On the eve of the NBA playoffs, there are two great games to wrap up the play-in tournament. Tonight’s slate sees the Cleveland Cavaliers hosting the Atlanta Hawks, and the Los Angeles Clippers play host to the New Orleans Pelicans. Both games are sure to be highly entertaining, as there is a unique lose-and-go-home situation in the NBA. OddsShopper has up-to-the-minute odds for tonight’s games which range from game lines to NBA player props, so be sure to stay tuned throughout the day to lock in the best odds for the best NBA bets today.
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Best NBA Bets & Player Props Picks Today
Hawks vs. Cavaliers: Trae Young Player Prop Bets
In tonight’s first game, the Atlanta Hawks come into Cleveland off of an impressive win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Hawks scored 132 points on Wednesday and have seemed to find a groove offensively at just the right time. Tonight’s game features the road Hawks as 2-point favorites in a game with an over/under of 223 points. Although the lean in this game is to the Hawks, the value comes from the player prop market. The focus in this matchup is Trae Young and his assists prop, which is currently sitting at 11.5 with -130 odds to the under. Taking an under is not the most fun way to bet player props, but in this spot under 11.5 assists is hard to ignore. Young had dominant flashes in Wednesday’s win, and even though he played against one of the worst defenses in the league, he still only accounted for 11 assists.
The Cavaliers and Hornets are two completely different teams, and this game should have a slower pace, which probably will hold the Hawks to around the 110-point mark. In four games against the Cavaliers this season, Young is averaging nine assists per game, and in tonight’s matchup OddsShopper has him projected for 10.4. If the Cavaliers are able to control pace of play, Young may not have enough possessions to get to 12 assists. OddsShopper gives this prop a 65% chance of winning and a 13% ROI. After not surpassing this number all year against the Cavaliers, Young going under 11.5 assists is the play at -130 odds.
Pelicans vs. Clippers
The second play-in game of the night features the home Los Angeles Clippers playing host to the New Orleans Pelicans. This game currently has the Clippers as 4-point favorites, and the over/under is 215.5. The focus in this game is the over on 215.5 points. The Pelicans have seen a boost to their offense since adding C.J. McCollum, which has them averaging 116.7 points per game in that time. New Orleans has a strong offensive trio in McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas, and it has looked to push the pace of play in recent weeks. Although many people may have preconceived ideas about this Clippers offensively, they really turned it on at the end of the season. In the final eight games of the regular season, the Clippers averaged 123.5 points per game and have been efficient in almost every way. The team battled injuries throughout the season, but with Paul George and scoring threat Norman Powell both back and healthy, they should be able to put up points against this Pelicans team. OddsShopper has this game projected at 217.8 points. and it can get into the 220s. Although it is a winner-take-all game, be confident in the over in a matchup between these two offenses in their current form.
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