Best Bets on Today’s NBA Player Props Market
If you’re looking for some plays for the NBA Playoffs action on Tuesday, May 16th, 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 Austin Reaves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets tonight. Keep reading to find out how we’re betting on them. Also, check out our NBA Playoffs Hub for all of our postseason NBA content.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on May 16
Here are our favorite NBA prop bets for Tuesday, May 16:
Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets (-6, 222.5) – Game 1
If there was one key takeaway in watching Denver go to work defensively against the Phoenix Suns, it’s that the Nuggets weren’t going to let Devin Booker and Kevin Durant get anything easy. Of course, Booker did have some big games in the series, but he was making shots over some difficult coverages. And with Durant especially, Denver was quick to send some extra bodies his way to try and make him uncomfortable — which resulted in a lot of turnovers. That often meant leaving some of Phoenix’s role players open in space and living with the consequences. And the Suns’ supporting cast wasn’t able to make the Nuggets pay.
The Lakers are a lot deeper than the Suns, so it’s hard to say that Denver will treat Los Angeles exactly like it did Phoenix. However, it’s hard to envision the Nuggets not trying to load up on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, at least in Game 1. The worst thing Denver can do is allow LeBron to ease his way into this series and start picking the defense apart with his ability to use his big frame to score. That’ll open too many things up for the Lakers offensively.
If the Nuggets to throw some complicated coverages at LeBron, that should benefit Austin Reaves greatly. The 24-year-old has proven that he can knock down triples at a high clip, as he shot 39.8% from deep during the regular season — and he’s right there at 39.7% during the postseason. Reaves was especially lethal in the series against the Golden State Warriors, as he hit at least three 3s in each of the final three games in that series.
The reality is that Reaves is likely to find the ball in great spot-up situations as long as he is sharing the floor with LeBron. So, Reaves is going to be a good bet to go over his 3-point total on most nights in this series. And that will only be truer if the Nuggets opt to stick Aaron Gordon on Davis. The idea of hiding Jokic on one of Los Angeles’ weaker offensive options works in theory, but LeBron knows how to seek out bad defenders. So, he’ll find a way to put Jokic in tough situations defensively, and that’ll also have the Nuggets scrambling a lot.
It should also be noted that Reaves made at least two 3s in each of the three games he played against Denver during the regular season. One of those games happened to be played at Ball Arena, too. That means that Reaves has already shown that he can make shots in this building, which isn’t a given for everybody considering the altitude.
With all of that in mind, it’s hard not to love the over on Reaves’ 3-point total in Game 1. And we’d suggest keeping an eye on how many he attempts here. If he shoots at least five 3s in Game 1, you’re going to want to go right back to this in Game 2 whether he hits them or not.
Bet: Reaves Over 1.5 Made 3s (-130)
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Lakers vs. Nuggets Western Conference Finals Series Preview
