The NBA Finals continue in Indiana on Friday night, as the Thunder will look to climb out of a 2-1 series hole in Game 4. While you can’t really blame the deficit on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 30.1 points per contest in the postseason, the MVP would likely tell you that he didn’t perform at his best on Wednesday, registering just 24 points with six costly turnovers.
What version of SGA will we see on Friday? Let’s break it down along with my best prop bet for the All-Star on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
First Point Scorer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+450)
Let’s have some fun.
This is a prop market that is mostly a crapshoot, though there is some concrete reasons to back Gilgeous-Alexander — besides the fact that he’s the leading scoring in this series. Let’s just start at the jump. Chet Holmgren, who stands at a gangly 7’1, has won the tip-off in all three games of the Finals so far. That means that the Thunder have always had the first possession of the night. They haven’t always scored on that opening possession, yet they have scored first in all three games. Gilgeous-Alexander registered the first points in Game 1 and he also took Oklahoma City’s first field goal attempt in Game 3.
In general, SGA having the ball in his hands to begin the game isn’t an anomaly. In this series, Gilgeous-Alexander owns a massive 32.2% usage rate in the first quarter. For comparison, the MVP’s usage in the first quarter for the whole of the playoffs is only 27.6%. He’s been extra motivated to start strong in the Finals, and I’d assume that fire is burning brighter after Wednesday’s disappointing loss.
