There is just one game on the NBA slate today as the Trail Blazers will host the Thunder at 6:00 p.m. ET. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company will be looking to add another win to the total as he prepares to face off against Portland for the third time this season.
These teams sit at opposite ends of the conference but Portland has shown some encouraging signs of late. They enter on a four-game winning streak and have seen some growth from a number of their young players. Even still, they are in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 17-28 record overall.
Oklahoma City continues to solidify itself as the Championship caliber team they intend to become and they now officially hold the best record in the NBA following last night’s loss by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Thunder are 36-8 on the season and hold a six-game lead for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been the driving force of success and is rightfully has emerged as the MVP favorite. The former Kentucky product is averaging a league-leading 32.0 points per game along with 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
The Thunder enter this game as 14-point favorites and -950 on the Moneyline. The Trail Blazers hold +625 odds on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook with the game total set at 226.
Here are my favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop bets for tonight’s matchup.
Best Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Gilgeous-Alexander’s props are listed at over/under 31.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 made three-pointers and 43.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 31.5 Points (-110)
SGA is the straw that stirs the Thunder’s drink and it is no coincidence he is playing the best basketball of his career as the organization skyrockets into contention. The MVP favorite leads the league in scoring, averaging 32.0 points per game and has cleared this line in 21-of-43 games this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander has especially been in attack mode of late. He dropped a career-high 54 points against the Jazz earlier this week and has cleared this line in ten of the past 16 games. Looking at the matchup, Portland ranks 23rd in the NBA in opponents points allowed, 23rd in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 26th in opponents three-point percentage.
This is the third matchup between these two teams and SGA was held under this total in each of the first two games. However, he finished with 28 and 30 points in those matchups and the Thunder had a combined margin of victory of 33 points. SGA was limited to just 28 minutes due to blowout in one of them.
The risk of the blowout is a concern again but the Trail Blazers enter the matchup on a four-game winning streak and have played a higher level of basketball recently. If they can remain within striking distance of this Thunder team, it will provide more of a window for Gilgeous-Alexander to chip away at his point prop. He continues to operate in attack mode and with a vulnerable defense in front of him look for him to record over 31.5 points for the 22nd time this season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 5.5 Rebounds (-145)
His scoring production headlines his abilities but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a complete basketball player who can impact the game in a variety of ways. He is adding 6.1 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game in addition to his monstrous scoring outputs. Unfortunately, this is not a matchup I see him making much of an impact on the boards.
On the season, he has failed to clear this line in 24-of-43 games. This includes three of the past four games. This has been a point of concern for the Thunder who rank 28th in opponent rebounds per game on the season. However, this has had much more to do with injury than it is a specific point of weakness with the team.
Chet Holmgren remains away from the team with a hip injury, but Isaiah Hartenstein is set to make his return after a five-game absence with a calf injury. Hartenstein is averaging a career-high 12.2 rebounds per game across 24 games this season. Expect him to make a clear effort to control the boards and for this to be an emphasis for Oklahoma City.
Expect SGA to make his impact felt in this game but not in the rebounding department. He has logged over 5.5 rebounds once and gone under once in two matchups vs. Portland. Hartenstein pulled in 14 rebounds during the game SGA went under and was absent for the matchup that he went over. He will be more comfortable impacting the game in other ways tonight and should be held to less than 5.5 rebounds tonight.
