Welcome back, Kevin Durant! The 2013-14 MVP looks set to make his return from a left ankle sprain tonight in a 9:30 p.m. ET matchup against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City.
Durant has been once again injury-riddled, an unfortunate theme in the latter half of his Hall of Fame career. Unsurprisingly, he’s been brilliant when he’s played, averaging 25.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on career-best efficiency (44.9%) from three-point range.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Suns (-340) are huge favorites to beat the cellar-dwelling Jazz, with the point total set at 231.5. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Durant.
Best Kevin Durant Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Kevin Durant U28.5 Points + Rebounds (-115)
The problem with games between pretty good teams — like the 12-11 Suns — and pretty bad ones like the 5-18 Jazz is that there is an increased probability that the favorite blows the underdog out, leading to starters not getting their usual playing time. With a mostly healthy Phoenix unit, the possibility that Durant might be playing under a minutes restriction, and the higher chance that the game could get out of hand, I don’t like Durant to put up huge numbers, even against a Jazz defense that has allowed 118.7 points per game this season, the fourth-most of any team.
Durant might especially be hampered on the boards, where Utah excels. The Jazz have allowed opponents to snag just 41.7 rebounds per game, the fourth-fewest in basketball, and they grab 51.7% of all available rebounds, which also ranks fourth in the league. Although Durant’s 10.4% rebounding percentage is in line with his career averages, the Suns will also welcome back center Jusuf Nurkić, one of the league’s premier rebounders, tonight.
Kevin Durant O2.5 Three-Pointers Made (-105)
Even if he plays limited minutes, I do like Durant to put up numbers from beyond the arc. He has been ultra-efficient this season, shooting the 14th-best percentage from deep among players with at least 10 games played who fire at least three three-point attempts per game. Meanwhile, Utah has allowed players to launch 40.1 three-pointers per game, the second-highest rate in basketball. In particular, the Jazz allow more shots from 25-29 feet than any other team in the league, a shot that Durant hits at an unbelievable 43.6% clip.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
