NBA Player Props and Best Bets: Tatum, Shai Overs and a Playoff SGP

The NBA playoffs are back in full swing on Wednesday, and I have five of the best player props on the market for the games.

For the first time in NBA history, all four road teams won Game 1 in the second round of the playoffs. That was cemented with the Golden State Warriors’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, which came despite Stephen Curry leaving with a strained hamstring in the second quarter, shortly after the underdog Indiana Pacers took a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Wednesday’s schedule begins with the Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks, the latter of which is coming off an overtime victory, and will end with the Denver Nuggets meeting the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road following Aaron Gordon’s game-winning three on Monday.

Here are my best NBA player props and a same-game parlay for Wednesday.

Additionally, be sure to check out our prediction for the Nuggets vs. Thunder and Knicks vs. Celtics matchup.

Odds for today's NBA prop bets are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Place a $5 wager at FanDuel Sportsbook and receive $200 in bonus bets if your bet wins.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, May 7

OG Anunoby Over 4.5 Rebounds (-130) at FanDuel

Anunoby is a vital piece of the Celtics’ defense, and he’s so good that opposing ball-handlers switch him off of them nearly any time they can. He just played 46 minutes after he averaged 41.8 in the opening round, and although he had four boards in Game 1, he went over in two just before that.

The Knicks can be much better on the defensive glass than they were in Game 1, and I expect Anunoby to be at the heart of that. He also went over in two of three regular-season meetings with the Celtics with two, five, and eight rebounds across their encounters. 

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Jrue Holiday Over 3.5 Assists (-114) at FanDuel

Despite the Celtics going an unfathomably poor 15-60 from beyond the arc in Game 1, Holiday still managed to come up with three assists. Did that cash the under? Sure. But I—and I don’t believe anybody out there—expects the Celtics to miss another 45 threes, which means he should have an easier time getting to the over.

Holiday only played two games in the first round, but he went over both times with six and five assists against the Orlando Magic’s elite defense. The Cletics have everything to prove in Game 2, and I believe their offense will be firing on all cylinders.

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Jayson Tatum Over 9.5 Rebounds (-112) at FanDuel

Sam Hauser is out, and Kristaps Porzingis is dealing with a mysterious illness. Tatum just hauled in 16 rebounds to open the series and could face an easy path to the over if he’s forced to play heavy minutes due to the absences of his teammates, not to mention that he’s a great rebounder under normal circumstances.

Tatum split the over/under in the first round, but he averaged 11.3 boards and had 14 twice and never fewer than eight. The Celtics clearly found a margin on the boards, and if they can continue to force the Knicks to play small ball, that will give Tatum a great chance to go over this line.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 5.5 Rebounds (-102) at FanDuel

The presumptive MVP averaged 5.0 rebounds per game during the regular season, yet he started this series with 10 rebounds to go with 33 points and eight assists. That’s not uncharacteristic for him, as he also beat this line in five of six games in the second round a year ago.

The Nuggets did a phenomenal job on the glass in Game 1, and it speaks volumes that Gilgeous-Alexander was still so productive in light of that. I believe he is under instruction to pay more attention to the boards and to help gang rebound, which is one of the several reasons I like his over.

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Aaron Gordon Over 1.5 Threes (+138) at FanDuel

What a remarkable mid-career shooting development for Gordon, a career 48.4 percent shooter from the floor and 33.1 percent from three who shot 53.1 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from deep during the regular season. Even better, Gordon is coming off a 3-6 shooting display from range that included the game-winner at the death.

The Thunder are an outstanding defensive team and do a better job than anyone at defending the three-ball. However, Nikola Jokic’s interior presence has forced them to collapse their defense, leaving kick-out opportunities available. Gordon is confident and has the trust of his teammates, and there’s real value on this line.

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NBA Same-Game Parlay (+384) at FanDuel

-Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (-11)

• Shai Gilegous-Alexander 30+ points: Dropped 33 points in Game 1 despite not being at his best, and his best teammates clearly seemed unprepared for the moment, putting the pressure on him to lead them.

• Nikola Jokic over 28.5 points: Had 42 points on 51.7 percent shooting in Game 1 and has size that nobody on OKC’s defense can account for, which should help him get tons of free-throws throughout the series.

• Michael Porter Jr. under 9.5 points: Appears to be heavily impeded by his shoulder injury; he only scored two points in 24 minutes in Game 1 and has lost minutes throughout the playoffs.

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