3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Tuesday 4/16/24

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy basketball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Using FanDuel Research's daily basketball projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- as a guide, here are some NBA player prop bets that look appealing via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note: lines and projections are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

NBA Prop Bets

Austin Reaves Over 18.5 Pts + Ast (-118)

The NBA Play-In Tournament will kick off with a matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.

This game features a 224.5 over/under, and New Orleans is favored by 1.5 points. If you're looking to get in on the action via player props, I think you should be keyed in on Austin Reaves' combined points and assists (PA).

Reaves averaged 21.4 PA this season. He surpassed 18.5 PA in 67.0% of his games (55 out of 82) this season, but these -118 odds suggest just a 54.1% probability. Further, Reaves managed to crack 18.5 PA in 14 of his final 19 games where he played more than 25 minutes, so the trend could be our friend.

I think Reaves is an awesome target given the importance of this game. New Orleans will look to tame Anthony Davis and LeBron James, which could leave Reaves with a heavier burden and easier defensive matchup.

He factored in big during last year's postseason, averaging 21.5 PA through 16 games. He cleared this 18.5 PA mark in 11 out of those 16 games.

The Pelicans let up the sixth-most three-point makes (3PM) per game during the regular season while Reaves nets 35.5% of his points from behind the arc.

In four contests against New Orleans this year, Reaves averaged a whopping 26.5 PA and exceeded 18.5 PA in every game.

I'm quite bullish on this prop, and FanDuel Research's projections concur that Reaves is in a great spot. They forecast him to record 19.8 PA in this one.

Stephen Curry Over 34.5 Pts + Reb (-102)

Tonight's second play-in game will come between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, a rematch of last year's riveting first-round playoff series.

It's hard to imagine that this Warriors dynasty is now in a win-or-go-home spot before the playoffs have even begun, but I'd expect Stephen Curry to do everything in his power to help his team advance.

Curry averaged just 30.9 combined points and rebounds (PR) this season, but given his matchup and the game environment, I have no problem justifying the over on his PR prop.

For starters, Curry has historically eviscerated this iteration of the Kings -- and for good reason.

Sacramento let up the 12th-most 3PM per game this season and allowed opponents to shoot the three-ball at the second-best clip. We know Curry shoots threes at will, so I'm excited to see his potential against a poor three-point defense.

The Kings also gave up the fifth-most rebounds to point guards this season.

This allowed Curry to average 37.3 PR in four games against the Kings this season, and if we look back to last year's playoff series between these two teams, Curry averaged 38.6 PR through seven games.

While playoff-like games typically take on a slower-than-normal pace, I'm expecting this one to be a barnburner. Neither of these teams finished the regular season in the top 13 of defensive rating but both teams ranked in the top 14 of pace. This matchup and these games are Curry's bread and butter, so I expect tonight to be no different.

Domantas Sabonis Over 13.5 Rebounds (-102)

Over on Sacramento's side, Domantas Sabonis' rebound prop could be a worthy target.

Sabonis averaged 13.7 rebounds per game during the regular season, marking the second straight year where he led the league in boards.

He should have no problem collecting boards against a Warriors team that let up the fourth-most rebounds to his position this season.

Sabonis recorded over 13.5 rebounds in 50.8% of games where he played at least 34 minutes, so these -102 odds (50.5% implied probability) seem fair.

But, our projections are expecting Sabonis to play a towering 40.38 minutes (slate-high) in this ultra-important game.

This season, Sabonis logged at least 40 minutes in 13 games. He averaged 14.46 rebounds in this split.

Further, he averages 0.38 rebounds per minute. This means that, in theory, Sabonis would grab 15.34 boards off 40.38 minutes of play.

Our projections expect him to near that number, anticipating Sabonis to grab 14.8 rebounds against the Warriors.

Get in on the action today! All customers get a No Sweat Same Game Parlay to use on any NBA Play-In Tournament game on April 16th! See the promotions page for full details.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.