A trio of must-watch Game 6’s are set to tip off on Friday. It all gets started when the Pistons, on the verge of elimination, visit the eighth-seeded Magic. Later, the Raptors host the Cavaliers in Cleveland. As a finale, the Rockets will hope to force a Game 7 with their third straight win against the Lakers.
Who should bettors target ahead of tonight’s playoff matchups? Here are my three favorite NBA prop bet picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday’s contests.
Top NBA prop bet picks
Anthony Black 2+ steals (+114)
As a general rule, steal props are something I tend to stay away from. With that being said, the stars are aligning here. Anthony Black hasn’t been at his best in the playoffs, due in part to a late season abdominal injury. Still, the third-year pro has been a bright spot for Orlando. During 64 regular season games, he averaged 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Just as important, the guard continued to play terrific defense on the perimeter. Black racked up 1.4 steals per game this season, second among all Magic players behind Jalen Suggs.
Despite inefficient shooting this postseason, Black has made his presence felt on both ends of the floor. The 22-year-old has notched at least three steals in three of his last four outings against Detroit. It helps that Cade Cunningham is averaging a whopping 6.6 turnovers per game in this series. In addition, Franz Wagner (calf) is out tonight; he sat out in Game 5 as well. With the wing unavailable on Friday, Black is a near-lock to garner more minutes. A pair of steals at +114 feels like good value for Orlando’s ballhawking pest.
Sam Merril 2+ three-pointers made (-120)
An area where Cleveland has had an edge over the Raptors this postseason is off the bench. The Cavaliers can go at least nine deep with their rotations, thanks in large part to Sam Merrill. Through five games this postseason, the 29-year-old has accounted for 7.6 points on 46/42/80 shooting splits. That may not sound like much, but any level of floor spacing is a welcome sight in this defensively-minded series. It’s worth noting that Toronto could be without Brandon Ingram (heel) tonight, an above-average wing defender.
Whether or not Ingram suits up, the Cavaliers should look to attack the paint. Still, that’s proven to be somewhat difficult throughout most of this series. Merrill has been on fire as of late, going five-of-nine (55.5%) from three-point range over his last two appearances. It’s not as if Toronto has guarded the perimeter particularly well either. Cleveland is shooting 38.3% from 25 to 29 feet this postseason, third-best among all teams. Merrill managed to knock down at least two treys in 40 of his 52 appearances during the regular season. Although the playoffs are a different beast, that has to count for something. Two makes from deep feels like a reasonable number for this underrated sharpshooter.
Deandre Ayton 9+ rebounds (-113)
Game 5 was a massive disappointment for the Lakers, who failed to finish off Houston at home. With that being said, Deandre Ayton certainly showed up. The former first overall pick was terrific on both ends of the floor, recording 18 points and 17 rebounds over 38 minutes. His work on the offensive glass (ten OREB) was nothing short of spectacular as well. On a Los Angeles squad desperate for size to counter the Rockets, another 30+ minute workload feels inevitable tonight.
Houston has built its reputation on defensive intensity and boxing out the opposition. However, the absence of Steven Adams (ankle) and Kevin Durant (ankle) has made this group less intimidating in the front court. The Rockets own a middling 50.5% rebounding percentage this postseason, tied for seventh-best out of all 16 teams. That isn’t bad, but its certainly not insurmountable. Ayton has snagged at least nine boards in four of his previous seven meetings with Houston. LA’s underrated big man is set up nicely for another terrific rebounding performance on Friday.
