The NBA's eight-game schedule for Monday, November 18 is full of possibilities on the player props market, with a former Toronto Raptor returning north of the border to battle his former team providing one of the juicier opportunities for bettors.
Here's a look at three player props to consider wagering on, including one for Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers.
Pascal Siakam OVER 20.5 Points vs. Raptors (-113)
Siakam blossomed into an All-Star talent during his eight-year tenure with the Raptors, with Monday marking the second time he'll suit up on the opposing side in front of his Canadian fans. He finished with 23 points on 17 shot attempts the last time he did so on Valentine's Day of last year in what was a two-point victory for Indiana.
He's coming off a 23-point performance on just 11 shots last night in a nine-point win over the Miami Heat. In the one instance Siakam played on no rest back on October 28, the 30-year-old forward registered a line of 26 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in a loss to Orlando.
Toronto owns the third-worst defense in all of basketball by allowing 117.4 points per 100 possessions, with little in the form of interior defenders outside of Jakob Poeltl. With the added incentive of being in familiar territory and wanting to get his Pacers consecutive victories for just the second time all season, look for Indiana to get Siakam going early and often resulting in at least 21 points at Scotiabank Arena.
Patrick Williams OVER 10.5 Points vs. Pistons (-113)
Ugly showings aren't always easy to overlook, but for the sake of this Patrick Williams prop, let's erase his seven points on 2-of-9 shooting in what was a 36-point blowout loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday from this equation.
In the five games prior, the Chicago Bulls forward was averaging 14 points and shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from behind the arc in 32.8 minutes. The Detroit Pistons' defense has improved exponentially ranking sixth in the Association, but the benefit to Chicago here is that both teams are playing on no rest after competing on Sunday, so there's no real advantage here on that front.
Williams has been held under 10 points in consecutive games just once this season. It won't be twice once the final buzzer sounds on Monday.
Ochai Agbaji OVER 1.5 Made 3-Pointers vs. Pacers (-115)
Linking back to the Pacers-Raptors matchup, let's take a player in Ochai Agbaji who bettors need to be paying closer attention to with his playing time plentiful in the absence of Scottie Barnes.
All Agbaji has to do against a team sitting 25th in points allowed (116.6) is connect on two or more 3-pointers, which he's done in nine of his 14 games and seven of his last eight appearances, making 47.7 percent (2.6 makes on 5.5 attempts) during that stretch.
His defense and ability to stretch the floor makes him a valuable commodity to head coach Darko Rajakovic, but issues may arise upon Barnes' return as far as whether or not the team can afford to move Agbaji back to the second unit. For now, embrace his usage and minutes and bank on multiple treys in what should be a high-scoring game with Indiana.
