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Most Bet NBA Player Props for Thursday 5/21/26

Most Bet NBA Player Props for Thursday 5/21/26

Published:

By: Garion Thorne

Wondering what bets are popular among the public today? With DraftKings Network’s Player Props Page, all of this information is at your disposal. The Player Props tool provides all of the most bet player props by handle + odds on the DraftKings Sportsbook, updated as regularly as every five minutes!

I’ve taken today’s most popular NBA player props on DraftKings Sportsbook and broken down exactly why the public is so fond of these, helping you make informed picks ahead of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Knicks and the Cavaliers.


TODAY’S MOST BET NBA PLAYER PROPS

Event Event Date Market Betslip Line Odds

No event(s) available at this time.

Note: The table above is updated as regularly as every five minutes, so odds are likely to change.


BREAK IT DOWN:

(stats taken from DraftKings Sportsbook’s Stats Hub)

Karl-Anthony Towns 11+ Rebounds (-165): Towns grabs rebounds. It’s what he does. It’s a constant — shoutout to Desmond on the fourth season of Lost. In fact, Towns collected more defensive rebound than any other player in the league during the regular season (656). Per 100 possessions, he was one of only five qualified men to average over 19.0 rebounds. That trend has carried over to the playoffs, too. Towns registered 13 boards in Game 1 on the Eastern Conference Finals, the seventh time in his past nine starts that he’d reached double-figures. This prop feels like a perfect addition to any parlay this evening.

Donovan Mitchell 4+ Assists (-149): It’s interesting that this prop is so popular, as Mitchell hasn’t really been acting as a facilitator so far in these playoffs. In fact, Mitchell’s only racked up at least four assists in four of his 15 postseason starts in 2025-26. James Harden has clearly been more of the “lead guard” when the two All-Star share the floor, while Mitchell’s played secondary playmaker to Dennis Schroder when Harden’s on the bench getting a breather. Look no further than Game 1. Mitchell did finish with nine potential assists in 40.7 minutes, but Schroder had 10 in just 18.4 minutes of action. Harden led the Cavaliers with 12. Maybe Mitchell does crest the four-dime plateau on Thursday, yet the fact that this prop isn’t plus-money is wild considering the recent history.

Jalen Brunson First Point Scorer (+535): This market often comes down to pure randomness. James Harden scored the contest’s first points on Tuesday, but not before a missed shot from both OG Anunoby and Jarrett Allen. Still, people like a quick result — and basketball bets don’t get resolved any quicker than this. I’m also not going to pretend there isn’t some logic in picking Brunson. Among Knicks’ players in this postseason run, Brunson’s the only one with a usage rate above 20% in the first quarter, and it’s all the way up at 32.5%.


3-Pick Same Game Parlay

Taking three of the most-bet player props individually is always an option, but why not roll them into a same game parlay and get in on all the action at once? It’s a fun way to tie everything together — feel free to tag along.

Karl-Anthony Towns 11+ Rebounds (-165)

Donovan Mitchell 4+ Assists (-149)

Jalen Brunson First Point Scorer (+535)

Parlay Odds: +1400

Head straight to the DraftKings Sportsbook to place these bets, OR check out the Player Props Page tool on DKN.com for more options before you fill out your slips!


Garion is a Toronto-based writer who has been playing fantasy sports since elementary school. With a particular affinity for advanced statistics and sabermetrics, he’s been covering DFS Baseball, Football and Basketball for DraftKings dating back to 2018. Prior to that, Garion’s work could be found at FNTSY, SportsGrid, HoopsHype, The New York Daily News and Sportsnet.ca. Still, he is a Dolphins fan, so his decision-making can be questioned from time-to-time.
Disclaimer

All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.