Two more spots remain up for grabs before the NBA Playoffs officially get underway. In the East, the Magic return home as they try to bounce back from a 109-97 defeat in Philadelphia. Orlando will face the Hornets, who needed overtime to put away a pesky Heat team.
If we shift out West, the Golden State Warriors will hope to ride their experience to get past a Suns team that lost at home to the upset-minded Trail Blazers.
Our approach for this preview won't necessarily be to break down these individual matchups. Instead, we'll seek to highlight the players to watch for in the DraftKings Game Leaders market.
NBA Game Leader Picks, Predictions: Friday, April 17
- Hornets-Magic Top Scorer: Brandon Miller (+497)
- Hornets-Magic Top Rebounder: Moussa Diabate (-107)
- Warriors-Suns Top Scorer: Devin Booker (+169)
- Warriors-Suns Top Rebounder: Mark Williams (+194)
Hornets vs Magic Points Leader Prediction
Despite finishing one game behind Orlando in the Eastern Conference, Charlotte is a deserving favorite, laying as many as 3.5 points on the road. After all, the Hornets did hold a 3-1 edge in the season series.
Charlotte's LaMelo Ball has the shortest odds to finish with the most points at +207 following his game-high 30-point effort against Miami.
However, Ball's scoring haul was really more down to volume than efficiency. He took 31 shots in the game and shot just 38.7% from the floor. He averaged 20.1 points this season and 18.8 against Orlando.
Ball's teammate Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 20.2 points per game while shooting a more respectable 43.5% from the floor. Miller can also heat up in a hurry, as he shoots 38.3% from the perimeter.
Although he has the third-shortest odds at +497, his true value should be closer to +300. Action PRO projects him for 21.1 points tonight.
Pick: Top Scorer: Brandon Miller +497
Hornets vs Magic Rebounds Leader Prediction
The rebounding market feels a bit more one-sided with Charlotte forward Moussa Diabate leading the way as a -107 favorite.
Diabate has the highest rebounding average (8.7) of all players in this game, and he recently grabbed a game-high 14 boards against the Heat. He should have plenty of opportunities to crash the glass against a Magic team that ranks in the bottom-third for field goal percentage (46.4%).
Diabate had to bide his time before finally getting an opportunity in the starting lineup. The Hornets began the year at 11-22 before Diabate's insertion helped spur them on a 20-2 run.
The former Michigan product is a defensive anchor and one of those glue-type players you look for on any winning team. His biggest asset is his ability to keep things simple, since the Hornets don't need to rely on him for scoring.
With my model projecting, his odds are closer to -130. We're still getting decent value despite backing the favorite at -107.
Pick: Top Rebounder: Moussa Diabate -107
Warriors vs Suns Points Leader Prediction
The race for top scorer will likely come down to the two best players of the opposing teams as the Suns host the Warriors. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26.6 points per game, while Devin Booker wasn't too far behind with 26.1 points to lead the Suns.
Thus, it's no surprise that both players have the two shortest odds, with Curry at +120 and Booker priced at +162.
A quick glance at the head-to-head matchup reveals that, despite finishing eight games behind the Suns in the standings, the Warriors still won the season series 3-1.
Despite long-term injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, Golden State still looks like the team with the better roster, thanks to head coach Steve Kerr and his ability to get the most out of his players.
The Warriors got plenty of contributions from front-court players like Kristaps Porzingis and Gui Santos in their play-in victory over the Clippers, each finishing with 20 points.
It's worth noting that the Suns could have matchup problems against Golden State, since they tend to deploy smaller lineups.
As a result, the Warriors should have other players to balance their scoring, while Phoenix might have to rely heavily on Booker to have any chance of advancing to the playoffs.
In Booker's three games against the Warriors this season, he averaged 33.7 points and finished with a game high of 38 points on two occasions.
Booker will likely match up against Golden State's Brandin Podziemski, who has seen his defensive rating climb to a career-worst 116.1.
Look for the Suns to use Booker to exploit their best matchup advantage by attacking Podziemski on offense.
Pick: Top Scorer: Devin Booker +169
Warriors vs Suns Rebounds Leader Prediction
Settling on the top rebounder isn't as clear-cut because neither team is particularly elite at cleaning the glass. The Suns (43.1) and Warriors (42.3) rank 20th and 21st in the rebounding department.
In two of his three games against the Suns, Curry racked up 19 rebounds and even had a game-high with 10 boards.
However, across all four games, Suns center Mark Williams recorded two game highs with 10 and 16 rebounds. He leads all players in the contest with 7.9 rebounds per game.
While this prop probably has more variance in who actually finishes with the most boards, if these teams only faced each other over an 82-game schedule, Williams is more likely to have the most games as the top rebounder.
Given his current odds at +194, we're still getting him at a reasonable price for a return on our investment.
Pick: Top Rebounder: Mark Williams +194
