NBA Wednesday player props: Zach LaVine's heating up
We turned in a great night Tuesday, cashing three of our four player prop bets. The lone loser was on Nikola Jokic under 1.5 made threes, and all the Nuggets' big man did was record 43 points on 16-of-23 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. That'll happen sometimes.
Let's keep the momentum rolling into Wednesday. Here are my favorite prop bets on the board.
Zach LaVine over 28.5 points
LaVine might be the best player nobody's talking about this season.
The Bulls point guard is up to a career-high 28.2 points per game. He's No. 17 in the league in offensive box plus/minus (4.7), which ranks higher than the likes of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Anthony Davis, and Jayson Tatum.
LaVine's scored at least 26 points and taken 21 shots or more in five straight games. This is a pretty solid matchup against the Pistons, who allow the seventh-highest field goal percentage to point guards.
Draymond Green under 22.5 points+rebounds+assists
Green's racked up some stats by default playing the Warriors' point-forward position, but I'm fading him against the Heat.
He isn't much of a threat in the scoring department, as he's put up more than seven field goals just once over his last 11 games. Green, who typically does a lot for the Dubs, has the 17th-lowest usage rate in the entire NBA in 2020-21.
Seth Curry over 2.5 made threes
I'd bet on Curry to bust his slump when the 76ers take on the Rockets. The veteran sharpshooter is knocking down 47.9% of his attempts from downtown this season but went a combined 2-of-9 over his last two games. Houston allows the fourth-most three-point makes (3.90) and sixth-highest field goal percentage to shooting guards (46.3%). This is a nice plus-money play.
Doug McDermott over points
If McDermott returns from a knee injury, go over on his point total.
The Pacers are laying 5.5, the total is 227.5, and guess who would have the best offensive matchup on the court for the favorites? McDermott, who draws the assignment of Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards. Only three NBA players have a worse defensive box plus/minus this season than the 2020 No. 1 overall pick.
McDermott's starting to find his comfort zone for seemingly the first time in his career. He's already set personal bests in starts (seven), points per game (13.3), and field goal percentage (51.5%) so far this year.
The 29-year-old has put up double-digit shot attempts in four straight contests. He's off a 26-point effort against the Hawks in his last outing and could keep filling the stat sheet if he's back in the fold.
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.