3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Wednesday 4/17/24

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

Jimmy Butler Over 28.5 Pts + Reb (-118)

Today's first NBA Play-In Tournament game features a matchup between the Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers.

With an official playoff spot on the line, who better to target than Jimmy Butler?

Butler has made an even bigger name for himself with his clutch play, particularly in the playoffs. Last season, he averaged 33.4 combined points and rebounds (PR) through 22 postseason games. The season prior, he averaged 34.8 PR through 17 playoff games.

While Butler has proved time and again that he can show up when it matters most, that isn't the only reason to like this prop.

This season, the Sixers gave up the 11th-most points and the ninth-most rebounds to forwards each game. They also let up the third-most free-throw attempts (FTA) to this position, as well as the sixth-most FTA overall.

Butler is one of the best in the business at getting to the foul line. He nets 31.7% of his points from behind the charity stripe and averages the fourth-most (tied) FTA in the league.

The Sixers could prove as a friendly foe for Butler, who should see more court time than most other players on tonight's slate. Not only has starting guard Terry Rozier been ruled out, but Miami is coming into this one as 5.5-point dogs.

They'll need a huge game from Butler in order to win, and FanDuel Research's projections expect him to log 39.46 minutes.

Butler is averaging 0.77 PR per minute, meaning 39.46 minutes would theoretically translate to a 30.38 PR night. Our projections have him set to go a tad above that number, forecasting Butler to record 30.6 PR this evening.

Trae Young 4+ Made Threes (+190)

The second play-in game on tonight's slate pits the Chicago Bulls against the Atlanta Hawks.

Trae Young has been back for just three games since missing nearly two months of basketball due to an injury, but he has a chance to shine from behind the arc in what could be Atlanta's final game of the season.

Young is averaging 3.2 three-point makes (3PM) per game off of 36.0 minutes. Our projections expect him to log 37.05 minutes this evening.

If we check out games where Young played at least 34 minutes, he is draining at least four three-pointers at a 40.5% rate. These +190 odds, meanwhile, suggest just a 34.5% probability.

There is certainly some value with this prop, especially when considering Young's matchup.

The Bulls own arguably the worst three-point defense in the league. This season, they let up the most three-point attempts (3PA) and the second-most 3PM per game.

In seven games where Young went up against a team that ranked in the top five of 3PM allowed, he averaged 3.6 3PM off 9.3 3PA.

Chicago gives up the fifth-most 3PM to point guards. Young has played in seven games against teams that rank in the top 6 of 3PM allowed to his position. He was a total flamethrower in this split, averaging 4.6 3PM off 10.6 3PA.

In a leave-it-all-out-there game that provides Young with an easy three-point matchup, I'd expect him to fire off plenty of attempts from downtown.

Nikola Vucevic Over 11.5 Rebounds (-125)

Let's turn to Chicago's side and look for Nikola Vucevic to control the boards.

Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Saddiq Bey are all out for Atlanta, forcing a once big team to transition to a version of small ball.

Clint Capela is still around for the Hawks, but when Vucevic took on a Bey and Okongwu-less Hawks team earlier this month, he managed to grab 14 rebounds in just 31 minutes.

This season, Atlanta allowed opposing centers the ninth-most rebounds per game. The Hawks also finished the regular season playing at the league's sixth-fastest pace, while the Bulls played at the third-slowest pace.

Vucevic's numbers have benefited from pace-up games. In 14 contests against teams that rank in the top six of pace, he averaged 12.2 rebounds and exceeded 11.5 rebounds in 10 out of 14 of those games.

While a fast pace might not factor in as much given the circumstances of this sudden-death game, these teams are on the opposite spectrums of tempo, so I'd expect more total game possessions than usual for Chicago.

Vucevic is projected to play 39.8 minutes (third-most on the slate) tonight, which, based on his 0.31 rebounds per minute average, would result in 12.3 rebounds.

Our projections have their sights set even higher, anticipating Vucevic to grab 13.1 rebounds in this one.

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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.