NBA Player Props and Best Bets: Paolo Banchero, Austin Reaves & More Picks for Thursday, March 19

With the March Madness tip-off at the top of the menu today, here are my favorite NBA player prop picks for Thursday.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James both produced masterpieces last night, combining for 70 points, 14 rebounds, and 12 assists in the Los Angeles Lakers’ second win over the Houston Rockets in two days. Brice Sensabaugh also had an excellent night for the Utah Jazz, scoring 41 points on 54.8 percent shooting in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Tonight’s eight-game lineup is headlined by a battle with playoff seeding implications in the Western Conference as the San Antonio Spurs will host the Phoenix Suns.

Here are my top NBA player prop picks and bets for Thursday, March 19.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, March 19

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Paolo Banchero Under 23.5 Points (-128) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Banchero scored 32 points in his last outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are known for having the best defense in the sport. However, he went under in all three matchups this season with the Charlotte Hornets, and he averaged 22.4 points per game, despite having an excellent month of March.

The Hornets have gathered league-wide notoriety, but many still don’t realize that they are playing truly elite basketball on both ends. They ranked fourth in points allowed per game over the last few weeks, and I believe they can hold Banchero under this line in tonight’s Eastern Conference showdown.

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Keldon Johnson Under 11.5 Points (-114) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Johnson is an interesting player. He’s considered a top candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award, averaged 12.8 points per game, and scored 18 in his last outing, but he also went under this line in six of 10 games in March.

The Suns are stout defensively, ranking 12th in points allowed per game over their last few weeks of action. Johnson hit the over in two of three previous matchups this season, but he’s also playing just about 20 minutes per night, which doesn’t give him much time to get the over if he isn’t having a great shooting night.

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Austin Reaves Over 21.5 Points (-130) at FanDuel Sportsbook

It’s going to take some mental gymnastics to get to the bottom line, but bear with me. The Lakers played two hard-fought games against the Rockets over the last few days, arrived in Miami around 5:00 a.m. local time, and are going to play the second night of a back-to-back tonight.

Luka Doncic has been nothing short of sensational, but he has taken the majority of the offensive load, while LeBron James played with energy and intensity last night despite saying he felt tired. With those two potentially running on fumes, this feels like the perfect opportunity to take the over on Reaves, who dropped 26 on Miami earlier this season and went over in four of his last six games.

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Josh Giddey Over 17.5 Points (-114) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Giddey averaged 17.7 points per game and went over in three of his last five while averaging 17.8 points per game in March. The Cleveland Cavaliers were ninth in points allowed per game over their last 15 contests, but both teams like to create extra possessions from playing at a quick tempo.

Giddey scored 15, 17, and 23 points in three previous matchups with the Cavaliers, but despite that precedent, I am confident in his ability to get to the over because of his playing time and the extra possessions. He also only shot 30.8 percent from the field in a blowout loss last night and should be eager to redeem himself.

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Brook Lopez Over 1.5 Threes (+102) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Lopez and the Los Angeles Clippers are going to take on the New Orleans Pelicans for the second time in as many nights on Thursday. He went 0-3 from deep last night, but he also took 12 field goals in 31 minutes, and he went 4-6 from downtown when they matched up on March 1.

The Pelicans were below league-average in made threes allowed per game over their last 15 outings, despite holding those same opponents to 32.1 percent shooting from deep. With some regression to the mean for both Lopez and the Pelicans’ defense, he should have a solid chance to cash the over.

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