There’s a trio of postseason showdowns on the board for NBA player prop bettors Tuesday as three series shift into Game 2.
Prop betting is always a challenge in the postseason, as teams and bookmakers adjust to those initial outcomes. Do we go against the gain of those Game 1 results or lean into any trends and patterns picked up in the series openers?
It’s a little of both when it comes to our favorite free NBA player prop picks for April 19.
NBA player props for April 19
Picks made on 4/19/2022 at 1:15 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
Thrill of the Hunter
If Trae Young is going to have another day like Game 1’s eight-point poo-fest, then the rest of the Atlanta Hawks had better step up.
The Miami Heat constantly hounded Young in the series opener, checking him to 1-for-12 shooting with a constant flow of switch-happy defenders and overly aggressive help. The Hawks tried to combat this with added off-the-ball movement and quick passes, but it was far too late to erase the damage.
The Heat will go at Young again tonight, but it won’t take Atlanta head coach Nate McMillan as long to adjust and the Hawks will be much quicker to swing the ball and find shooters in space, either off screens or on dribble-drive kick outs.
De'Andre Hunter could be a huge weapon for Atlanta in Game 2. The versatile forward thrives in catch-and-shoot spots and can knock it down from deep, finishing 2-for-2 from 3-point range in Game 1. He finished the series opener with 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting – almost three fewer shots than his season average of 10.8 attempts.
The switches from the Heat’s defense saw a mixed bag of defenders on Hunter in Game 1. Jimmy Butler was his busiest check, but Hunter was 3-for-5 with Miami’s primary defender on him. Beyond Butler, Hunter drew forward P.J. Tucker and smaller guards Max Strus and Kyle Lowry.
At 6-foot-8, Hunter is tall enough to shoot over smaller defenders or back them down. He’s also quick enough to break down bigger checks one-on-one and Hunter’s quick release should have plenty of clean air from outside if those forwards overplay the weakside help like they did in Game 1.
Atlanta’s offense won’t be as stagnant in Game 2 (took only 75 shots in the opener) and Hunter will thrive on the end of that uptick in ball movement.
Pick: De'Andre Hunter Over 13.5 points (-108)
Not-So Even Steven
Steven Adams is renowned for his toughness and strength. Need an offensive rebound or a couch moved? He’s your guy. However, Adams was out of his depth in Game 1 versus Minnesota, matched up with versatile Wolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns exploited a lumbering Adams off the dribble with his quickness and stretched his defender away from the paint with his shooting touch from outside, leaving Adams with an ugly stat line: Zero points, three rebounds, and four personal fouls in just 24 minutes.
Adams could see his workload trimmed in place of reserve forward Kyle Anderson, who at 6-foot-8 isn’t as tall as KAT but can defend Towns’ face-up game much better. Anderson has no issue playing extra minutes and was a member of Memphis’ starting five when Jaren Jackson Jr. missed time.
Adams’ production will take a hit if Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins leans into his bench and goes small to counter KAT’s quickness or if Towns continues to attack a slower defender. Either way, we’re not sold on Steven’s stats in Game 2.
Pick: Steven Adams Under 17.5 points + rebounds (-120)
Sun block
The Phoenix Suns’ Game 1 win over New Orleans was a solid team effort on both ends of the floor. One player that made his mark on defense was 6-foot-6 guard Mikal Bridges, who did a great job checking Pelicans’ sharpshooter C.J. McCollum.
Bridges, who was a finalist for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, finished Game 1 limiting McCollum to 0 of 9 success from the field and finished the game with two blocks – a standout effort considering Bridges averages only 0.4 blocks per game on the season.
The Pelicans weren’t happy with their efforts on offense, obviously, and McCollum emphasized picking up the pace and being more aggressive with the basketball – mainly attacking the paint in Game 2. To me, turning up the tempo and aggression means more opportunities for Bridges to flex his defensive muscle.
His Over 1.5 on blocks + steals player prop is paying out a plus-money but doesn’t seem too far fetched considering Bridges averaged 1.2 steals on the season and has a better opportunity to cause chaos if NOLA picks up the pace and goes after the paint. Phoenix ranked sixth in both steals and forced turnovers during the season.
Pick: Mikal Bridges Over 1.5 steals + blocks (+130)
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