NBA Player Props and Best Bets: Butler, Morant to Star in Play-In Tournament, Plus an SGP

The NBA Play-In Tournament will begin on Tuesday night, marking the beginning of the highly-anticipated postseason and ensuing playoffs.

The Orlando Magic will kick-off the evening affairs by hosting the Atlanta Hawks, while the Memphis Grizzlies will visit the Golden State Warriors for the late game. The Grizz knocked the Dubs out of the Play-In in 2021, the first year of its existence, and the Hawks lost in the 9/10 Play-In Game last year.

Read our in-depth predictions for Hawks vs Magic and Grizzlies vs Warriors.

The winners of tonight’s games will secure the seventh seed in their respective conferences, leaving one spot on each side of the bracket open.

Here are my best bets and favorite picks for the NBA Play-In Tournament on Tuesday.

Odds for today's NBA prop bets are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Place a $5 wager at FanDuel Sportsbook and receive $250 in bonus bets if your bet wins.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, April 15

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Over 9.5 Points (+100) at FanDuel

Caldwell-Pope only scored two points in his last two contests, he played just 12 total minutes in those games in preparation for the postseason. He went over in four straight games immediately before that and is the Orlando Magic’s most experienced playoff veteran and should play a ton of minutes tonight.

The Atlanta Hawks allowed the fourth-most points per game and will allocate their best defensive resources to slowing down Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Caldwell-Pope might not be the difference between winning and losing a series, but he’s in a strong spot to go over.

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Caris LeVert Under 1.5 Threes (-125) at FanDuel

LeVert, who was traded in the middle of the season by the Cleveland Cavaliers, went under in eight of his last 12 games and made 1.8 threes per game on 33.8 percent shooting with the Hawks. The Magic also allowed the fewest made threes per game, although LeVert managed to go over in three of four meetings this season.

The playoffs mean shorter rotations, and LeVert could lose some of his usual minutes. The Magic finished the year playing great defense and know LeVert well after they played the Cavaliers in the first round of the last playoffs, and I believe they will shut him down on Tuesday.

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Onyeka Okongwu Over 10.5 Rebounds (-120) at FanDuel

Big O should have a near-monopoly on the center minutes in the postseason since Clint Capela is out with an injury. He also went over in four of his last six games and had 14 rebounds when the Hawks played the Magic exactly one week ago, which bodes well for his chances in this matchup.

The Magic are a great rebounding team and allowed the third-fewest boards per game, but they also shot the fourth-worst percentage from the field, which means that there will be an abundance of rebounding opportunities. Okongwu has been in the playoffs and Play-In before and will be counted on to step up.

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Jimmy Butler Over 22.5 Points (-106) at FanDuel

Potentially my favorite betting pick of the first day of the NBA Play-In Tournament, Butler scored 30 points in his last contest and went over in three straight games. He now faces a Memphis Grizzlies team that allowed the second-most free-throw attempts per game as someone who is adept at getting to the line.

Butler had 27 points on 63.6 percent shooting when the Golden State Warriors played the Grizzlies exactly two weeks ago. He’s dealing with a thigh contusion, but he’s consistently proved his ability to raise his game in the playoffs, and I wouldn’t count on him changing his course.

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Scotty Pippen Jr. Under 3.5 Rebounds (-138) at FanDuel

Pippen Jr. is clearly a part of the Grizzlies' top rotation, but he should also play fewer minutes than he normally does due to the impending shrink in rotation. He also went under in three straight games and in seven of his last eight even while playing his full amount of usual minutes.

The Warriors are a great offensive rebounding team and were right in the middle of the league in rebounds allowed per game. This is a situation in which I trust their playoff experience to show up and for Pippen Jr. to be on a short leash, leading to him cashing the under. 

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NBA Same-Game Parlay (+682) at FanDuel

-Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors (-7)

•  Ja Morant 30+ points: Scored 30+ points in three of his last five games, had 36 points the last time he faced the Warriors, and will play heavy minutes and take tons of shots.

• Stephen Curry over 5.5 assists (-136): Averaged more than this line in all but one of his playoff runs, went over in seven of his last 10 games, had eight assists the last time he played the Grizzlies.

• Zach Edey under 10.5 rebounds (+100): Has trended over recently, but could become a victim of being targeted by the Warriors’ ball-handlers and get played off the floor.

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