The NBA slate rolls on with a bit of a lighter schedule — just six games on the board. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of value to be found for NBA player prop bettors.
Today, we highlight a couple of players who can step up for their respective hobbled teams, and see if the Bucks are the team that can finally cool off Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Will the star Thunder guard roll on?
Check out our NBA player prop picks for Tuesday, March 8, as we bank on some of the NBA's best to do their thing.
NBA player props for March 8
Picks made on 3/8/2022 at 1:25 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
Not gonna rook us
The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a bit of a blow as All-Star Jarrett Allen suffered a broken finger in the team’s last game. But, luckily for the Cavs, rookie Evan Mobley was more than ready to shoulder more of the load for his team. And Allen’s injury presents us with some nice betting value as the Cavs visit the Indiana Pacers.
Mobley, who had seen his scoring take a bit of a dip lately, put up 20 points and grabbed a massive 17 boards after Allen went down with his injury. And it’s not like Mobley has been playing poorly. He is averaging 14.6 points on 49.9 % shooting while adding 8.2 rebounds per game and is the NBA Rookie of the Year odds favorite.
Now, Mobley faces a Pacers team that is a mess and should have a hard time containing him in this one. Since the trade deadline, the Pacers rank 26th in both defensive rating and scoring defense, and will still be without Myles Turner.
Add in the fact the Cavs will also be without Caris LeVert, and the offense should go through Darius Garland and Mobley. Look for a big all-around game from the Cavs' star rookie.
Pick: Evan Mobley Over 27.5 Points + Rebounds (-120)
Crowdered House
The Phoenix Suns continue to get burned by injuries. First, it was Chris Paul with his thumb, then Devin Booker in health and safety protocols, and now it’s even Cam Johnson. But that just means someone will have to step up for tonight’s matchup in Orlando against the Magic.
One of the Suns' biggest strengths this season is their depth, but that has obviously taken a hit and now Monty Williams is now running with a short bench. The Phoenix starters, which consisted of Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, Landry Shamet, and Cameron Payne, all logged at least 32 minutes in their last game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
You can expect the Suns to keep leaning on those five guys tonight, but we’re going to look more closely at Crowder. He is the veteran and de facto leader of this version of the Suns, and he has stepped up his game.
Since coming out of the All-Star break, the small forward is averaging 15.5 points per game and has had the hot hand from beyond the arc, shooting a ridiculous 47.1% from 3-point range. Now, he faces a Magic team that is still lacking that sparkle on defense. Orlando ranks 21st in defensive rating while ranking 27th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage.
Seeing Crowder’s point total sitting at 11.5 seems a little fishy considering the situation, the matchup, and the fact he has gone Over this number in each of the six games since the break and has had no fewer than 14 with both Paul and Booker out of the lineup. But it's not enough to scare us away.
Pick: Jae Crowder Over 11.5 points (-120)
50 Shais of Grey
It may surprise you to know the Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the best bets going in the NBA this season and there are two main reasons for that. One: They get after it on defense. And, two: The play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder point guard has been absolutely rolling of late. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.9 points while shooting 53.5% from the floor over his last 10 games, and many of those came against sturdy defensive teams like the Cavaliers, Suns, Nuggets, and Jazz.
We mention this because tonight’s game is against the Milwaukee Bucks — a team that can get after it defensively in their own right. But that just hasn’t been the case lately.
The Bucks rank 25th in defensive rating and 27th in scoring defense over their last 10 games. Plus, they have had issues with opposing guards recently. Kyrie Irving put up 38 points on them, Tyler Herro went for 30, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine went for 29 and 30 points, respectively.
We're getting a lower number than we should with SGA because of the Bucks' perceived ability to defend, but he has put up less than 29 points just once over the last 10 games. It doesn’t hurt that SGA is also far and away the Thunder’s best scoring option.
Pick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 26.5 points (-115)
Did you know that if you played today’s NBA props as a parlay, you could win $52.84 on a $10 bet?
Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
