Best NBA Player Props Today: Morant Lights Up the Hawks

Prop bet #1: Trouble for Tyrese

After breaking out on the public stage with a series of incredible performances in the In-Season Tournament, Tyrese Haliburton has hit something of a post-tournament malaise for the Indiana Pacers. Opposing teams are throwing the book at Haliburton, trapping or blitzing him on almost every possession to force the ball out of his hands.

Haliburton is down to 21.6 points over his last 10 and is shooting 32.6% from downtown in that time. The Orlando Magic also may be the best team suited to dealing with Haliburton, with a trio of perimeter defenders in Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, and Gary Harris capable of disrupting Haliburton’s flow.

Haliburton had just 12 points on 4-14 shooting in his last outing against Orlando, and he also had four turnovers. Suggs is also much stronger and more physical than Hali, and he views every possession as a chance to tire Tyrese out. 

Even on the few occasions with Haliburton was able to attack with a head of steam and blow by, Suggs would hound him to the rim and the Magic low man would be there to greet him at the basket. They geared their entire defense around knowing where Haliburton was at all times, and it’s a formula that other teams have since adopted to great success.

Tyrese Haliburton prop: Under 24.5 points (-110 at DraftKings)

Prop bet #2: Morant Monster

Ja Morant’s season debut was electrifying. It was a good reminder of just how dynamic he is and how he truly is the engine that makes everything else on the Memphis Grizzlies go. Morant scored 35 points, including the gravity-defying game-winner, where he took All-Defense shoo-in Herb Jones off the dribble, dusted him, and leaped just so to avoid a block before laying it in. 

Ja’s conditioning was an issue at times, but otherwise, he looked exactly as you remembered him. Now that he’s got two games under his belt, I think Ja is due for another big performance against the Atlanta Hawks. It’s no secret what Morant wants to do on offense, which is forego jump shots completely and get all the way to the hoop.

Because of how the Hawks defend (or rather, how they don’t), Morant's points prop is simply too low.

While Clint Capela is an outstanding rebounder, the Atlanta big man is far from an elite paint deterrent. The Hawks also allow the fourth most shots at the rim of any NBA team, and opponents shoot 66% there, a well below league average mark.

The Hawks’ backcourt is also among the worst at denying penetration, so I expect Ja to get into the teeth of the defense and score early and often tonight.

Ja Morant prop: Over 27.5 points (-113 at FanDuel)

Prop bet #3: Forever Young

Trae Young is one of those players who, at any given time, seems underrated or overrated in the public mind, but never fully appreciated or put in the proper context. After a tough start to the season, few have probably caught on to just how good Young has been over this recent stretch.

Trae is averaging 32.5 points over his last 10 games. He’s doing that because he takes 10.4 threes per game and hits them at a 44.2% clip. Young has been erratic as a shooter at times in his career, but he’s in a hell of a groove from beyond the arc right now.

Trae is averaging 4.6 threes over his last 10 games and has had six straight games where he’s hit four or more. The Grizzlies also allow opponent threes at the fifth-highest frequency in the league per Cleaning the Glass.

If you're worried about fatigue, Trae has played in four back-to-backs this year. Excluding the first game, which was during his slump during October when he shot poorly in every game, he’s gone 21-44 over those three games, good enough for a 47.7%.

Trae Young prop: Over 3.5 threes (-138 at FanDuel)