In the 2020 NBA Draft, Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball went first and third overall, respectively. They are now the franchise players of their teams and the headliners for Sunday's matchup between the Hornets and Timberwolves. However, a pair of their former teammates may steal the show tonight.
Let's get into my NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide for Sunday, April 5.
NBA Same Game Parlay Strategy Guide for Hornets-Timberwolves
The Angle: Former Teammates Pick Up Slack for Stars
Coby White Over 14.5 Points
Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu spent 4.5 years as teammates in Chicago. The Bulls could not get out of the first round in the playoffs, often losing in the Play-In Tournament to Miami, and have finally decided to begin a rebuild.
They sent White to Charlotte for Collin Sexton and a pair of second round picks and Dosunmu to Minnesota for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second round picks.
Both of them have made immediate impacts for their new teams and will look to continue that into the postseason as well.
White is still the Bulls' leading scorer this season, but he finds himself coming off the bench for the Hornets.
While he is a capable passer, White has always been wired to score as a score-first point guard since his days at North Carolina. A sixth man role may be the ideal fit for him and he has fit seamlessly in Charlotte alongside LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller.
Since joining the Hornets, White has averaged 15.6 points in 19 games. He has done so despite playing just 19.7 minutes per game, providing instant offense off the bench. Over his last 10 games, he has upped that average to 18 points while having a 34.4% usage rate.
White has scored 15 points in seven of those games, including three games with 20 or more. He has also scored 15 points in five of his last six games against Minnesota, scoring 20 points four times, including a 33-point outing.
While he may not play as many minutes against Minnesota as he did with the Bulls, he will be tasked to score when he enters the game. That may led to 15-20 points once again tonight.
Pick: Coby White Over 14.5 Points
The Contrarian SGP: LaMelo & Edwards Unders, Role Players' Overs
Ayo Dosunmu Over 15.5 Points
Dosunmu is averaging 14 points in 21 games with the Timberwolves. He has upped that average to 18.7 points over his last eight games, scoring 15+ in each of those games.
The last seven of those games have been starts after head coach Chris Finch inserted him into the starting lineup after Edwards went down with injury.
Edwards returned against Philadelphia, but that did not stop Dosunmu as Minnesota is also without Jaden McDaniels.
Dosunmu has scored 15 points in three of his last games against Charlotte. Though on a new team, the volume should be there to get 15 once again.
In each of his last seven starts, Dosunmu has taken 13 field goal attempts or more. He is shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from three in that span while playing 30 minutes in six of those games.
If that continues, he should score 15 points once again.
Pick: Ayo Dosunmu Over 15.5 Points
Anthony Edwards Under 24.5 Points
Edwards has been dealing with a right knee injury that has limited him to two games over the last couple of weeks.
The injury will cost Edwards' his eligibility for an All-NBA selection this season and he is also questionable once again.
Since returning against Dallas, Edwards has scored 19 and eight points in his last two games. While he was 7-for-13 from the field against Dallas, he shot just 3-for-15 against Philadelphia.
He is averaging 29 points per game for the season, but he has gone under 25 in six of his last 10 games, including four games under 20 points.
Additionally, Edwards has scored 25 points in just one of his last three games against Charlotte.
That is interesting because Charlotte has not been a very good defensive team. However, Charlotte is 12th in defensive rating this season and eighth over its last 15 games.
If the Hornets limit Edwards once again, Dosunmu will be one of his teammates tasking with picking up the slack.
Pick: Anthony Edwards Under 24.5 Points
LaMelo Ball Under 20.5 Points
While the Hornets have turned into a top-10 defensive unit, they are also fourth in offensive rating this rating.
LaMelo Ball has been at the controls of the offense and is averaging 20.6 points and 7.6 assists over his last 10 games. However, while researching for this game, Ball's scoring produced a rather interesting trend.
Over a six-game stretch from March 17th to March 28th, Ball scored 20 points in each game. However, he landed at exactly 20 points in three of those games.
Additionally, by switching his scoring line one point from 19.5 to 20.5, Ball's hit rate drops from 47% to 32% for the season.
Ball enters tonight's game landing under 21 points in each of his last five games, going under 20 points in four of them.
With the Hornets having so many scoring options now, they tend to fall between 15 and 20 points. Ball, White, Knueppel, Miller and Miles Bridges have scoring lines between 14.5 and 20.5 points.
Ball has been more focused on facilitating of late, with eight assists in four of his last five games. If that remains the case, he will stay under this line once again while White will be one of the Hornets to pace the offense off the bench.
Pick: LaMelo Ball Under 20.5 Points
Same Game Parlay Building Blocks (+1000)
- Coby White Over 14.5 Points
- Ayo Dosunmu Over 15.5 Points
- Anthony Edwards Under 24.5 Points
- LaMelo Ball Under 20.5 Points
Compounding Angle (+1900)
- Coby White 20+ Points
- Ayo Dosunmu Over 15.5 Points
- Anthony Edwards Under 24.5 Points
- LaMelo Ball Under 20.5 Points
