The NBA is back to a full slate for the first weekend following the All-Star break, with six games on the scoreboard this Saturday night, starting with an early game between the Suns and Magic on NBA TV and finishing with a nice spotlight matchup between the Rockets and Knicks on ABC. With plenty of action for NBA fans to absorb across the variety of matchups, let’s sort through and find some of the top NBA player prop bets to consider for this Saturday.
Which players are poised to cash in for bettors on Saturday? Here are my three favorite NBA prop bet picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for this evening’s contests.
Top NBA prop bet picks
Anthony Black O21.5 Points + Assists (-120)
Black is having a breakout season for the Magic, and he could end up with more work on Saturday against the Suns since Jalen Suggs (back) is questionable. The versatile guard and wing is already helping the Magic to cover for the absence of Franz Wagner (ankle), and the 22-year-old has been one of the team’s top performers to keep it squarely in the playoff race.
Black is averaging 16.1 points and 4.0 assists for 20.1 points and assists per game this season. In his last 25 games, he has averaged 18.9 points and 4.8 assists for 23.7 points and assists per game, which is well over this prop line.
He is averaging 18.4 points and 4.7 assists in his 26 games without Wagner, and in his 13 games without Suggs and Wagner, he’s averaging 20.1 points and 4.8 assists.
However you slice the numbers, Black looks like a good pick to get over this prop line on Saturday in the early game, and the fact that the Suns have been a great matchup for guards makes him an even better play.
Russell Westbrook U8.5 Rebounds + Assists (+106)
The Kings have dropped 15 straight games and are shutting down multiple players with injuries for the rest of the season. Westbrook is still healthy and starting, but his production has dropped sharply, while his minutes have dwindled.
Westbrook only had a single assist and no rebounds in 17 minutes in his last game, a loss to Black and the Magic. He has come in under this prop line in four of his last five games and in seven of his last nine games, with the two exceptions coming at home against the Cavs and James Harden and on the road against the Knicks, where he scraped over with nine rebounds plus assists.
The Kings are giving more time to youngsters like Devin Carter, who have more to offer the team going forward, and Westbrook isn’t getting rebounds and assists numbers even when his minutes and points are still present.
This game against the Spurs could turn into a blowout in a hurry, and if it does, Westbrook will likely play drastically fewer minutes once again, staying under this plus-money prop line.
Tari Eason O12.5 Points (-117)
The Rockets have worked Eason back into the mix slowly, but they seem to be “all systems go” on the fourth-year forward at this point. The 24-year-old is always ready to launch and takes plenty of shots when he’s playing with the starting unit.
He has started each of his last nine games, playing over 30 minutes per contest, and he even played 34 minutes on the second night of a back-to-back just before the All-Star break. He went over this prop line in four of those nine games, averaging 12.1 field-goal attempts per contest.
Eason is averaging 12.0 points overall this season, but his numbers have trended up along with his playing time. He shot just 1-for-6 from the field on Thursday in the team’s first game back after the break, but he should be able to bounce back in this matchup against the Knicks, as the Rockets look to get a big win in the Big Apple.
