NBA Player Props and Best Bets for Thursday, May 23

The Dallas Mavericks won just their second Game One in any playoff series in Luka Doncic’s career as they took down the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-105. Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 63 points, while Anthony Edwards was held to 19 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.

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

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 Thursday, May 23

T.J. McConnell Over 4.5 Assists (+110) at FanDuel

McConnell brings energy off the bench to every game. He was only one assist off this line in the Indiana Pacers’ Game One loss to the Boston Celtics and still hit the over in three of his last five games and averaged 5.2 assists for the playoffs as a whole. 

The Celtics appear content with turning this series into a track meet, based on their approach in Game One. Not only does that create more possessions and more potential assists, but it fits McConnell’s style of play of getting downhill, attacking the lane, and opening up driving or shooting opportunities for his teammates. He also averaged more than this number in the regular season and across all head-to-head matchups with Boston.

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Jayson Tatum Under 2.5 Threes (+126) at FanDuel

Will Tatum ever hit his three-point over again? Many are asking. The 26-year-old star has one over and 10 unders in the playoff thus far, as he plummeted to 1.8 threes per game and 27.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc compared to 3.1 on 37.6 percent during the regular season.

The Pacers allowed the fewest three-point attempts and makes per game during the regular season despite their frenetic pace of play. They allowed the Celtics to take 45 threes in Game One, well beyond their usual amount allowed, but they held them to 33.3 percent shooting and are going to take energy out of the Boston players’ legs with their tempo.

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Tyrese Haliburton Under 3.5 Threes (-130) at FanDuel

Haliburton was the hero and the villain of Game One. He went 6-14 from beyond the arc but also committed several costly turnovers late in the game that ultimately allowed Boston to come from behind and to avoid an embarrassing upset loss on their home floor to start the series.

Haliburton’s recent surge brought him to 3.6 threes per game on 38.1 percent in the playoffs. That said, he went under in three or four meetings with the Celtics and still split the over/under across his last four games. Boston also has a ton of bodies they can throw at him and will adjust their defensive game plan after his strong Game One.

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Al Horford Under 7.5 Rebounds (-136) at FanDuel

Horford deserves credit for being the oldest player in the playoffs and still starting games,  but he did not play well in Game One. His 15 points, six rebounds, and three blocks were offset by his 3-12 shooting from three-point territory and his weakness as a solo defender in space when targeted by the Indy guards.

While Horford went under this line in four of his last five games, we think he could have an even harder time getting to the over with what we saw in Game One. His inability to defend the perimeter could cause him to lose minutes in the rotation, which means he’ll have fewer chances to get on the boards.

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Pascal Siakam Over 20.5 Points (-106) at FanDuel

The Pacers aren’t going to have much of a chance in this series if Siakam isn’t excellent. To his credit, he was just impressive in Game One, as he went for 24 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists—but he has to find a way to increase his scoring output even more against the championship favorites of Boston.

Siakam went over this line in three of his last four games and has the skill set to go at any defender the Celtics have guarding him. He just played 42 minutes and should be ready to shoulder the burden of heavy minutes in every game moving forward with a spot in the Finals on the line.

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