NBA Player Props and Best Bets: Haliburton, Garland Overs and This Playoff SGP

The NBA Playoffs are approaching a potentially decisive part of the schedule, and I’m backing these player props for all of the action.

Jayson Tatum suffered a devastating injury as the Boston Celtics fell into a 3-1 hole against the New York Knicks, while Anthony Edwards powered the Minnesota Timberwolves to a win over the Golden State Warriors to also take a 3-1 advantage.

Tuesday’s schedule starts by pitting the Cleveland Cavaliers, in need of three straight wins, against the Indiana Pacers, before the Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Denver Nuggets into town for Game 5 while tied 2-2.

Before diving deeper into NBA props, be sure to check our predictions for Nuggets vs Thunder, and Pacers vs Cavaliers.

Here are my best NBA player prop picks and a same-game parlay for the playoffs on Tuesday.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, May 13

Tyrese Haliburton Over 16.5 Points

Indy’s best player went under in the last two games, scoring four and 11 points on inefficient shooting. Cleveland has done a nice job of taking away his three-point volume, but he’s both a bit of a frontrunner and a clutch shot-maker, which sets up well heading into Game 5.

Haliburton and the Pacers are confident knowing they are one win away from reaching their second straight Eastern Conference Finals. He’s shooting 50 percent from the field in the series, and I expect him to be aggressive with momentum on his side and knowing he can get his team into the next round with a strong night.

Darius Garland Over 18.5 Points

Garland just scored 21 points on 54.5 percent shooting in Game 4 and went over in three of four appearances in the postseason. He’s been in a strong rhythm regardless, and he could get an extremely high number of shots if Donovan Mitchell succumbs to his ankle injury and doesn’t suit up.

Although Garland is banged up, he’s been consistent during the playoffs and went over both times he played Indy during the regular season, scoring 20 and 24 points. I’m not confident that Mitchell will play, which would leave Garland as the primary option every trip down the floor.

Evan Mobley Under 10.5 Rebounds

Mobley has been a bit timid on the board in the series so far, going under in two of three games and only grabbing five rebounds in the Game 4 blowout loss. He’s also still feeling the effects of an ankle injury that caused him to miss Game 2 and has gone under this line in six of seven playoff games.

The Cavs have won the battle on the boards consistently throughout the series, but Mobley hasn’t been the primary reason why. The Cavaliers have also had serious problems trying to slow down the Pacers’ offense, and Mobley can’t rebound the ball if they don’t miss their shots.

Michael Porter Jr. Under 11.5 Points

Times have been tough for Porter Jr., who is fighting through an injury in his left shoulder that has resulted in him struggling to lift his arm over his head. He had a terrific Game 3, during which he scored 21 points, but he went under in the other three games of the series and only scored three points in his last time on the court.

It goes without saying that the Thunder have the best defense in the NBA, and they held Porter Jr. to 8.5 points per game on 31.4 percent shooting from the field and 31.8 percent from three. Russell Westbrook has been a positive force during the playoffs and could eat into Porter Jr.’s minutes if he doesn’t have his shot going.

Jalen Williams Under 4.5 Rebounds

Williams averaged 5.3 rebounds per game during the regular season but went under in four of his last five games, dating back to the closeout game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He also went under in three straight and only had three boards in back-to-back games.

Part of the reason that Williams hasn’t been able to contribute much on the boards is because he’s done a tremendous job as the Thunder’s most important defender, even doing a number on Nikola Jokic. I don’t expect that to change, but I do expect it to keep him preoccupied away from rebounding.

NBA Same-Game Parlay (+408) at FanDuel

-Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (-10.5)

• Nikola Jokic over 27.5 points: Has been totally inefficient in the series, and he’s too smart not to figure out a way to bounce back after going under in three straight.

• Chet Holmgren under 1.5 threes: Went over one time in the series and shot 20 percent from three on 3.8 attempts per game, which is fairly low volume. 

• Luguentz Dort under 8.5 points: Only scored six points in 19 minutes in Game 4 and has fallen down the pecking order behind Alex Caruso, who’s had a more positive impact in the series.

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