The NBA has some great matchups set up to celebrateMartin Luther King Jr. Day, highlighted by a great tripleheader of NBA on NBC action. The first matchup on NBC features the Oklahoma City Thunder rolling into Rocket Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. To get the tripleheader off to a flying start, let’s run down some of the top player prop bets to consider in this fun interconference showdown on Monday, with tip-off at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Overall, the Thunder are 6.5-point road favorites, with the point total set at 230.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Thunder are atop the Western Conference at 35-8 and are looking to bounce back from a loss on Saturday to the Heat. They had won five straight before that two-point defeat in South Beach. The Cavs are coming off back-to-back wins over the 76ers in Philadelphia and are 24-19 to sit at No. 5 in the Eastern Conference.
This is the first of the two meetings between these potential playoff contenders, with the rematch scheduled for a Sunday afternoon spotlight on ABC just after the All-Star break. Let’s look closer at this matchup and snag a few strong player prop bets to build around this Monday afternoon.
Thunder vs. Cavaliers Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Jaylon Tyson 15+ points (-107)
The Cavaliers won’t have Darius Garland or Sam Merrill in this matchup, and their recent absences have opened up opportunities for Tyson to break through for big games.
The 23-year-old is averaging 13.4 points in his 38 games this season, but he has been taking on more work with the team’s recent injuries. He should be able to get to at least 15 points even in this tough matchup, based on his recent production.
Tyson had 23 points against the Timberwolves last Thursday and then he moved into the starting lineup for the team’s two games against the Sixers. He had 12 points in the first of those two matchups and then exploded for a career high 39 points in 38 minutes on Friday night.
Even though he probably won’t go off quite like that for a second straight game, he has a good chance to get at least 15 points with both Garland and Merrill out Monday.
Alex Caruso over 11.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-105)
The Thunder will also be shorthanded for this marquee matchup, with Jalen Williams ruled out along with Isaiah Hartenstein. Caruso could help pick up some of th slack for Williams, although he doesn’t typically take a ton of shots. He should be able to get over this PRA (points, rebounds, assists) prop line with some extra minutes available.
The Carushow is averaging 11.3 PRA per game on the season, and he has at least 10 PRA in five straight games, all with Williams in the mix. He went over this prop line with 19 PRA against the Spurs last Tuesday and 12 PRA against the Grizzlies the week before, while coming up just short with 11 PRA in each of his last two contests.
The absence of Williams should open up enough work for him to grab at least an extra point, rebound or assist in Cleveland.
He has a history of good showings against the Cavs, averaging 6.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 15 games against them in his career. He had 10 points and 13 PRA in just 14 minutes against them the only time he faced them last season and has gone over this modest prop line in four straight meetings.
Evan Mobley over 17.5 points (-103)
Mobley had the game-winning dunk on Friday against the Sixers on a feed from Tyson. He secured his team the win in that game even though he came in under this prop line with 15 points. He had 17 points in the first matchup between those two teams and went over this prop line in three of his previous five games while picking up a little more responsibility on offense.
With Garland out, Mobley should step up as the second option in the offense behind only Donovan Mitchell, and as a result, he should be able to at least reach his season average of 17.8 points in this matchup. In his 16 games without Garland this season, he’s averaging 18.9 points per game.
Hartenstein’s absence stretches the Thunder’s frontcourt a little thin, and Mobley and Jarrett Allen will present a tough matchup for the Thunder on the blocks.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander under 11.5 Rebounds + Assists (-102) Porter Jr. over 1.5 steals (-137)
If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) in this contest or an SGPx, I love adding in this under on SGA’s rebounds and assists to supercharge your odds. Adding the under to the three other picks in this post, the SGP checks in at a very juicy +1200, as you can see below.
SGA is averaging 10.7 rebounds and assists per game this season, and he has come in under this prop in seven of his last nine games with an average of 8.7 rebounds and assists during that span. He’s come in under this prop line in 70% of his last 20 games. While Williams’ absence could mean more scoring for SGA, his rebounds and assists could be unaffected or even trend downwards depending on how the rotation shakes out.
