The Denver Nuggets produced a surprising opening game victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 1-0 series advantage. Russell Westbrook and the rest of this Nuggets squad will be looking to take full control of the series as Game 2 takes place in front of the Oklahoma City faithful.
While Westbrook’s roller coaster-like experience is different than just about any player in the league, the good has outweighed the bad by a comfortable margin through the start of this playoff run. Through the opening seven playoff games he has played, Westbrook is averaging 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
The Thunder enter this Game 2 matchup as 10-point favorites with -485 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Nuggers hold +370 odds of getting the outright victory with the game total set at 229.5 points.
With the stage set, here are my favorite Russell Westbrook prop bets for the Game 2 matchup.
Best Russell Westbrook Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Russell Westbrook’s props are listed at over/under 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 made three-pointers and 19.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Russell Westbrook Over 19.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-110)
Depth was a point of concern for this Nuggets team entering the playoffs, and these issues have only been magnified. Michael Porter Jr. is clearly battling a significant shoulder injury, while Aaron Gordon is banged up as well. There are only six players on Denver’s roster logging over 14 minutes per game, with Westbrook making this cut. The former MVP is playing 26.3 minutes per game and averaging 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists so far in the postseason. He has tallied over 19.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists in five of the seven playoff games thus far.
Westbrook has benefited from some additional available minutes with his energy level being a defining trait of the postseason thus far.
The biggest concern regarding this Oklahoma City team entering the playoffs is their inexperience in a postseason setting. It is not time to begin celebrating this after just one win, but Westbrook is loaded with postseason experience and never feels as if a moment is too large for him. He can impact the game in a variety of ways and has done a nice job filling up the stat sheet in whatever category he has a chance to impact. Across the regular season, he scored as many as 30 points in a game, tallied as many as 16 assists, and produced as many as 14 rebounds.
Expect his effort level to continue to pop and for this to translate to the box score again tonight. Westbrook logged 30 minutes of action in the series opener and eclipsed this number of minutes twice in the opening round. Count on Denver to continue relying on him at a high rate, and for Westbrook’s motor to lead him to over 19.5 combined points, rebounds, and assists for the sixth time in the first eight playoff games.
Russell Westbrook Over 1.5 Made Three-Pointers (+135)
Three-point shooting will never be the first thing mentioned when discussing Russell Westbrook as a basketball player. The two-time scoring champion is a career 30.5% three-point shooter on 3.6 attempts per game. Westbrook shot 32.3% from beyond the arc this season and has shot below 30% in nine seasons of his career.
But when you dare him, he will shoot them, and this has been the case with Westbrook in this postseason. So far in this playoff run, Westbrook has shot 14-for-36 (38.9%) from beyond the three-point arc. He has connected with over 1.5 made three-pointers in five of the seven playoff games thus far.
Most notable in this outlook is the increased volume from the perimeter. He has attempted at least four three-point attempts in each postseason game after doing so in just 39 of the 75 regular-season games. Oklahoma City is content with leaving him open and living with the results. Westbrook has enough confidence to shoot through this and count on this battle continuing as the series progresses.
While Westbrook shot 1-for-5 from beyond the three-point arc in the series opener, you won’t get much better looks than what he receives. Expect him to keep shooting through it, and I love the +135 value of knocking down a pair from the perimeter as he did in every game that he started and finished in the opening round. Count on Westbrook to approach tonight in attack mode and deliver wth over 1.5 made three-pointers once again.
