Twelve teams have already sealed their postseason fates as the NBA season winds down. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder have each secured the top seed in their respective conferences. In addition, the Boston Celtics have solidified their spot as the second seed while the Knicks and Pacers have clinched a playoff opportunity. The Chicago Bulls are officially locked into a play-in seed for the third straight season while the Nets, 76ers, Hornets, Wizards, Jazz, and Pelicans have each been mathematically eliminated from play-in contention. With about seven games remaining on the schedule for each team, this final stretch will round out the rest of the standings.
Nine games of NBA action are set to take place tonight to help with this. Starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, three games will tip off. The Knicks will play the Cavaliers, the Kings will face the Wizards, and the Hornets will match up with the Pacers. A half-hour later, the Boston Celtics will host the Miami Heat.
At 8:00 p.m. ET, the Houston Rockets will take on the Utah Jazz. A half-hour after this the Atlanta Hawks will face the Dallas Mavericks. Games will continue to be spaced out in half-hour increments with the Spurs playing the Nuggets and the Pistons taking on the Thunder before the final matchup at 10:00 p.m. ET between the Clippers and Pelicans.
Keep a close eye on the injury reports as the grind of the season has taken a toll around the league. With plenty of NBA action ahead, here are my favorite prop bets for Wednesday’s slate.
Jordan Poole Over 16.5 Points (-125)
The Washington Wizards continue to limp to the finish line with seven games remaining and holding the second-worst record in the league. They will face off with a Sacramento Kings team that currently holds a 1.5-point lead over the Phoenix Suns for the 10th seed and final play-in slot. It has been a frustrating stretch for the Kings, but their goals are still in front of them. When diving into their problems, it is tough not to look directly toward the defensive side of the ball.
On the season overall, the Kings rank 21st in opponents points allowed, 22nd in opponents’ field goal percentage, and are dead last in opponents’ three-point percentage. Over their last 15 games, the Kings are just 4-11 and are 27th in opponents’ field goal percentage and dead last in opponents’ three-point percentage across this stretch. Domantas Sabonis’ injury issues have been a part of the problems, but he leaves plenty to be desired on the defensive side of the ball even under the best of circumstances when on the floor.
On the other side of this, the Wizards have not quite thrown in the towel on the season with their youthful core showing some encouraging level of play. Jordan Poole has been a part of this effort and is playing with a high level of confidence while shooting the ball with significant efficiency of late. On the season overall, Poole is averaging 20.5 points and has recorded over 16.5 points in 43 of the 65 games he has played. This includes six of his past seven games. Poole continues to have free reign in the offense and has made the most of this of late. Look for him to have success against the struggling defensive opponents and for Poole to record over 16.5 points again tonight.
Tyrese Haliburton Over 9.5 Assists (+100)
It was a rough start to the season for Tyrese Haliburton, but he has returned to his All-Star form in the second half of the year. Since the All-Star break, he is averaging 21.3 points and 11.3 assists after being limited to 17.8 points and 8.5 assists per game in the first half of the season. Haliburton is averaging 11.4 assists per game over his past 15 games and has recorded over 9.5 assists in 13 of these games.
Looking at the matchup, the Pacers will play the Charlotte Hornets today. They hold the third-worst record in the NBA at 19-56. Charlotte grades better defensively than you would expect, but points are still not overly difficult to come by and Haliburton will be at the epicenter of reaching these. He tallied eight and nine assists in the two previous matchups this year back in November and December and is playing at a much higher level at this stage of the year. He also has played better at home this season averaging 10.0 assists at home on the year and 12.4 assists per game over his past 11 home matchups.
Expect Haliburton to continue having his fingerprints over the Pacers’ production and take advantage of the struggling opponent tonight. He has looked like a different player of late compared to what was seen in the first half of the season and Indiana will need this to continue as they propel into the playoffs. Look for Haliburton to continue playing like one of the best playmakers in the NBA and record over 9.5 assists for the 14th time in the past 16 games.
Tobias Harris Under 15.5 Points (-105)
It has been an awesome renaissance for Tobias Harris this season in his second stint with the Detroit Pistons. The 32-year-old re-joined the organization as a part of their effort to flip the switch into win-now mode and this plan has worked out exactly as designed. Harris is averaging 13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game in his 32.1 minutes of action. He has tallied over 15.5 points in 29 of the 69 games he has played this season.
Cade Cunningham is listed as doubtful tonight with a calf injury and has missed the previous four games. Harris also missed two of these matchups but was limited to 14 and 15 points in the other two games. On the season as a whole, Harris is averaging just 12.5 points per game in the six games he has played without Cunningham.
On top of this, the Pistons will face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. The Western Conference leaders have held opponents to the second-fewest points per game this season and the worst field goal percentage and three-point percentage of any team in the league. Harris was held to 11 points in the previous matchup against the Thunder and will see more defensive attention without Cunningham in this game. Harris still deserves credit for having an overall successful season but take advantage of his point prop being increased without Cunningham and expect him to remain under 15.5 points for the 41st time this season.
Ben Simmons to Record 2+ Steals (+450)
To close out the jam-packed NBA slate we are getting bold. The Los Angeles Clippers will finish the night’s slate in a matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Clippers will enter as the biggest favorite on the day’s slate holding 17.5 points over the Pelicans. New Orleans holds the fourth-worst record in the league and recently announced Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum have been shut down for the season. This is on top of Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Dejounte Murray already being out for the year and Jordan Hawkins and Brandon Boston being ruled out tonight.
While the roster has been different on nearly a nightly basis, New Orleans has turned the ball over at the 19th-highest rate this season at 14.6 turnovers per game. This has increased since the season has fully gone off the rails Enter Ben Simmons who is looking to revitalize his NBA career out in Los Angeles. He will not be confused for the All-Star version of himself that once existed but has given the Clippers some nice spurts of play. Simmons is a defensive-minded player who is averaging 0.9 steals per game across his 13 games with the Clippers and has tallied one steal in eight of the 13 games as well as 23 of the 34 games he has played over 20 minutes this year.
The standard prop for Simmons steals is set at -115 odds for him to tally 1+ steal. With some clear blowout potential in this game, this is a great chance for Simmons to see some extended run against a struggling opponent. It was just four seasons ago that Simmons averaged 2.1 steals per game over a season while with the Sixers. He has tallied two or more steals in eight of the 46 total games he has played this year. Expect these turnover opportunities to be prevalent against the shorthanded Pelicans squad and for Simmons to capitalize as he looks to further cement a role within this Clippers team. This is a big swing but worth taking a chance on the +450 odds tonight.
