Following a quiet night on the hardwood, we have 13 games on the NBA betting board this evening. With some of the worst defensive teams in the league playing tonight and in full-on tank mode, I'm expecting plenty of points from their opponents.
That's why I'm betting on Jordan Poole, Jaden Ivey, and Isaiah Joe with my best free NBA player prop picks for March 31.
NBA player props for March 31
Picks made on 3/31/2023 at 12:05 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Today’s best NBA player props
The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.
Book of Isaiah
The Indiana Pacers are second-last in the NBA in scoring defense (119.1 points per game) and are tied for third-last in opponent 3-point percentage (37.5%). That's bad news against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they love to push the tempo and have several deep threats.
The Thunder are currently missing leading scorer Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but that just means more shots to go around for their supporting cast. That includes shooting guard Isaiah Joe, who has recently seen his minutes and shot attempts surge over the last three games.
Joe scored 20 points against Portland on Sunday before dropping 33 points on a career-high 18 field goal attempts against the Hornets on Tuesday. He had a modest 12 points against the Pistons on Wednesday but logged 33 minutes and went just 0-7 from deep after draining a total of 11 treys in his previous two games.
Expect Joe to have more success from beyond the arc against a Pacers team that defends poorly on the perimeter.
Isaiah Joe prop: Over 15.5 points (-110)
Ivy League
It's the race for the bottom between the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, as both teams come in with the worst records in the NBA and rank 29th and 28th respectively in defensive rating. That should mean plenty of points in this one as they throw defense out the window and let their young guys play a Summer League-style shootout.
The Pistons have been missing Cade Cunningham for pretty much the entire season, and now leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic (21.6 ppg) and a pair of other double-digit scorers in Alec Burks and Isaiah Stewart are also sidelined.
That means even more shots for first-round pick Jaden Ivey, who has seen a higher usage rate lately. Ivey has scored at least 20 points in his last three games and averaged 28 points in his last two games.
Expect another big offensive night for Ivey as he goes up against a Houston team that has surrendered 122.3 ppg since the start of February.
Jaden Ivey prop: Over 19.5 points (-130)
Too Poole for School
There's only one team with a worse defensive rating in the NBA than the Rockets and Pistons, and that's the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs are on the road tonight against the Golden State Warriors, with the Dubs penned as 18-point favorites. While there has to be a concern that they'll sit starters if they build a massive lead, I still like Jordan Poole to go Over his points total of 20.5.
Poole has eclipsed that number in his last three games and tends to stay on the floor even in blowout victories. Matter of fact, the Warriors beat the Spurs by more than 30 points in each of their previous meetings this season, and Poole dropped 25 and 36 points in those contests.
Since the start of February, Golden State has three wins by more than 15 points and Poole scored at least 21 points in all of those games — including a 34-point performance in 32 minutes against the Clippers earlier this month.
While the Dubs might sit Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson if they get ahead early, expect Poole to stay in this game and torch the Spurs.
Jordan Poole prop: Over 20.5 points (-105)
