The NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers begin on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. On DraftKings Sportsbook, there is a plethora of markets for this anticipated series, including who will lead this best-of-seven in made three-pointers.
Tyrese Haliburton is the favorite for this market at -125 followed by his teammate Aaron Nesmith at +425. The next two shortest prices are two Thunder players in Lugentz Dort at +600 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at +1100.
When analyzing these two teams, it makes sense to target a Pacers player over a Thunder player. These two clubs are the top-two teams in made three-pointers this postseason, but Indiana is ahead of Oklahoma City by a notable 13 made three-pointers. Percentage-wise, the Pacers lead all playoff teams with a 40.1% three-point percentage while the Thunder rank 13th of the 16 teams at 33.6%.
Plus, while the Thunder are the NBA’s best defense, the Pacers are slightly better at defending the three-point shot. During these playoffs, these two teams nearly have the same opponent three-point percentage, but Oklahoma City has allowed 14 more made three-pointers overall.
As you can see, the Pacers are in a better position to succeed at three-point shooting. After analyzing these odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, Nesmith is the best option for this market at +425 instead of taking Haliburton at -125. Haliburton has attempted 28 more three-pointers than Nesmith during these playoffs, but the latter has been far more efficient. Nesmith is shooting 50% from beyond the arc and he has made five more three-pointers than Haliburton, who is shooting a poor 33.3% on three-pointers.
In fact, Nesmith’s 43 made three-pointers rank third among all players this postseason and are the most of any player who competing in these NBA Finals. Nesmith and Haliburton both hit 16 three-pointers in the Eastern Conference Finals, but in Indiana’s first two series of these playoffs, Nesmith led the Pacers in the category. One could argue that Nesmith should have been favorited to lead the NBA Finals in made three-pointers and is a must-bet at these very appealing +425 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
