NBA Betting Picks: Friday Prop Prediction | Killian Hayes O/U 11.5 Points

Happy Friday to all! Tonight’s eight-game slate kicks off the final weekend of the NBA betting regular season. The Play-In Tournament and postseason are bound to present us with other opportunities in the NBA player props space. Nonetheless, taking advantage of the final regular-season games is certainly advised. Friday’s featured NBA betting picks include props for Killian Hayes, Aleksej Pokusevski and Dorian Finney-Smith.

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Yesterday’s NBA Player Props Recap

We had yet another profitable venture on Thursday, once again connecting on two of our three featured NBA player props. Khem Birch did indeed exceed 12.5 points for the shorthanded Raptors, while Enes Kanter just stayed under 8.5 rebounds. Had Gary Harris seen more than 20 minutes, there’s no doubt we could’ve gotten one more assist from him to go over 2.5. Even though that NBA prediction failed to materialize, it was still a solid day overall. On to Friday’s picks, and the weekend!

NBA Betting Prediction: NBA Player Props | May 14

Killian Hayes (DET) Over 11.5 Points

When it comes to teams that have embraced tanking for a better draft pick down the stretch, the Pistons are certainly at the top of the list. More players are seemingly on the injury report and ruled out for tonight’s game against the Denver Nuggets than suiting up. At point guard, Detroit will only have rookie No. 7 overall pick Hayes and backup Saban Lee available on Friday. As one can imagine, this bodes well for an NBA betting play on over 11.5 points for Hayes.

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Of course, Hayes has seemingly missed a lot more of the 2020-21 season than he’s played. The rookie has been picking up the pace of late, though. With more and more teammates hitting the pine, Hayes has benefitted from increased minutes on a regular basis along with a much more active role in the team’s offense. He has exceeded the NBA player props total of 11.5 points while playing 36-plus minutes in each of the last two games. Although the Nuggets are one of the better scoring defenses in the league, the Pistons don’t have many other places for scoring production to come from at this point. Hayes should see enough shot attempts to hit the over here.

Aleksej Pokusevski (OKC) Under 11.5 Points

When it comes to efficient shooting, Pokusevski is basically the exact opposite. The Thunder small forward brings some positive attributes to the table for sure, but in order for him to score a lot, he has to take a ton of shots. On the season, the 19-year-old Serbian is averaging 7.7 points per game in 23.7 minutes. While he is bound to play more than that on Friday, it’s still hard to envision him going over the NBA betting picks line of 11.5 points. The Awesemo NBA Player Props Tool is all in on taking the under on this prop, and for good reason at that.

Aleksej Pokusevski NBA betting NBA player props

Concerning the tanking Thunder roster, Pokusevski has taken somewhat of a back seat as fellow forwards Darius Bazley and Isaiah Roby have returned to the lineup in recent weeks. Although Oklahoma City will be without Luguentz Dort on Friday, he also did not play in either of the team’s last two games against the Sacramento Kings. Pokusevski only managed point totals of 13 and 10 in 26 and 32 minutes respectively in those two games. And that came against a bottom-three scoring defense. The outlook can only be worse for Friday’s matchup against a Utah Jazz defense that ranks top-three in the NBA. Unless he drastically exceeds his 33.2% shooting from the season, Pokusevski will land under the number.

Dorian Finney-Smith (DAL) Over 4.5 Rebounds

As the image from Awesemo OddsShopper Tool above shows, the NBA betting market is divided on what the rebounds prop line should be for Finney-Smith tonight. Honestly, for a player averaging over 32 minutes per game, Finney-Smith’s numbers aren’t overly impressive. The Mavericks forward has put up just 9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists on the season. That rebounding average is worth noting though, especially considering where the majority of the NBA player props market has tonight’s total.

Although significant juice is required to bet the over on 4.5 total rebounds, this appears to be a wager that is well worth it. Finney-Smith has outperformed that line by a whole rebound this season. He has also exceeded it in seven of the Mavericks’ last ten games. On top of all that, Dallas takes on a Toronto Raptors team that is not only in tank mode, but also ranks dead last in the NBA in team rebounding on the season. Finney-Smith should be able to take advantage and grab at least five boards. Bettors feeling especially daring could also opt to play over 5.5 for a greater return.

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