The start of the NBA Playoffs is upon us! Well,…ok…the start of the NBA Play-In is upon us. I never did understand why they wouldn’t just call it the Playoffs, but I don’t make the rules. Let’s get some money in our pockets with my favorite bets for the two matchups tonight between the Hawks vs. Heat and Wolves vs. Lakers. With prop bets, we don’t need to wait for season-long storylines to play out. Every day is a new day. Fantrax wants to help you win a bit of money, so we will be giving you NBA Player Prop Bets every week. We’ll shy away from keying in on any particular sportsbook, as we know odds vary, and so do props. We’ll focus on our projections, and allow you to find your best odds. Let’s get into today’s prop bets.
NBA Player Prop Bets for April 11
Trae Young OVER 24 Points:
The Hawks have a higher net rating than the Heat on the season, and they play at a faster pace. While the playoffs will force more half-court offenses to go to work, the Heat have been inconsistent on both sides of the ball all year. Heck, Udonis Haslem just provided the best performance of his career in his final game of the season, and I’m not quite sure they couldn’t use him in this game tonight. The Hawks should win this game. The Hawks front office has been given permission to seek a trade for Trae Young and he’s going to be on his best behavior trying to show his value to another team, or to prove he should still be with the Hawks. Either way, Young is going to go off. The Heat don’t have the perimeter defense to keep up with him, as Jimmy Butler is highly unlikely to guard a point guard. Kyle Lowry can’t keep up defensively, and neither can Gabe Vincent. Expect a high-powered scoring effort from Trae.
Jimmy Butler OVER 25 Points:
I’ve said all that needs to be said about the Heat in the paragraph for Trae Young, above. However, while the Heat as a whole are inconsistent, playoff Jimmy Butler is not. Let’s recap what he did in 2022’s playoff visit: 27.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists in seven games. Further, in Jimmy’s last three games vs. the Hawks he’s had 26, 15, and 34. Not only will Jimmy do everything in his power to push the Heat over the line (including a sky-high 35%+ usage rate most likely), we have historical precedent to assume as much. Take the OVER for Jimmy.
Anthony Davis OVER 40 Points + Rebounds + Assists:
I could talk about how the Lakers have a better net rating than the Wolves, or that they play with a faster pace, or that they have more experienced stars that have won a championship together. None of that drives this thesis. The crux of the issue for the Wolves is that Rudy Gobert (their primary shot blocker and paint protector) is suspended for this game for PUNCHING HIS TEAMMATE DURING A GAME! Their backup center Naz Reid is out for the season. I’ll take Anthony Davis over any third string Center in the NBA. There will be no paint protection to be had, and Anthony Davis will run amok. He averages slightly over 40+ PRA for the season. He’ll top that tonight!