2023 NBA bets, lines and stats for Monday - ESPN

There are eight games on the schedule for Monday, with six pitting teams with above-.500 records against teams with below .500. This leads to several large spreads, including at least one situation in which I advocate giving the points.

The matchup between two over-.500 teams is an interesting one as well, particularly for player props. More on this and the other angles that caught my eye below.

Denver Nuggets -8.5 over Detroit Pistons.

Both teams are on the second half of a back-to-back after getting blown out on Sunday. But the Nuggets' 12-point loss to the Cavaliers was an outlier, since Nikola Jokic was battling foul trouble for most of the game. The Pistons' 29-point loss to the Raptors is closer to business as usual. Detroit has the worst record in the NBA and an average scoring margin of -6.6 PPG, while the Nuggets are still a half-game from the best record in the Western Conference with a scoring margin of +5.6. Look for Jokic and the Nuggets to have a big bounce-back game with a convincing win over the Pistons.

De'Aaron Fox over 35.5 total points + assists.

Fox has he has averaged 34.2 PPG and 6.2 APG over his past six games, going over 35.5 points and assists in four of them. The Kings are on the second half of a back-to-back, and Fox had 30 points and seven assists in 31 minutes Sunday. Sacramento faces a New Orleans Pelicans team that is also on the second half of a back-to-back and ranks in the bottom half of the NBA in points (20th) and assists (T17th) allowed to opposing point guards.

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Miami Heat -1.5 over Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls beat the Heat by six points Saturday, halting the Heat's seven-game win streak and