Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: Lopez Continues Rhythm Against Former Team

It’s a bit of a light night in the NBA with just five games on the board, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of value to be found in the player prop market.

The biggest game on the board sees the Bucks visit the Nets, while Paul George’s return to the Clippers lineup may be creating some value for one of his teammates.

Check out our NBA player prop picks for Thursday, March 31, as we bank on some of the games' best to do their thing.

NBA player props for March 31

• Lopez Over 1.5 made 3s
• Jackson Over 17.5 pts
• Gobert Over 13.5 rebs

Picks made on 3/31/2022 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.

Today’s best NBA player props

Brook-lyn

The biggest game on tonight’s NBA schedule sees Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks square off against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets. You know we want to have a prop bet for this one, but we’re going a little off the board in a game featuring so much star power. 

The Bucks are peaking at the right time and are looking at that top spot in the Eastern Conference, while it looks like the Nets are locked into a play-in spot, which is interesting for a team favored to win the conference.

But aside from injuries and vaccine mandates, one of the reasons the Nets find themselves in this spot is because their defense has not been great lately. Since the All-Star break, the Nets rank 25th in defensive rating and have the third-worst opponent 3-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to hit nearly 40% of their attempts from deep.

So, who do we back from the Bucks in the made threes market? Khris Middleton? The red-hot Jrue Holiday? Sharpshooter Grayson Allen? Or even Giannis?

Nope. The best value is with Bucks big man Brook Lopez.

Lopez missed most of the season with an injury and you can tell how much his return means to the Bucks. The versatile scorer is finding his groove from beyond the arc.

He is shooting 36.4% from 3-point range over his last four games and has hit two or more in three of them. That includes going 4-9 from deep last time out against the 76ers.

It should also be noted that he logged his most minutes since his return in that game seeing nearly 30 minutes of action.

Want another reason? We are getting plus money. Bet on Brooks to get some long-range buckets.

Pick: Brook Lopez Over 1.5 made threes (+110)

Reggie regains his form

Everyone saw what the return of Paul George means to the Los Angeles Clippers. George had 34 points, six assists, and four steals in his return to action, helping the Clips storm back in a 121-115 win over the Utah Jazz. 

While many are wondering what PG-13 will do for an encore, let’s look at what opportunities he’s creating for his teammates, specifically Reggie Jackson for tonight’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls.

Jackson had to carry a lot of the offensive load for the Clippers with all the injuries they've had to deal with this season. That appeared to weigh on him eventually, and he's been in a bit of a shooting slump since the All-Star break, going just 38.2% from the floor and 33.7% from 3-point range.

That said, he still averaged 18.4 points in 14 games since the break and with George getting the bulk of the attention from the Jazz, Jackson was able to take 24 shots, including 11 from three. While he went just 8-24 from the field, you could see what George is opening up for his teammates.

Now, Jackson gets a great matchup against the Bulls who continue to struggle on the defensive end of the floor, particularly when it comes to containing opposing guards. Chicago also allow the most points per game to opposing guards by a fairly large margin.

Even though Jackson has only gone Over this number four times in the last eight games, I love that George is back on the floor as well as the matchup with the Bulls.

Pick: Reggie Jackson Over 17.5 points (-106)

Gobert dominates the glass 

It may be obvious advice here, but you should be fading the Los Angeles Lakers in as many ways as possible down the stretch.

LeBron James is still dealing with an ankle injury, and this team looks resided to its fate. The best way to take advantage in the player prop market is with Rudy Gobert.

If you have spent any time watching the Lakers recently, you can see how little effort they are putting on the court at times and Frank Vogel looks like he's coaching his last few games in L.A.

While there have been questions about the makeup of this team all season long, everything seems to have gone downhill when Anthony Davis went down (again).

Ever since Davis has been sidelined at the end of February, the Lakers' defense has had no teeth, particularly on the glass. In fact, the Lakers rank 26th in both rebounding percentage and opponent rebounds per game over the last 17 games. That means Gobert should be in for another big game on the boards.

The Jazz big man is one of the best rebounders in the NBA, hauling down 14.6 boards per game. In two games against the Lakers this season, Gobert has gone for 16 and 11 rebounds respectively. 

Expect the Jazz to give their best effort tonight after blowing a game to the Clippers the last time out and for Gobert to have another big game on the boards.

Pick: Rudy Gobert Over 13.5 rebounds (-120)

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