The NBA playoffs continue on Tuesday, with seven of eight series still undecided. Tonight, four must-watch matchups are set to tip off across the association. After losing Damian Lillard to a torn achilles, the Bucks will hope to keep their season alive vs. Indiana. Elsewhere, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will attempt to eliminate the Pistons at Madison Square Garden. The defending champion Celtics will hope to do the same against a scrappy Magic squad. As a nightcap, the best series of the postseason continues when the Clippers and Nuggets meet in Game 5.
With so many can’t-miss contests on tap, there are several bets worth placing on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are three player props catching my eye tonight.
OG Anunoby over 16.5 points (-105)
Thanks to the late-game heroics of Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks hold a 3-1 series lead over Detroit. However, New York won Game 4 despite an awful day on offense from OG Anunoby. The wing has firmly established himself as one of the league’s top perimeter defenders. Still, his production on the other end of the floor can be inconsistent. On Sunday, he scored just eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. Through four games this postseason, Anunoby has connected on just 37.9% of his field goal attempts.
It can be difficult to trust the 27-year-old, but he should have more success tonight at Madison Square Garden. This series, Anunoby has averaged 15.8 points on 42.1 minutes per game. It helps that the veteran has scored at least 17 points in four of his previous seven meetings with the Pistons. On defense, Detroit will do everything in its power to get the ball out of Brunson’s hands. In that regard, the biggest beneficiary will be Anunoby. At nearly even money, I like the forward’s chances of finding his shooting stroke at home on Tuesday.
Jaylen Brown over 19.5 points (-110)
Despite a few scares, the Celtics enter tonight holding a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Magic. As always, the defending champs have leaned on the two-headed monster of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The latter of the two has been terrific despite battling a knee injury. Through four games, the Finals MVP has posted 23.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists on 49.2% shooting.
The Magic are a phenomenal defensive unit, holding opponents to the second-fewest points per game this season (103.5). Still, Brown has had his share of success in this matchup. During five of his last seven appearances vs. Orlando, JB has scored at least 20 points. Injury concerns are a valid concern, but not enough for me to fade this four-time All-Star. Expect another big-time outing from a proven playoff performer.
Ivica Zubac under 12.5 rebounds (-125)
The only 2-2 series in basketball will head back to Denver on Tuesday. If the Nuggets are going to take this decisive Game 5, getting an edge on the glass could go a long way. That means keeping Clippers center Ivica Zubac in check. This season, the Bosnian has averaged 12.6 boards per game, fourth-most in the NBA. Combined with his 16.8 points, the seven-footer has emerged as one of the sport’s top double-double threats.
While flawed, the Nuggets still do a few things well on the court (other than scoring). This season, they’ve allowed 49.6 rebounds per game to opponents, the second-lowest mark in basketball. Over his last five meetings with Denver, Zubac has recorded more than 12 rebounds only once. Clearly, Nikola Jokic and company have done a solid job at boxing out the big man. Look for that trend to continue tonight in what could be another low-scoring slugfest.
