Only three games remain in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as March winds down, thrusting the NBA back into the forefront of the basketball world. Those searching for tonight’s best NBA player prop picks, especially for Rockets-Knicks and Bulls-Clippers, should tail the predictions below. FanDuel and DraftKings have left too much value on the R.J. Barrett and Patrick Beverley player prop markets, respectively. Check out OddsShopper’s tools for other sharp plays, including our Parlay Builder!
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Best Rockets-Knicks NBA Player Prop Tonight | R.J. Barrett
R.J. Barrett O/U 1.5 3-Pointers
The Houston Rockets will play the New York Knicks after just getting cooked by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Their defense, which has allowed the most 3-pointers per game this year (14.6), will struggle without rest. The Rockets are 8-6 to the over with a rest disadvantage. The Knicks have been off since last Thursday, giving R.J. Barrett plenty of time to rest up for this one. New York must keep winning to ensure the team secures the best possible seed in the Eastern Conference race.
New York could remain without Jalen Brunson, who is questionable after missing Thursday’s game with an injury. Since New York will play the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers late in the week, two of the teams closest to them in the playoff race, Tom Thibodeau could approach the situation with caution, especially against such a low-quality opponent. His absence would lead to an uptick in volume for Barrett.
Barrett takes the right type of shots to cash this NBA player prop. He ranks third on the team in above-the-break 3’s attempted per game on the season (3.7) and through the last seven games (3.1). Although he struggles with efficiency, the volume is there for him to sink a pair of triples against one of the NBA’s worst defenses. Pinnacle, a sharp book, is selling the over at -185, so we’re getting an absolute steal with the -155 available via FanDuel Sportsbook. Let’s wager enough to profit three-quarters of a unit.
Best Rockets-Knicks Player Prop: R.J. Barrett 2+Made 3’s (-155 for 1.2 Unit) at FanDuel
Best Bulls-Clippers NBA Player Prop Tonight | Patrick Beverley
Patrick Beverley O/U 0.5 Steals
The logic behind this play is simple: the Los Angeles Clippers aren’t good at possessing the basketball, and without Paul George, they’re considerably worse. The Clippers have allowed the fifth-most steals per game this season (7.9). The New Orleans Pelicans swiped the ball 11 times from them in their last game, which they played without George. Opposing point guards have swiped the ball an NBA-high 2.2 times per game against the Clippers this year.
Patrick Beverley is an aggressive defender who should harass Russell Westbrook throughout Monday’s game. That’s what he has done when the two have faced off most recently — they met four times last season, and Beverley recorded at least one steal in each game. Beverley also faced the Clippers three times with the Los Angeles Lakers this year and notched at least one steal in each game. The Bulls have made a concerted effort to pester opposing backcourts all season, and Beverley has averaged 0.9 steals per game in his last seven starts for the team.
The books have set the total for this player prop correctly (0.5) but should have slanted the juice on the over by a slightly wider margin. With the over available at -165 (62.3%) via DraftKings Sportsbook, we’re getting this play far below Beverley’s recent raw hit rate against the Clippers (100%) and Westbrook (100%). Trust in Beverley tonight by taking this at DraftKings. Readers yet to register there can score $200 in bonus bets after placing a $5 wager!
Best Bulls-Clippers Player Prop: Patrick Beverley Over 0.5 Steals (-165 for 0.82 Unit) at DraftKings
