NBA Playoffs Player Props Bet Picks & Predictions: Thursday (5/1)
We are into the NBA playoffs with two fantastic series going on today. The season has been fun and we got some goliaths at the top of the food chain but these have been and will hopefully continue being a fantastic NBA playoffs. If you're just joining us for the first time, welcome. It's been a great year, and I hope we continue that trend tonight. As always, monitor any potential news and lineup announcements. The best way to stay informed about NBA player props is to stay up-to-date with the latest news. That's not as prevalent in the playoffs but you never know what might happen. The second best way is to shop around at different books. Player props rarely have identical odds across platforms, so ensure you get the best value. Let's get to it.
Unless specified otherwise, each bet will be a single unit.
Thursday’s Best NBA Playoffs Player Prop Bets
Last Time: 1-2 | Season: 154-109
Karl-Anthony Towns Over 35.5 Pts + Ast + Reb (-115 at DraftKings)
After dropping at home, New York travels to Detroit as they try to take down the Pistons again with a 3-2 series lead. Detroit’s defense only ranked 16th to round out the season and ranked seventh in pace of play after the All-Star break. The opportunity for KAT is going to be higher compared to his seasonal averages, and he's still covered this line in three of the five games this series and in 62 percent of games this year. The Knicks’ big man has stayed steady with a 25 percent usage rate, and he's seemed to step up on the road in this series with additional minutes and attempts. After a down game, this prop has dipped too low, and I'm buying a bounce-back out of Towns tonight in what should be a great game. I mean, three straight games within one possession is insane. Can we do that again, NBA powers that be? Either way, the path for KAT here is clear.
Norman Powell Over 21.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (-115 at ESPN Bet)
As Los Angeles returns home down 3-2, there's one guy the Clippers will trust with the ball when they need it most – Norman Powell. Jokes aside, this is a line that Powell has covered nearly 70 percent of games this year and is projected at 27 on this combo prop by the BettingPros Prop Bet Cheat Sheet. He's averaged 21 points a game on the season, and while his usage rate has taken a bit of a hit in the playoffs, he's still seeing the floor for 33 minutes a night. In two out of the last three games, Powell has easily cleared this line, and in each game these playoffs, he's taken 12-plus shots while continuing to snag boards and dish assists. The opportunity is there with the minutes, and as long as shots are falling, the prop Over will be calling.
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Ryan Coleman is a featured writer at BettingPros. Follow him on Twitter @ryancoleman_98. For more from Ryan, check out his archive.