NBA Wednesday player props: Fade Gobert, Westbrook
We finished 2-3 with our prop picks Tuesday, moving our record to 4-5 for the week.
Wednesday's card features six games, so let's get back on track with four solid plays.
Here's what we're rolling with.
Rudy Gobert under 14.5 points
The Trail Blazers aren't going to lead the NBA in any defensive statistics over a season-long span. However, across a smaller sample, you can find lightning in a bottle.
For example, they've been untouchable in the front court of late.
Over its last seven contests, Portland's the only team allowing centers to shoot worse than 40%. Additionally, the Blazers are giving up the fewest points per game (14.7) to that position during that stretch.
Top-5 shooting percentages allowed to centers (last 7)
| Team | FG% |
|---|---|
| Trail Blazers | 39.7% |
| Bucks | 41.9% |
| Grizzlies | 45.6% |
| Warriors | 47.6% |
| Mavericks | 50.6% |
Gobert put up 16.1 points per game in March, but he's cooled off since. His average dipped to 13.5 in April, and he enters Tuesday with 14 points or fewer in seven of his last eight contests.
Clint Capela over 15.5 rebounds
This is too good a matchup to pass up.
Capela posted a whopping 22 boards against the Wizards on Monday, which shouldn't surprise anyone - Washington gives up the fourth-most rebounds in the NBA to centers (16.1 per game), as well as the fifth-most offensive boards per contest (10.3).
Additionally, Capela's the league leader in rebounds per game (14.4) and has averaged 14.8 in his last five matchups against the Wizards. This is an easy "over" play.
Russell Westbrook under 1.5 made threes
If I've said it once, I've said it a billion times: The Wizards' offense is allergic to the perimeter. Washington's 32.1% 3-point mark is the second-lowest rate in basketball this season, and the team is shooting a league-low 25.4% clip from three over its last 15 games.
Westbrook's filling the stat sheet at a torrid pace lately, but he's only sinking 3-pointers at a 31.2% rate in 2020-21. He's averaging just four attempts per game and has been held to no more than one make in 15 of his last 20 outings.
The Hawks rank No. 8 in the NBA in threes allowed per contest (11.8) this campaign. Across their last 15 games, they're giving up just 2.6 made threes to point guards, the seventh-best clip in basketball during that span.
Lonnie Walker under 13.5 points
Walker's surpassed this total in three straight contests and draws a Nets defense on the second night of a back-to-back, but this is a sneaky-good spot to fade the third-year Spur.
Although he's shot 50% or better from the floor over the aforementioned three-game span, Walker's below league average in both effective field-goal percentage (51.1%) and true shooting percentage (52.3%). Brooklyn's been tough on shooting guards - the team's 39.9% field-goal percentage allowed to the position over its last 30 contests is the second-lowest clip in the NBA during that stretch.
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.