There is just one game on the NBA slate today as the Portland Trail Blazers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 6:00 p.m. ET. Scoot Henderson and company will be looking to build off their encouraging stretch of basketball but have a difficult challenge at hand against the NBA-leading Thunder.
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.
Scoot Henderson has had a bit of a rocky start to his NBA tenure but has shown some encouraging flashes of late. In his second season, the former third-overall pick is averaging 12.0 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.9 rebounds across his 26.5 minutes per game. He has taken some significant strides forward in his efficiency and has had some of his most consistent positive stretches of late.
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 Scoot Henderson prop bets for the Sunday night matchup.
Best Scoot Henderson Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Henderson’s props are listed at over/under 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 made three-pointers and 18.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Scoot Henderson Over 10.5 Points (-125)
So far this season Scoot Henderson is averaging 12.0 points per game and has recorded over 10.5 points in 22 of the 38 games he has played. The G League Ignite product struggled shooting the ball last year connecting on just 38.5% from the field and 32.5% from the perimeter. So far this season he is shooting 42.9% from the field and 34.7% on three-point attempts. While he is far from a finished product, this is an encouraging sign.
Oklahoma City has an impressive overall defense but I am buying into what Henderson has shown of late. He is averaging 20.8 points per game over his past five home games and has recorded over 10.5 points in seven of his last ten games overall. The Thunder play at the seventh-quickest pace in the league on the season. This plays to Henderson’s strengths as he is effective in transition and could pave a clear path to reach this number.
Portland will continue to prioritize the development of their young players with Scoot Henderson headlining this approach. He looks to finally be catching up to the NBA pace of play and has operated in attack mode much more often of late. Count on him to bring his fastball and attempt to go toe-to-toe with the NBA-leading Thunder and record over 10.5 points for the eighth time in the past 11 games and the 23rd time this season.
Scoot Henderson Over 1.5 Made Three-Pointers (+130)
Perimeter shooting may very well end up being the swing skill that decides the ceiling of Scoot Henderson’s NBA future. He has shown some positive flashes of late shooting 44.4% from beyond the three-point arc while launching 5.0 three-point attempts per game across the past nine games. This is highlighted by his 39-point outbreak against the Nets in which Henderson shot 8-for-10 from beyond the three-point arc.
Looking at the full scale of the season, Henderson is shooting 34.7% from beyond the three-point arc on 3.8 perimeter shots per game. He is averaging 1.3 made three-pointers per game and has connected on at least two in 13 games this season. This includes five of the past seven games. While he shot 1-for-4 from beyond the three-point arc in both previous matchups with the Thunder, Oklahoma City ranks 19th in opponents’ three-point attempts per game allowed on the season.
The jury is still out on what exactly Scoot Henderson is as a basketball player and it has been far from a smooth NBA transition to this point. But the signs of life in his play are incredibly encouraging of late and expect him to be ready for this matchup. Look for his streak of strong shooting to continue and for Henderson to knock down at least two three-pointers tonight.
