Tyrese Haliburton is on a playoff heater with more signature moments in this playoff run than some stars have in their entire career. He added to this with a game-winning shot that rattled through with just 0.3 seconds left on the clock in Game 1. This gave the Pacers their lone lead and was enough to produce another improbable Pacers victory.
While the game-winning shot will rightfully be remembered the most, Haliburton struggled in the Game 1 matchup. The Pacers’ star finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists while shooting 6-for-13 from the field.
Looking at the Game 2 odds, the Thunder enter as 11-point favorites with -520 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Pacers hold +390 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 228.5 points.
With the stage set, here are my favorite Tyrese Haliburton prop bets for the Game 2 matchup.
Best Tyrese Haliburton Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Tyrese Haliburton’s props are listed at over/under 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.5 made three-pointers, and 29.5 combined points, rebounds and assists.
Tyrese Haliburton Over 7.5 Assists (-140)
Tyrese Haliburton deserves a ton of credit for the way he can balance his efforts as both a scorer and playmaker. But at his core, he is still a pass-first player. Across the regular season, Haliburton averaged 9.2 assists per game and has seen this number grow to an NBA-best 9.5 assists per game in the postseason. The Iowa State product tallied over 7.5 assists in 54 of the 73 regular games. He has cleared this number in 11 of the 17 playoff games.
Oklahoma City has one of the best team defenses in NBA history. Their variety of physical and athletic defenders will continue to prove problematic for Hailburton, just as it was in Game 1. To his credit, Haliburton has done a nice job throughout his career finding ways to make a positive impact even when his shot is not falling. Indiana did a good job in Game 1, playing their star off-ball and having him come off screens to get the ball going downhill. Expect this to create some playmaking opportunities in Game 2 as he can attack and create for his teammates.
Points will not be easy to come by across the board for the Pacers against this Thunder defense. Expect the top priority to be limiting Haliburton’s impact as a scorer and for him to settle into a true point guard role. Indiana can do a better job getting out and running in transition than was the case in Game 1, and this is where the game really opens up for Haliburton. Look for him to operate as the engine of the offense as much as possible and tally over 7.5 assists tonight.
Tyrese Haliburton Under 16.5 Points (-115)
The Oklahoma City Thunder led the NBA in defensive rating across the regular season and finished third in opponents’ points per game allowed. Their defensive rating has improved from 106.6 in the regular season to 104.9 in the playoffs. The Thunder lean on players like Lu Dort, Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams, who each impose themselves physically and are very effective in generating turnovers.
Haliburton averaged 18.6 points per game across the regular season and is dropping 18.5 points per game in the postseason. However, the Pacers star has more ups and downs with his scoring than most NBA stars. While he has tallied 30+ points in three postseason games this year, Haliburton has also been held to 11 points or fewer in four matchups. He was held to 14 points in Game 1 and was also limited to just four points in one of the regular-season matchups against the Thunder.
While the Thunder had some defensive success in Game 1, expect the efforts to be even further ratcheted up following the loss. Haliburton was limited to 13 field goal attempts in the previous victory, and it would be a surprise if he surpasses this. This is a game where I fully expect the Thunder defense to be the storyline at its conclusion. Count on Haliburton being held to under 16.5 points for the second straight game in this series.
