Welcome to a five-game NBA Thursday slate. After a double-digit game slate yesterday, let’s take a breath with fewer games to analyze tonight.
It has been a remarkably successful season, and I hope to continue that tonight. The All-Star break will be here in no time, and teams are shaping up with true identities. Boston vs. Milwaukee should be an awesome game, and it really jumps off the page, besides maybe Phoenix in Los Angeles.
As always, be sure to monitor injury news and shop around for the best odds available.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Thursday’s Best NBA Player Prop Bets
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook | Last Time: 1-3 | Season: 71-46
Mikal Bridges Under 31.5 Points + Assists + Rebounds (-125)
For an easy under prop to bet tonight, I am fading the Brooklyn Nets’ shooting guard after a 42-point outing against Portland earlier this week. His props have earned a mini-bolster after his impressive outing, but before that, he had only gone over 20-plus points in one of his previous six games.
Cleveland has vastly limited opposing shooting guards, limiting their scoring more than any NBA team. The Cavaliers bring down the pace a bit and own a top-10 defense. Mikal Bridges has averaged 21 points with five boards and under four assists all year. He won’t continue putting up the high numbers of late, and playing on the road with a 225-point total makes me want to fade him even more. Brooklyn’s offense has struggled recently, ranking 20th in offensive efficiency. I am trusting the Cavs’ defense tonight and fading Bridges.
Donte DiVincenzo Over 3.5 Rebounds (+114)
If there is a matchup with a bigger difference in rebound ability, it is the Knicks against the Mavs. The Knicks lead the NBA with a 53% rebound percentage compared to the Mavericks’ 28th-ranking 47.5%. Dallas has allowed over seven boards to opposing shooting guards this season, the second-most in the league.
The opportunity will be there for the Villanova product. He’s averaged just shy of three rebounds a game over the last two months, so I am willing to bet on him snagging one more, especially at plus odds. He’s gotten four or more in two straight games and five of his last six. I’m betting on him continuing that trend tonight.
Chet Holmgren Over 17.5 Points (-110)
Despite playing in consecutive games, the Thunder return home tonight, and I will not make the same mistake of fading the Thunder center again. He’s averaged 19.9 points a game the last couple of weeks, which may be due for regression, but that number still sits just shy of 18 on the year.
Over the last 10 games, the Thunder have owned the best offensive rating in the league, and Holmgren is a big part of that. Oklahoma City is also a double-digit favorite, and I can’t imagine the Trail Blazers will be exactly elite offensively. I trust Chet Holmgren more at home and expected this prop to be more at 18.5 or even 19, so I feel comfortable taking this over with how Oklahoma City has been consistently playing over the last month or so.
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Thursday:
- NFL Wild Card Odds, Picks & Predictions: Longshot Bets (2023)
- NFL Wild Card Moneyline Parlay Odds, Picks & Predictions (2024)
- NBA Player Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions
- College Basketball Odds, Picks & Predictions
- Top NHL Odds, Picks & Predictions
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Ryan Coleman is a featured writer at BettingPros. Follow him on Twitter @ryancoleman_98. For more from Ryan, check out his archive.