The Oklahoma City Thunder are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012, but with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander winning MVPs for the team, the failings of their last title-caliber squad are firmly in the rearview mirror. The focus is solely on delivering the franchise its first title since their days as the Seattle Supersonics as they look to down the Indiana Pacers, a club which hasn’t seen a Finals appearance since 2000.
Here’s the top Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thunder vs. Pacers Game 1 on Thursday night.
Best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
The Thunder enter Game 1 of this series as strong 9.5-point favorites with -410 odds to win on the Moneyline, while the Pacers are +320 to win the game outright. The difference in these squads’ quality is evident based on these odds, so the better value where game lines are concerned probably comes via spread or game total bets, with the latter set at 231 combined points.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists Gilgeous-Alexander’s prop lines at 33.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.5 three-pointers. His combined PTS + REB + AST line sits at 46.5, a mark elevated by the high points line.
SGA put up a 34-point, eight-assist, seven-rebound performance to eliminate the Timberwolves in his last outing. Across 16 playoff games, Gilgeous-Alexander averages a postseason-leading 29.8 points along with 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds. While his scoring average is down nearly three points from his regular-season mark of 32.8 PPG, his extra gear is evident through slightly elevated numbers in the other two major stat columns.
While Gilgeous-Alexander remains the clear-cut best scorer in these NBA Finals, that 33.5-point line feels too high for Game 1 of the series. The reigning MVP scored 30+ points in 11 of his 16 playoff games so far, but he stayed under 33.5 points in 10 of 16 total appearances. There’s a stipulation here in that the Pacers’ defense doesn’t play at the same caliber as the Thunder’s Western Conference Finals opponent, so this matchup may feel easy for Gilgeous-Alexander. He could very well go over this line, but with the mark set at such a high bar, I’d much rather take the under at -120 odds and target the over on some other prop bets as well.
One of those overs with some appeal is SGA’s rebounds line of 5.5 boards. He’s not elite on the glass by any means but has pulled down 5.7 rebounds on average during this playoff run. Since the Pacers don’t have a true standout rebounder to gobble up boards, they feel a bit vulnerable in this regard. It’s typically a team effort from Indiana, so Gilgeous-Alexander ought to flirt with this over. It’s cashed in eight of 16 postseason games, so consider taking it at -115 odds on Thursday night.
Best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop bet: Under 33.5 points (-120)
Slight lean: Over 5.5 rebounds (-115)
