Best NBA Player Props Today: Washington Wipes Glass Clean

Prop bet #1: Bearish on Booker 

The Minnesota Timberwolves had the best defense in the NBA during the regular season and they proved that they were ready for playoff ball by holding the Phoenix Suns to just 95 points in Game 1. Kevin Durant was his usually efficient self, but Devin Booker was limited to just 18 points on 5-16 shooting while knocking down a pair of treys. 

Even during the regular season when he was filling up the hoop, Booker was streaky from beyond the arc. The Suns guard knocked down fewer than 2.5 three-pointers made in 21 of his final 28 games during the regular season and had a mediocre 33.1 3PT% over that span.

The T-Wolves might be best known for the shot-blocking prowess of Rudy Gobert at the rim but they also do an excellent job of defending the arc. They finished the regular season, sixth in the NBA in opponent three-point percentage (35.4%) and third in threes allowed per game (11.4). Fade the Devin Booker odds on his threes today.

Devin Booker prop: Under 2.5 made 3s (-135 at DraftKings)

Prop bet #2: Wild about Washington

P.J. Washington pulled down seven rebounds in 37 minutes in Game 1 and he should another heavy workload vs. the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 2. Washington has grabbed 6+ rebounds in eight of his last 11 contests and one of the games where he went below that number was the meaningless season finale against Detroit where he played just 15 minutes.

Don't expect to see him on a minutes restriction tonight since the forward has gotten plenty of burn for the Dallas Mavericks after they traded for him at the deadline.

Since the start of March, Washington averaged 6.5 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game. With most statistical models projecting between 5.9 and 6.2 boards for Washington tonight take the Over 5.5 on the rebounds total in the P.J. Washington odds.

P.J. Washington prop: Over 5.5 rebounds (-104 at FanDuel)

Prop bet #3: Tyrese gets tied down

The big story in Game 1 of this series was Damian Lillard dropping a playoff-record 35 points in the first half. However, a disappointing performance from Indiana Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton was also a big reason the Pacers lost. Haliburton averaged 20.1 points per game during the regular season but he took just seven shots and scored nine points in Game 1. 

I'm seeing many analysts calling for a bounce-back performance for Haliburton, especially since he torched the Bucks earlier in the season, but I'm not so sure. Keep in mind that while Haliburton put together four excellent performances against the Milwaukee Bucks during the regular season, all of those games came before the middle of January. 

Haliburton began the season on a tear averaging 24.9 ppg on 17.7 FGA with 50/41/86 shooting splits through the first 30 games. However, he sprained his hamstring on January 8 and hasn't looked the same since returning. In the final 35 games of the regular season, his field goal attempts dropped to 13.6 per game and with his shooting splits sinking to 45/32/84, he averaged a modest 16.8 ppg. 

Milwaukee's defensive gameplan was also a big reason that Haliburton struggled in Game 1 with the Bucks sending double-teams at the point guard, cutting off the rim and forcing him left. There's no reason for them to do anything different tonight and with Haliburton's performance in Game 1 looking more like a trend than just an off-night, I'm fading the Tyrese Haliburton odds on his points again.

Tyrese Haliburton prop: Under 19.5 points (-115 at bet365)