The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a narrow home loss to the shorthanded Denver Nuggets on Thursday. They’ll have to play again tonight, this time against the Atlanta Hawks, who just fired head coach Nate McMillan. Bettors looking for the best bets for Cavaliers-Hawks should tail this NBA player prop at DraftKings — too much value remains on the Clint Capela player prop markets. Check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays.
Best Cavaliers-Hawks NBA Player Prop | Clint Capela
Clint Capela Prop O/U 1.5 Blocks
As the Atlanta Hawks look to replace Nate McMillan with former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder as quickly as possible, bettors shouldn’t expect interim head coach Joe Prunty, McMillan’s former assistant, to deviate much from the script his predecessor used. That makes me feel comfortable about targeting Clint Capela on the NBA player prop markets despite the turmoil in Atlanta.
Capela, Atlanta’s veteran center, has averaged 26.9 minutes and 1.2 blocks per game for the franchise this year. Although his defensive impact has ticked down from where it was in the past, Capela remains a valuable interior defender and rim protector. He has recorded at least two blocks in 14 of his 43 appearances (32.5%), including his only start against the Cavaliers. Capela blocked at least two shots in each of his games against Cleveland last year.
Capela should benefit from lining up against a Cleveland offense that features two bigs, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who do most of their damage in the paint. Both of Capela’s blocks against the Cavaliers back in November came against those two. Despite their NBA-slowest pace, the Cavaliers have allowed opposing centers two swat the eighth-most shots per game over the last 15 contests (2.3). The fact they’ll play on a back-to-back tonight may make their shot selection even worse.
The odds for this NBA player prop don’t make much sense. Capela has hit the over in each of his last five starts against the Cavaliers, yet bettors can buy it all the way up at +180 at DraftKings Sportsbook. It’s certainly not a lock, especially given Capela’s recent underperformance as a shot-blocker, but the matchup is a great spot for him to get back on track. Readers who are yet to register at DraftKings can secure $150 with a winning $5 moneyline wager!
Best NBA Cavaliers-Hawks Player Prop: Clint Capela Over 1.5 Blocks (+180 for 0.33 Unit) at DraftKings
