The NBA has a total of six games on the schedule this Sunday, and the Houston Rockets will welcome the New Orleans Pelicans to the Toyota Center in one of the games that tip off the evening section of the schedule at 7:00 p.m. ET. In this Western Conference matchup, let’s chase down some of the top player prop bets to consider on Sunday night.
In the bigger picture on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Rockets are 13.5-point home favorites, with the point total set at 231.5. The Rockets needed overtime to get a 133-128 win in New Orleans earlier this season, and they’ll look to get another win in this rematch. Houston knocked off the Timberwolves on Friday, but is just 2-4 in their last six games.
The Pelicans lost to the Pacers on Friday but are 2-3 in their last five after beating the Wizards and Nets. Even with those two wins, though, the Pelicans are last in the conference with a 10-34 record, while the Rockets are the No. 5 seed at 24-15.
While the home team, the Rockets, has a much better record and is heavily favored, there are still some solid options to consider as we look at attacking this Western Conference matchup with the best player prop bets on the board.
Pelicans vs. Rockets Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Amen Thompson over 18.5 Points + Rebounds (-120)
Despite back-to-back down-scoring games with 13 points against the Thunder and 14 points against the Timberwolves, I expect Thompson to bounce back in this favorable matchup against the Pelicans’ very beatable backcourt.
Thompson tore them up for 23 points in their first meeting of the season, and he continues to play plenty of minutes with a high usage. He’s averaging 18.5 points per game this season and had gone over this prop in seven of his previous eight games before his two down performances against two of the top teams in the West.
In this more favorable matchup for the Rockets, look for Thompson to get back to at least 19 points in a good get-right spot on Sunday night.
Zion Williamson over 20.5 points (-102)
On the other side of this matchup, the Pelicans are expected to continue to have Zion available as a featured part of their offense. He has been productive lately, and getting him at this prop line feels great at even money.
Zion has scored at least 20 points in five of his last six games and in 13 of his last 16. He had 25 points in 30 minutes on Wednesday against the Nets and followed that with 27 points in 33 minutes against the Pacers. He only had nine points in 21 minutes in the first matchup between these two teams, but that was just his second game back after missing multiple weeks with an adductor injury.
Williamson has looked healthy and productive since returning from that injury, playing in 18 straight games for the Pelicans. He has ramped up to 29+ minutes in each of his last seven games. If the Pelicans hope to keep Sunday’s game competitive, they’ll need Zion to come up big and go over this prop line once again.
Kevin Durant over 35.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-113)
On Friday, Durant had 39 points against the Timberwolves, not even needing rebounds and assists to get over this PRA prop line. He had a tough night in the game before the Thunder on Thursday, but he also had a huge game against the Bulls on Tuesday, pouring in 42 PRA.
Durant had 32 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for 43 PRA in his first matchup this year against New Orleans, and even if this game does get lopsided, I’m confident he’ll get to 36 PRA before possibly getting a break late in the game. If you are more confident in KD, I also like his alternate PRA at 40+ for a nice +179 and even 45+ PRA at +400 if you really think he’ll go off in this home game.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Jeremiah Fears over 3.5 rebounds (+132)
This bonus pick will definitely add some zing to those Sunday night parlays! Fears is averaging 3.7 rebounds per game in his rookie season, and he has gone over this prop line in seven of his last nine games, with three rebounds in his other two matchups during that span. He had seven and six rebounds in his last two games and has been stepping into more responsibilities on the glass in the Pels’ current rotation.
If you’re looking to use these props to create a Same Game Parlay (SGP) or as part of an SPGx, adding in the over on Fears’ rebounds takes the SGP to a spicy +1200, as you can see below.
