I know it’s Selection Sunday, but we still have some NBA action today. The slate features nine games, so there will be plenty of studs to choose from for our player prop bets. I’ll go with Clippers-Pelicans as today's marquee game. Los Angeles is favored by 6 points and the total is set to 232.5, which means there should be a lot of action.
As for today’s best NBA bets, 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.
Let’s dive into a couple of these scenarios now.
Nicolas Batum OVER 1.5 made threes
Batum comes into the game averaging 1.9 made threes per game, while attempting 4.4 on 44.4% shooting. Today he gets the perfect matchup against a Pelicans team that is terrible at defending the three-ball.
New Orleans ranks in the bottom five in multiple defensive metrics, including 30th in three-pointers allowed and 28th in opponent’s three-point percentage.
Batum has also gone over this number in five straight games. As long as the game stays close, I like him hitting surpassing this mark.
Kevin Huerter OVER 11.5 points
Huerter is averaging 12.2 points per game (PPG) on the year and 12.7 PPG over his last ten outings. Today he gets a good matchup against a Cleveland team that gives up a ton of clean looks.
Cleveland ranks 29th in both opponent’s field goal percentage and opponent’s three-point percentage. These two teams have played each other twice, and Huerter is averaging 17.5 PPG in those contests.
As long as this game doesn’t become a blowout, he should be able to hit a couple of threes to help cash this bet.
Ben Simmons OVER 17.5 points
This is purely a play on the matchup and Philly missing Joel Embiid. Simmons comes into the matchup averaging 16.1 PPG. But, he has averaged 20.0 PPG in the five games Embiid has missed this season, per StatMuse. Ben also went off for a career-high 42 points earlier this season when Joel was out.
While the Spurs are a good defensive team, they struggle at rebounding, as they rank 27th in rebounds allowed. Simmons should be able to grab a few boards and go, which will lead to easy transition buckets.
If the Sixers want to win today, Simmons will need to contribute on the offense end.
Be sure to check back daily for our top NBA player prop bets.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook