Best NBA Player Props Today: Durant Continues to Torture Opponents

Prop bet #1: Killer KD

While Devin Booker got all the headlines for his game-winner in Madison Square Garden, it has been Kevin Durant who has quietly been carrying the Phoenix Suns all year as both Booker and Bradley Beal have missed time. 

Durant has played at nothing short of an MVP level. He’s leading the NBA in 3-point percentage at a ridiculous 52.2% on 4.5 attempts per game and he’s one of the few players who can make a living exclusively on efficient jump shots. He remains a problem with absolutely no good answer as a 6-foot-10 small forward with the best handle any player his height has ever had. 

The Toronto Raptors have a Top-10 defense this year, but that’s largely because they beat teams up on the inside with their size. They tend to struggle against perimeter players like Durant. 

Durant was averaging 33.67 points per game before he missed the matchup against the New York Knicks, even accounting for some minor rust when he returns Wednesday, this prop is simply too low.

Kevin Durant prop: Over 28.5 points (-105 at BetMGM)

Prop bet #2: Revenge of the king

The Los Angeles Lakers just suffered a humiliating 138-94 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers, the worst loss of LeBron James' career. He was none too pleased afterward as well, saying that there would have to be major changes if L.A. wanted to be a real competitor in the West.

They’ve dealt with a ton of injuries, and there are a lot of unknowns ahead for the Lakers. But one thing is for certain: LeBron is going to dominate the Detroit Pistons tonight. There is simply no doubt in my mind that LeBron will do anything less after that loss against the Sixers.

After Detroit dropped its last game to the Wizards, the Pistons have officially earned the title of the worst team in the NBA. They’re a young team and they play like it. They make a ton of mistakes, their lineups don’t fit particularly well, and they constantly turn the ball over. 

So, they are the platonic ideal of a team LeBron can bully. LeBron is having one of the most efficient seasons of his career, and that’s despite the fact that he’s lost more than a step athletically. 

That’s because LeBron is one of the smartest players in NBA history. Taken with his two decades of experience, he should find easy ways to exploit a Pistons squad that has not looked like a real team during a 14-game losing streak. LeBron’s old-man game is glorious and effective, and with high motivation after Monday’s loss, I expect him to control this game right from tip-off.

LeBron James prop: Over 24.5 points (-135 at bet365)

Prop bet #3: No water in the Poole

The Washington Wizards are one of the league’s hardest watches. While some tried to argue they would be better than the league’s other tanking teams because they had veteran talent in Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, that has not been the case. What has become immediately evident is that while those two can be additive players in the right context, they’re not culture setters in themselves. 

Poole has been particularly disappointing. He has already been the subject of numerous meme-worthy facepalm moments for his follies, and his night-to-night efficiency is plumbing new depths of ineptitude.

He’s in for a stiff challenge today as well, as he’s going to go against the Orlando Magic, who are 12-5 and on a seven-game winning streak almost entirely because of their outstanding defense. That defense begins with their point-of-attack guards including Jalen Suggs, who is making a strong case to be an All-Defense team player this season.

Poole has long been a high-turnover player, and that has only been exacerbated as his usage and role has grown as a leading man in Washington. The Magic guards live to force turnovers in turn, leading the league with a 17.6% opponent turnover rate per Cleaning the Glass. 

Poole is averaging 3.2 turnovers this year, so I expect Poole to cough it up at least three times again Suggs & Co.

Jordan Poole prop: Over 2.5 turnovers (-155 at bet365)