super Bowl between the Chiefs and Eagles briefly opened at a pick 'em but has since seen Philly solidify as two-point favorites. DraftKings reports that 70% of all bets and 72% of the total handle (money spent) have come in on Eagles -2. BetMGM also announced a similar breakdown of their bettors backing Philadelphia early. If you do prefer to back Kansas City, these numbers suggest the spread may rise a bit more to say, Eagles -3, so your best course of action might be to hope that movement occurs before locking in your spread bets. Philadelphia is 10-9 ATS this season while Kansas City is 7-11-1.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll