NBA Player Props and Best Bets for Wednesday, May 22

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The Boston Celtics took a 1-0 lead against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, but not before the Pacers took their chunk of flesh. 

Jaylen Brown’s three-pointer with six seconds left sent the game into overtime, leaving Jayson Tatum to take over and drive home the first victory of the playoffs.

Here are our favorite NBA player prop picks for the playoffs on Wednesday.

Odds for today's NBA Prop Bets are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook where new users can get $150 in bonus bets when wagering $5.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, May 22

Derrick Jones Jr. Over 3.5 Rebounds (+112 at FanDuel)

The later stages of the playoffs are not necessarily about the best star players and which of them performs at the highest level. Stars will win games, but role players win series, and players such as Jones Jr. will be the deciding factor in whether the Dallas Mavericks or the Minnesota Timberwolves advance to the NBA Finals.

Jones Jr. has been just about 50/50 at this line but just played a playoff-high 40 minutes in the closeout Game Six against the Oklahoma City Thunder and should play heavy minutes in this series. The Wolves are also likely to have Mike Conley guarding him because of Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels cross-matching with Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, which should give him a better chance of grabbing offensive rebounds.

Bet on Derrick Jones Jr. Props at FanDuel

Kyrie Irving Over 21.5 Points (-108at FanDuel)

The conference semifinals was one of Irving’s worst playoff series ever. He shot an efficient 42.3 percent from three-point land and was great in a couple of fourth quarters but still averaged just 15.7 points and ever scored more than 22 points in a game. He also had as many 22-point outings as he did nine-point games (two).

Irving was spectacular in the first round and is going to need to be at his best for the Mavericks to be able to unlock the league-leading Timberwolves defense.  His track record and history as a clutch performer suggest that he will do just that, and we’re willing to back him in Game One.

Bet on Kyrie Irving Props at FanDuel

Luka Doncic Over 8.5 Assists (-113 at FanDuel)

The Timberwolves are one of the very few teams in the world that can play every player on every team straight up if they choose. While that sounds like it could create more shot opportunities for Doncic, it may actually lead to him being a solid bet for assists since his teammates could struggle to create their own looks.

The Slovenian superstar recorded double-digit assists in the final three games against OKC and went over this line in nine of 12 playoff games. His ability to get his teammates involved and set them up with easy looks will be paramount to Dallas’ bottom line in this series.

Bet on Luka Doncic Props at FanDuel

Nickeil Alexander-Walker Over 1.5 Threes (+100 at FanDuel)

Alexander-Walker was horrific in the final game of the conference semis against the Denver Nuggets but averaged 25.1 minutes for the series and regularly emerged as an important contributor. He played excellent defense, handled the ball, and made at least three threes in three games in the series.

Alexander-Walker is only shooting 32.3 percent from three in the playoffs but is taking six attempts per game and will get plenty of open looks with Dallas’ defensive focus. He should also have a longer leash than he did in the final games of the last series and could easily play 25-30 minutes on Wednesday.

Bet on Alexander-Walker Props at FanDuel

Naz Reid Over 9.5 Points (-120 at FanDuel)

The hero of Game Seven and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Reid gets buckets in a hurry. His minutes fell in the playoffs when many expected them to rise, but he still found a way to go over this total in seven of 11 playoff games (including five of seven against the Nuggets).

The Mavericks have a great two-man rotation of bigs with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, but Reid’s ability to score at all three levels will prove difficult for Dallas to slow down. Doncic and Irving could also force Minnesota to play the more versatile Reid more minutes if they can exploit Rudy Gobert in space.

Bet on Naz Reid Props at FanDuel

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