The final day of the NBA season sees all 30 teams in action, whether they want to be or not.
The postseason pecking order in the Eastern Conference is written in stone while the bottom of the West still has plenty to play for on Easter Sunday.
With mixed motivations all over the NBA odds board, I get cracking on the individual offerings and pick out some “eggcellent” NBA player prop picks for April 9.
NBA player props for April 9
Picks made on 4/9/2023 at 11:15 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Today’s best NBA player props
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Mike drop
The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the play-in tournament but just where they’ll play that opening play-in game is still to be decided. Minnesota battles the New Orleans Pelicans in the regular-season finale, with seeding on the line Sunday.
At the wheel of that postseason push is point guard Mike Conley, who has an assist prop of 5.5 (Under -150) this afternoon.
Conley’s assist numbers took a tumble when the Timberwolves were missing both stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns in March, but with those two scorers in the lineup, the veteran guard is seeing his passing prowess return to peak levels.
He recorded five assists in just 24 minutes of work in a blowout win against San Antonio yesterday (leaving him plenty of gas in those aging legs) and Sunday’s showdown with NOLA is a rare home game for Minnesota, which has played inside the Target Center just four times in the past 13 games.
Conley averages 6.8 assists per home game on the season and his projected total for today’s outing is just a touch slimmer around 6.5 assists. In three meetings with the Pelicans this season, Conley has recorded totals of six, six, and eight assists so at plus-money, the value on this prop is too good to pass up.
Mike Conley prop: Over 5.5 assists (+105)
Shoot like there’s no tomorrow
The Washington Wizards have their bags packed and tickets punched for vacation Monday, but first have to wrap up the regular season against the Houston Rockets on Easter Sunday.
The Wizards have been without the services of many standouts during the home stretch, leaving a number of role players and reserves to showcase their stuff in these final contests. One guy who has made the most of those added minutes is second-year guard Corey Kispert.
The Gonzaga product is averaging just under 20 points per outing in the last eight games, averaging more than 35 minutes of floor time in that span. Kispert has been testing his might from beyond the arc as well, knocking down an average of four triples on nine 3-point attempts.
Kispert will continue to have the green light in this finale, especially with Houston presenting the worst perimeter defense in the NBA. The Rockets allow foes to fire at a 37.4% success rate from distance, for an average of 14.5 makes from downtown.
He has a 3-point total of 3.5 (Over +115) and has knocked down four or more triples in four of those eight contests with major minute increases. He’ll have the volume of looks from beyond the arc to get past his made threes prop on Sunday.
Corey Kispert prop: Over 3.5 made threes (+115)
Everybody in the Poole
The Golden State Warriors are fueled by fear of falling into the play-in tournament but are in good shape as hefty road favorites taking on the Portland Trail Blazers in the finale.
The Warriors have a chance to snatch the fifth seed in the West or at least stay at No. 6 with a win. And considering the massive 17-point spread, Golden State could give the aging legs of Stephen Curry (nursing a sore hip) and Klay Thompson some time off the final two quarters while younger guys like Jordan Poole carry the load.
Poole has a point prop of 19.5 today (Over -115). He’s coming off a slow night against Sacramento on Friday, in which he came off the bench for only 19 minutes in a one-sided win over the Kings’ reserves. Poole went a dismal 0-for-10 from the floor, including 0-for 6-from long range, yet still scored eight points on nine free throws.
His points projections for tonight are as low as 19 points with a ceiling of 22 points. I have him landing at more than 20 points, with the potential for greater gains considering the Trail Blazers are dead in the water and own one of the worst defenses down the stretch with multiple starters sitting out.
Poole has blasted the Blazers in their three meetings this season, posting point totals of 29, 38, and 41 this season. He’ll be looking to get right after such an off night the game prior and should hang 20+ on Portland this afternoon.
Jordan Poole prop: Over 19.5 points (-115)
