The regular season is over, but playoff seeding remains undecided. Tuesday’s NBA action features two intriguing play-in tournament showdowns. To kick things off, it’s a do-or-die battle between #10 Miami and #9 Charlotte. Later, the seventh-seeded Suns host the eighth-seeded Trail Blazers in Phoenix. With so much at stake, expect the stars to shine bright for all four teams tonight.
Which players should bettors be targeting this evening? Here are my two favorite NBA prop bet picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Tuesday’s contests.
Top NBA prop bet picks
Moussa Diabate 11+ rebounds (-111)
Kon Knueppel and Lamelo Ball garner most of the attention for Charlotte. However, the Hornets have made their biggest improvement this season on the defensive end of the floor. Center, once seen as a major weakness, has been solidified by the stellar play of Moussa Diabate. The former second-round pick has been a pleasant surprise, wresting control of the starting job from rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner. Through 73 games, Diabate is averaging 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 63.1% from the field.
The Hornets play at the NBA’s fifth-slowest pace on offense. As a result, counting stats can be somewhat limited. That may not be the case on Tuesday against a Heat squad that operates at the association’s fastest tempo. It’s no coincidence that Miami is giving up 54.9 rebounds per game to opponents, sixth-worst in basketball. In each of the last three meetings between these two Southeast Division rivals, Diabate has snagged at least 11 boards. Charlotte’s underrated big man is lined up nicely for another impressive showing on the glass.
Jalen Green 19+ points (-102)
The Suns have managed to reach the play-in tournament despite injuries to some of their best players. That includes Jalen Green, who suited up just 32 times this season. When healthy, the 24-year-old is an exciting, albeit inconsistent, scorer. This season, the guard posted 17.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists to go with 42/31/75 shooting splits. Devin Booker, and to a lesser extent Dillon Brooks, are sure to command plenty of touches. Outside of those two, there isn’t much internal competition on this Phoenix offense.
Green’s lackluster shooting is actually a reason for optimism tonight. Despite mediocre efficiency, the youngster was still able to surpass 17.0 points per game. That’s also despite a limited workload; head coach Jordan Ott has made an effort to keep Green from over-exerting himself this season. That’s unlikely to be the case during tonight’s pivotal Western Conference matchup. Green has logged at least 30+ minutes on 14 different occasions this season; he’s reached 19+ points in ten of those games. It helps that the Trail Blazers tend to push the pace in contrast to a more deliberate Suns offense. There should be ample opportunity for Phoenix’s talented guard to make a difference in this one.
