The NBA is officially back in action on Tuesday. Tonight’s closing game should be a great nightcap as we get a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs won that series, which has the Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in position to take some revenge this evening.
Here’s the top Shai Gilgeous-Alexander player prop on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s Thunder vs. Spurs matchup.
Best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop bet pick
A multi-time MVP needs no introduction. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the NBA’s top scorers for some time now, hitting silky smooth midrange shots while getting to the rim – and free-throw line – at will. He’s averaged 30+ PPG in four straight seasons and comes off a campaign of 31.1 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds. The most impressive part is that he did so on career-best efficiency with a 55.3% FG% while his 3P% ticked upward to 38.6%, albeit on slightly lower volume. He won the second MVP trophy of his career to top it off.
The former NBA Finals MVP led his team to the Western Conference Finals, where the Thunder ultimately fell to the Spurs in seven games. He faced off with San Antonio 11 times over the course of the full season, including the postseason and NBA Cup, and it became clear that this isn’t an easy matchup even for a player of his ilk. Gilgeous-Alexander saw his numbers dip to 27.2 PPG on a 44.6% FG% and a 24.5% 3P% in those games, also averaging 7.6 assists with 3.5 rebounds.
The Spurs’ defense is a tough draw for anyone thanks to Stephon Castle on the perimeter and Victor Wembanyama patrolling the paint. It’s tough to get to the basket, and once you do, there’s a solid chance your shot is impacted or outright erased by the former DPOY. That does help explain some of the regression for Gilgeous-Alexander when he faces this team, though it’s worth noting his volume has often gotten him to 30+ points even when his shot isn’t falling.
In tonight’s matchup, this does feel like a prime spot to take the Thunder star to record over 6.5 assists. The value currently sits at +100 on DraftKings Sportsbook, which makes this a virtual toss-up at even odds. What we do know is that Gilgeous-Alexander maintains one of the most ball-dominant roles in all of basketball, as well as that he went over 6.5 assists in seven of those 11 games against San Antonio last year. That bodes quite nicely, especially so given that defensive pressure will likely force him to pass out of double teams. With Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both healthy – unlike in the WCF – the assists over shouldn’t be too difficult to achieve for the two-time MVP tonight.
