A two-game slate makes up this evening’s NBA postseason matchups. The first of our two seminfinal matchups takes place in Detroit, where the top-seeded Pistons host the rival Cavaliers. Later, LeBron James’ Lakers will visit the defending champion Thunder in Oklahoma City. With a trip to the conference finals hanging in the balance, the intensity should be high entering these Game 1 matchups.
Who should bettors target ahead of tonight’s playoff matchups? Here are my two favorite NBA prop bet picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Tuesday’s contests.
Top NBA prop bet picks
Jalen Duren 11+ rebounds (-112)
It was a shaky first round to say the least for Jalen Duren. Detroit’s second-best player looked like anything but that against Orlando. The center averaged 10.6 points and 9.4 rebounds while shooting 53% from the field over seven games. Those numbers aren’t on par with what we’ve seen previously from the All-Star. Through 70 regular season contests, Duren accounted for 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in addition to 65% shooting. He managed to snag at least 11 boards in half of those contests. Fortunately, Duren no longer has to face a tenacious Magic defense, one that excels at limiting paint points.
Tuesday’s matchup against Cleveland appears far more advantageous for Duren. In theory, the duo of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley could present issues, at least on offense. Regardless, there should be ample opportunities for the 22-year-old on the glass tonight. This postseason, the Cavaliers have posted the NBA’s fifth-worst defensive rebounding rate (66.9%). In addition, Duren has snagged at least 11 boards in four of his previous six meetings with Cleveland. Following a 15-point, 15-rebound Game 7 showing, the youngster looks like he’s back on track.
Deandre Ayton 9+ rebounds (+111)
One of the more pleasant surprises of the playoffs has been Deandre Ayton. The former first overall pick is often knocked for a perceived lack of toughness. That’s been anything but the case recently; the big man was a double-double machine for Los Angeles against Houston. The center averaged 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds during six first-round games vs. the Rockets. That latter mark is second behind only Nikola Jokic (13.2) this postseason. On four different occasions, Ayton snagged at least ten boards for the Purple and Gold.
If there’s one notable weakness for the Thunder, it’s rebounding. The big man duo of Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein, while gifted defensively, are beatable on the glass. Opponents snagged 54.5 rebounds per game against OKC during the regular season, eighth-most in basketball. Granted, the defending champs did a solid job of boxing out against the Suns in round one. However, Phoenix doesn’t have anyone that’s as good of a rebounder as Ayton. If the Lakers are going to pull off an upset, they’ll need to exploit their biggest strength in this matchup. That means giving Ayton every opportunity to make an impact on Tuesday night.
