NBA Betting Picks: Monday Playoff Prop | Carmelo Anthony 2.5 Rebounds

The first weekend of the NBA playoffs delivered in just about every way possible. From upsets to buzzer-beaters and even a few on-court scuffles, the past 48 hours have had it all. Monday night’s slate is a smaller one with just two games scheduled. Nonetheless, there are always advantages to be found when it comes to NBA player props odds.

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Saturday’s NBA Player Props Recap

We kicked off the playoffs in style on the NBA betting front. Saturday’s column featured five total picks, and we nearly swept the board. Had Jeff Green just been able to knock down one more 3-pointer, it would have been a perfect Saturday. All other tickets cashed, including Khris Middleton over 20.5 points, Paul George over 4.5 assists, Jalen Brunson under 2.5 rebounds and Facundo Campazzo under 5.5 assists. While success is always nice, NBA betting is a grind for the long haul. With today marking the start of a new week, it’s time to turn the page and dial-up some Monday NBA player props.

Tonight’s Best NBA Player Props, Odds, Picks & Predictions

Goran Dragic Over 3.5 Assists

The script was flipped in a way for the Heat during Game 1 of their NBA playoffs series against the Milwaukee Bucks. With Jimmy Butler struggling mightily shooting the basketball, Miami’s supporting cast took on a bigger role in the scoring department. Dragic and Duncan Robinson were the two who stepped up most, scoring 25 and 24 points, respectively. While it was a remarkable performance from Dragic, one game doesn’t change the fact that he is the best distributor on the team. As a result, playing over 3.5 assists for Dragic in tonight’s game is a worthwhile NBA betting play.

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On the season, Dragic averaged 4.4 assists per game. Keep in mind that this was in 26.7 minutes of game action. Erik Spoelstra played Dragic 35 minutes in Saturday’s overtime defeat and will undoubtedly continue to lean on him throughout the series. Butler deserves all kinds of credit for finding other ways to impact Game 1, as he shot just 4-for-22 from the floor. Such a line is unlikely to occur again though and certainly not for a second consecutive game. Dragic probably won’t score 25 points again either, and he certainly won’t hand out just one assist. Game 1 was a statistical anomaly in so many ways for the Heat. Take advantage of this and any other off-kilter NBA player props betting lines tonight.

Bobby Portis Under 8.5 Points

Portis exceeded expectations throughout much of the NBA betting regular season. In case anyone needs a reminder, the NBA playoffs are far from the regular season. The Bucks are going to play their best players the vast majority of minutes, and that was made clear in Game 1. In a game that had an extra five minutes thanks to overtime, Brook Lopez was on the court for 36 of them compared to just 17 for Portis. Not only is Lopez the better player, but he also matches up far more effectively with Bam Adebayo.

Bobby Portis NBA betting NBA player props

When considering Milwaukee’s rotation scenario, it’s no wonder that the Awesemo NBA Player Props Tool is recommending playing under 8.5 points for Portis tonight. Although Portis has shown an ability to net double-digit points in 20 minutes or less, the defensive intensity is at a whole different level in the playoffs. The fact that the Heat are a top-five scoring defense for the season also doesn’t help matters. Portis only finished with 8 points in Game 1 on Saturday, and he had to shoot 4-for-6 from the field just to score that many. The Bucks aren’t going to be looking to Portis as a primary scorer at any point in the postseason. The under is a solid NBA betting move here.

Carmelo Anthony Under 2.5 Rebounds

The late game on Monday features Carmelo Anthony and the Trail Blazers taking on the Nuggets in Game 2 of their Western Conference series. Although the NBA betting line of 2.5 total rebounds doesn’t seem like a high bar for Anthony to eclipse, the plus-money odds on the under are worthy of attention. Given how things have been trending recently for Anthony in terms of playing time, there’s a real case to be made to go against the grain on this NBA player props offering.

First and foremost, Anthony hasn’t changed in that his primary ability is as a scorer. He shot 50% and had 18 points in the Blazers’ Game 1 win, but the stat sheet was fairly empty otherwise. Although the three rebounds he grabbed would have put him over tonight’s NBA betting line, there’s still reason to fade a repeat of this at the available price. Anthony saw just 22 minutes in Game 1, and it would be surprising to see that number jump up drastically tonight. With bigs Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter both being stellar rebounders, it’s also not like Anthony is expected to prioritize rebounding when he is on the floor. He averaged just 3.1 boards per game on the season, and that was with Nurkic out of the lineup for several weeks. There’s enough here to take a shot on these profitable odds.

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