NBA Playoffs Player Prop Bets Odds, Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (5/2)
The NBA Playoffs’ second round is underway and tonight’s schedule offers a two-game slate. The Heat look to steal their second straight road win against the Knicks while the Lakers and Warriors open up their highly-anticipated series out west.
There are plenty of different ways to bet tonight’s board, but I’ve narrowed in on these three player props in the Association. Let’s dive into the stats and trends that matter!
NBA YTD: 5-4 (+0.56 Units)
Tuesday’s Best NBA Playoffs Player Prop Bets
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Max Strus Under 2.5 Three-Pointers (-115)
Miami was able to cash as a +152 moneyline underdog in game one on Sunday, edging out New York 108-101 in the Eastern Conference matchup. The two sides are back at it tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.
I think this is going to be an old-school, scrappy series between the Heat and Knicks, where we see a lot of lower-scoring contests. Look for New York to ramp it up defensively, as they’ll obviously want to avoid going to South Beach trailing 2-0. Under Tom Thibodeau, that means playing excellent defense and shutting down their opponent.
With that being said, I’ll take Max Strus to hit fewer than three three-pointers tonight. The shooting guard played just 23 minutes in Game 1 and went 2-5 (40%) from beyond the arc. He’s also yet to hit three triples in any of his five postseason appearances this year. Considering the circumstances, I think there’s a solid chance that this trend won’t break tonight.
LeBron James to Record a Double-Double (-130)
The marquee matchup of the second round features an epic showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. Legacies are on the line as we see LeBron James squaring off against Steph Curry. Tipoff for Game 1 is slated for 10 p.m. ET from the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA.
Big-time players make big-time plays, and that’s exactly what I expect to happen in game one of this series. I’m rolling with LeBron James to record a double-double. The superstar has posted double-doubles in four out of six games this postseason, missing a fifth by a single rebound in Game 3 of their series with the Grizzlies.
There’s no doubt that James will score at least 10 points. It’ll essentially come down to how many rebounds he’ll secure. I think we’ll see a faster-paced game as both of these teams finished the regular season inside the top five in pace, with Golden State being the fastest team in the league (103.5 possessions per game). With more possessions comes more rebounding opportunities. Let’s ride with the King to notch a double-double.
Steph Curry Under 31.5 Points (-110)
Keeping it in the same game, I’m going to take the under on Steph Curry’s point total. Am I crazy for this bet considering Curry just came off of a Game 7 performance where he dropped 50 points on the Kings? Potentially. However, he’s hovered right around the 32-point mark this postseason as he’s averaging 33.7 points per game, and he’s 4-3 to the under against this number.
There’s really no stopping Curry when it comes to his three-point scoring ability, but it’s worth noting that the Lakers finished the regular season second overall in three-point defense (34.2%). If Los Angeles can somehow force the star shooter into passing the ball off or at least making him shoot inside the arc, we’ll have a chance to cash this one. Let’s take a shot with the under on 31.5 points for Curry.
Also, take a look at our other best bets for Tuesday:
- NBA Playoffs Same Game Parlay Odds, Picks & Predictions
- NBA Playoffs First Basket Scorer Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions
- MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Predictions
- NHL Playoffs Same Game Parlay Odds, Picks & Predictions
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