It can be hard to navigate NBA odds at this point in the season. There are so many games on the board that have little to no meaning for teams, but finding those that do might give us some added value in the player prop market.
Today, we look at Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes who continues to make a late push for Rookie of the Year, and you know we can’t pass up one of the last opportunities to fade the Lakers this season.
Check out our NBA player prop picks for Thursday, April 7, as we bank on some of the NBA's best to do their thing.
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NBA player props for April 7
Picks made on 4/7/2022 at 1:30 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
Back with Barnes
There aren’t a whole lot of games on the board today with meaning, but the Toronto Raptors hosting the Philadelphia 76ers is one of them.
The Raptors currently lead the Chicago Bulls by 1.5 games for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference standings and a win tonight will go a long way to locking that spot in. They also have an outside shot at the No. 4 spot — currently held by the Sixers — if they win out and Philly losses out.
So, that means there should be some effort put forth in this matchup. Unfortunately for the 76ers, they’ll be without one of their top defenders in this one, as it sounds like Matisse Thybulle is unvaccinated as he was listed as “unavailable to play in Toronto".
While Pascal Siakam has been making a case for All-NBA down the stretch, he could see some Joel Embiid tonight., but someone Thybulle was probably going to mark would have been rookie Scottie Barnes.
Barnes has been outstanding in the second half of the season, averaging 17.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals since coming out of the All-Star break. His points + rebounds total is on the board at 23.5, a number he’s gone over in the last three games and 13 times in the 22 games.
Now, he gets to face a Sixers team missing Thybulle and one that, despite having Embiid, ranks 22nd in rebounding percentage and 17th in opponent rebounds per game. Bet on another big game from Barnes in a game that matters to the Raptors.
Pick: Scottie Barnes Over 23.5 points + rebounds (-110)
Buzzing on the boards
The Charlotte Hornets are another team with something to play for tonight when they host the Orlando Magic.
Charlotte currently holds the final play-in spot in the Eastern Conference but is only a game behind the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets in the loss column, so jumping up to the more coveted 7-8 play-in game is not out of the question.
The Magic, on the other hand, seem to have already pulled their last rabbit out of a hat this season and are currently in the running for the No. 1 overall pick in the next NBA Draft, and their focus seems to be on that.
Three of the Magic’s best players are done for the year with various “injuries” as Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony, and Franz Wagner will all be sitting out for tonight's contest.
That will leave the Magic vulnerable on the glass, which isn't great for a team that already ranks 23rd in rebounding percentage and has allowed the second-most opponent rebounds per game since the All-Star break.
So, my favorite Hornet to take advantage of that is PJ Washington. The Hornets forward is averaging 5.1 rebounds per game since becoming an everyday starter back in the middle of February and is logging over 31 minutes per game over that stretch.
He's has gone Over this number in four of his last five games. Bet on him to put in more work on the glass in a game the Hornets would love to win.
Pick: P.J. Washinton Over 5.5 rebounds (-132)
Swimming Pooles
The Golden State Warriors are another team with something to play for as they try to hold off the Dallas Mavericks for the third spot in the Western Conference standings and luckily for them, their opponent tonight seems to have the opposite of something to play for. I’m talking of course about the Los Angeles Lakers.
And we are not going to pass up an opportunity to fade the Lakers before the season ends.
The Lakers have been eliminated from the play-in tournament but it feels like they haven’t put real effort into a game in about a month. For tonight, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook are all listed as questionable for this matchup. But with the Warriors listed as 12.5-point favorites without Steph Curry, sportsbooks clearly think they won’t be suiting up for this one.
Someone who is putting in effort right now is the Warriors' Jordan Poole. Poole has become the Dubs' No. 2 scorer this season and defacto No. 1 with Curry sidelined.
He's averaging 18.4 points per game for the season but he has upped that to 26.4 points while shooting 49.7% from the floor over his last 17 games. Now he gets to face a Lakers team that ranks 28th in defensive rating since the All-Star break.
Poole’s point total for this one is set at 24.5. That’s a number he’s gone Over 10 times in that 17-game stretch and eight times in his last 10 games. Look for Poole to Cook a Lakers team that has officially given up on the season.
Pick: Jordan Poole Over 24.5 points (-110)
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