We have a smaller, five-game NBA slate tonight, but three of those five should be fun games that come down to the wire. I’m personally looking forward to Heat-Rockets, Raptors-Celtics, and Sixers-Blazers, as those teams have plenty of starpower.
Player props are a fun way to wager on NBA games even if you don't like a side or total. I like to find matchups that I can exploit or good situations due to injuries. Be sure to check back daily for our top NBA player prop bets.
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Here are my three favorite player prop bets for tonight:
Kelly Olynyk OVER 9.5 points
Kelly Olynuk OVER 1.5 threes made
Olynyk comes into tonight’s game averaging 10.6 points per game (PPG). He’s also coming off of arguably his best game of the season, pouring in 20 points and six made threes. Granted it was against the New York Knicks, but the big man been consistently going over these marks all season long.
When it comes to the three ball, for the season, he is averaging 2.4 made threes on 6.5 attempts per game. With Jimmy Butler back for Miami, this should space the floor even more for Olynyk tonight. He’ll get some good looks, so I’m expecting him to knock down a few 3’s.
They are also facing a Houston team missing their best big man in Christian Wood. Ever since Wood hurt his ankle, Houston has been beaten on the glass 150-122 over the last three games. Olynyk should be able to score on a few second chance opportunities, helping him hit double digit points.
Joel Embiid OVER 29.5 points
Embiid is having an MVP type season and I don’t see that slowing down tonight against a hobbled Portland team. The Process comes into this game averaging 29.1 PPG, including 33.1 per over his last ten.
The Blazers big men struggle defensively, especially Enes Kanter, who will match up with Embiid. The first time these two teams met, Embiid put up a 37-point performance on 14-of-21 shooting. Portland also ranks 28th in Defensive Rating, per Basketball-Reference.
Yes, this number is high, but look for Embiid to get 30+ against Kanter and co.