Parlay-vous francais? Say merci buckets to these Paris parlays

The NBA is hitting Paris today for the second global game of the season. With the action tipping off at 3 p.m. ET, why wouldn't we dig in to get our day started right? 

Loading up a bucket of props for the City of Lights

We're going to offer you a pair of Same-Game Parlay options for the Bulls-Pistons game in Paris this afternoon, one safer and one offering you a higher payout. These two teams met just three weeks ago and have seen each other five times since the beginning of last season, which gives us plenty of supporting data to work with.

First, Jaden Ivey has been dishing. He's notched five or more assists in six of his last seven games and had six dimes against the Bulls on Dec. 30. Given that Chicago allows the second-most assists per game, Ivey looks great to keep it rolling. The rookie has seen a bump in minutes of late, averaging 37.2 minutes per game over the last three, up from his 30.2 season average. That has helped him find his teammates. His standard over/under at 5.5 looks great, so our longer-shot play recommends Ivey 6+ assists. The safer floor option needs just four from the young guard, a number he's hit in 12 of his last 13 games.

Next, we turn to DeMar DeRozan on the glass. DeRozan popped on our radar for two simple reasons: the Pistons are vulnerable on the boards and DeRozan has enjoyed rebounding success against them. Over his last five games vs. Detroit, DeRozan has averaged 7.8 rebounds per game, going for six or more each time. His over/under is set at 5.5 which looks tantalizing given his past history, but the safer option is to load up DeRozan to get 4+ rebounds, a number he's hit in 76% of his games this season. The Pistons in particular find themselves allowing defensive boards, and that is nearly 100% of the rebounds DeRozan grabs. 

We need some points to make this parlay official, and there's nowhere else to look than Zach LaVine. LaVine will see a Detroit defense allowing the second-most points per game this season, and the Bulls wing has scored 25+ in six straight games, making that the final leg of our safer SGP. There is room for more, however. When these two met at the end of December, LaVine poured on 43 points. He's also scored 30+ in four of his last 10, all of which ended up seeing 36 or more points scored.

Safer SGP (+233 FanDuel)

• Jaden Ivey 4+ assists
• DeMar DeRozan 4+ rebounds
• Zach LaVine 25+ points

Long-shot SGP (+1530 FD)

• Ivey 6+ assists
• DeRozan 6+ rebounds
• LaVine 30+ points

The choice is yours, maybe you split up your typical wager and put three-quarters of it on the safer SGP and one-quarter on the long shot. We wish you luck as we enjoy some afternoon hoops to get us through our Thursday.

In the news ...

NFL prop market open for the weekend — There's plenty to like about postseason football, but one particular perk we love to see is the betting markets opening early. Props are all up and listed for each game, and we have you covered with a few initial betting angles worth consideration. Hop into our player prop betting guide to see each team's defensive vulnerabilities and the players primed to take advantage.
 
Rams figure to have a busy offseason — As we scan the news of the day, there seems to be quite a bit from the Los Angeles Rams. First, we've gained some clarity on Aaron Donald's future; he's not done playing. There had been speculation on whether Donald would call it a career, but he tweeted himself that he's not done, though whether that's with Los Angeles remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Sean McVay seemingly has a waning interest in a long coaching career, and reports suggest the Rams may bring in Frank Reich this offseason to take over for McVay when he does step down.

Grizzlies tie team record with 11th straight win — It took some late heroics against Cleveland in a 115-114 victory, but the Memphis Grizzlies have now won 11 straight games, tying a franchise record. Eleven straight marks the second-longest winning streak of the season behind Brooklyn (12) earlier this year. The Grizzlies have emerged as a true threat in the Western Conference at 31-13. Ja Morant has led the way, averaging 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game. The Grizzlies are +370 to win the West, the same odds as Denver, and Morant is +2500 to win MVP.

Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll