Happy Super Bowl week to all! The big game is coming up this Sunday, so we'll be looking to build up our bankroll before the weekend. Let's begin by taking a look at our favorite NBA prop bet for Monday's slate.
It's officially the Tyrese Maxey show in Philadelphia, as Joel Embiid is set to undergo surgery on his injured knee and miss an extended period of time. For the rest of the regular season, the 76ers offense will run through Maxey.
You'd think that would lead us to an over bet on his assists prop, but we're actually going in the opposite direction. When Embiid is out of the lineup, Maxey is forced to pick up the slack in the scoring column. The point guard is attempting 19.9 shots per game this season, but that number jumps up to 22.7 when Embiid sits.
Because Maxey is taking over as the No. 1 scoring option for the Sixers, his potential assists decrease as a result. He's averaging 6.4 dimes per game on the season, but that dips to 5.2 without Embiid. A ton of Maxey's assists this season have been to Embiid, so it makes sense that his assist numbers drop when the best scorer in the NBA isn't on the court.
In 11 games without Embiid this year, Maxey has cleared 6.5 assists just four times. He's recorded five or fewer assists in three straight games with Embiid out of the lineup. Maxey should have plenty of success scoring against Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, so his assists prop shouldn't be this high.
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