Best Bets on Today’s NBA Player Props Market
If you’re looking for some plays for the Thursday, March 23rd NBA slate, we have you covered in every way possible. As always, we’ll have best bets to give you some ideas of what to back when it comes to moneylines, spreads and totals. However, we’re tackling player props here, and we’re targeting Franz Wagner, Mikal Bridges and Dennis Smith Jr. tonight. Keep reading to find out how we’re betting on each of them.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on March 23
Here are our favorite NBA prop bets for Thursday, March 23 (odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook):
New York Knicks (-3.5, 228.5) at Orlando Magic
The Knicks are on the second night of a back-to-back, with the team having lost to the Miami Heat last night. With that said, New York could come out with some tired legs against Orlando. And one of the weakest spots for the Knicks defensively is on the wing, where RJ Barrett’s focus has come and gone this season. All that benefits Magic forward Franz Wagner, who could be in for a nice game as a scorer in this one.
Wagner comes into this game after having scored at least 20 points in each of his last three games. Wagner has also scored 20 or more in eight of his last 14 games, so he has been in a nice little groove offensively. On top of that, this is a home game for the Magic, and Wagner has been a lot better when playing in Orlando this year. This season, Wagner is averaging 20.1 points per game at home, compared to 17.4 points per game on the road. He also happens to have absurd shooting splits at the Amway Center, as he’s shooting 51.7% from the floor, 37.7% from 3 and 87.0% from the line in that building.
This game might not be a shootout or anything, but a total of 228.5 isn’t exactly low. With that said, the pace of this one shouldn’t prevent Wagner from staying hot. And according to our Daily Prop Analyzer, Wagner has gone over the 18.5-point mark in 41 of the 72 games he has played this season.
Bet: Wagner Over 18.5 Points (-110)
Cleveland Cavaliers (-4, 219) at Brooklyn Nets
Not only is Mikal Bridges averaging 4.4 rebounds per game this season, but he’s averaging 4.5 rebounds per game since arriving in Brooklyn — after averaging only 4.3 rebounds per game with Phoenix. With his rebounding being up, it seems very generous that you only need four boards out of him in order to cash his rebound total tonight.
This Cavaliers team is amongst the best in the league when it comes to cleaning the glass, but Bridges still had four rebounds when they met one another on Tuesday. And according to our Daily Prop Analyzer, Bridges has had at least four rebounds in 45 of the 73 games he has started this season. Bridges has also had at least four rebounds in 11 of the 17 games he has played with the Nets.
Overall, not much really needs to be said about this one. We’re just taking the over on a number that is simply too low.
Bet: Bridges Over 3.5 Rebounds (-145)
Charlotte Hornets at New Orleans Pelicans (-9, 225.5)
Since LaMelo Ball went down with a season-ending ankle injury, the Hornets have had more minutes for Dennis Smith Jr. While Smith Jr. entered the league with a reputation for being an offensive-minded player, he has really become a pest on the other end of the floor. So, with his increase in minutes, he’s a player that could be profitable for bettors with his defensive counting stats the rest of the way.
Smith Jr. has had at least two steals in three of his last four games, and he now has five multi-steal games in the month of March alone. Now, the 25-year-old gets to face a Pelicans team that averages more turnovers per game than all but eight teams in the league this year. The Pelicans also have the 10th-worst turnover rate in basketball this season.
The key in this game is for Smith Jr. to get at least 25 minutes of action. If he does, it’s hard to see him not at least having a good shot at this, which makes it a great value play at these +140 odds. Smith Jr. has played at least 25 minutes in four consecutive games, so it’s not unreasonable to think he will.
Bet: Smith Jr. Over 1.5 Steals (+140)
Did you know that you can parlay these three picks together at +674 odds? Try out our VSiN Parlay Calculator HERE!
