The final play-in games of the NBA postseason tip-off on Friday night with the Hawks facing the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference and the Clippers hosting the Pelicans out West.
We dig into the NBA player prop betting options in those games and fade the two worst defenses with Darius Garland likely able to take care of the ball against Atlanta and Norman Powell poised for a big day against the Pels' pathetic perimeter D.
Here are our best free NBA player prop picks for Friday, April 15.
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NBA player props for April 15
Picks made on 4/15/2022 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Today’s best NBA player props
Darius protects
With Cavaliers All-Star center Jarrett Allen considered 50/50 to play in today's game, it might be wise to stay away from player props on the Cleveland side (especially fellow big man Evan Mobley) but the turnover market shouldn't be too affected by Allen playing or sitting.
Cleveland point guard Darius Garland coughed up the ball six times in Cleveland's first play-in contest against Brooklyn but such poor performances are few and far between for the young star. In his previous four games, Garland had a total of just four turnovers. Over the last month, he has turned the ball over more than three times in just five of 16 games.
The Hawks are one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA and rank just 28th in the league in opponent turnovers per possession. Back Garland to bounce back from his sloppy game on Tuesday and take the Under on his turnovers.
Pick: Darius Garland Under 3.5 turnovers (-105)
Stepping up without PG-13
The Clippers got some devastating news with Paul George entering the league's health and safety protocols today. That sucks for the team but it should mean more scoring opportunities for Norman Powell.
The Clips traded for Powell just before the deadline and he immediately made an impact with his new club, dropping 28 points in his L.A. debut on February 6. Unfortunately, Powell broke a bone in his foot soon after and was sidelined until last week.
Since rejoining the team, Powell has been very efficient, scoring 24 points and 20 points in the final two games of the regular season despite averaging just 22.5 minutes and 10.5 field goal attempts per game. In the play-in versus the Wolves, he scored 16 points on just nine field-goal attempts.
With PG13 out of commission, expect Powell to get plenty of shots and minutes. Take the Over on his points total against a Pelicans squad that is 26th in the league in opponent EFG% (54.6).
Pick: Normal Powell Over 20.5 points (-120)
Play-in board crashers
One category where the Clippers lag well behind the Pels is on the boards where New Orleans finished the regular season third in the NBA in rebounding percentage while L.A. was just 26th.
The Clips will need to do a better job on the glass and that starts with their leading rebounder Ivica Zubac. The 7-foot center pulled down 14 boards against the Pelicans on April 3 and finished the regular season with four straight contests of more than 10 rebounds despite never playing more than 25 minutes in any of those contests.
In the play-in game versus Minnesota, he snagged nine boards in more than 31 minutes of action. With the Pels utilizing a big lineup with Jonas Valanciunas and Jaxson Hayes, expect Zubac to play plenty of minutes in this one and go Over 8.5 on his rebounds total.
Pick: Ivica Zubac Over 8.5 rebounds (+102)
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