Just over five months ago, the Thunder won the NBA championship with a 103-91 Game 7 victory. The Pacers, who fell just short, suffered a massive blow when point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles.
Entering the new season, Oklahoma City has all the ingredients for a successful title defense. Indiana, now without arguably its best player, will need to re-invent itself to emerge as a contender. These two clubs are set to meet once again tonight in a primetime showdown. Which players should you consider backing during Thursday’s Finals rematch?
Oklahoma City is favored by 7.5 points (-110) over Indiana, with the over/under set at 231.5 points. Here are two of the top prop bet picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s Thunder vs. Pacers matchup.
For more hoops action, check out my top player props for Thursday’s NBA slate!
Thunder vs. Pacers prop bet picks
Pascal Siakam over 3.5 assists (-155)
As previously mentioned, Tyrese Haliburton won’t be suiting up tonight. That’s a massive blow for one of the NBA’s best scoring attacks last season. Some combination of Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin will likely take on ball-handling duties for Indiana. However, expect this offense to run through Pascal Siakam. The three-time All-Star was terrific last season, averaging 20.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. In addition, he shot an efficient 51.9% from the field.
A defensively savvy squad such as Oklahoma City will make stopping Siakam a priority. That means the Cameroonian might find himself acting as more of a distributor than usual. During last spring’s seven-game series between these clubs, the power forward averaged 3.7 assists. Tonight, the Thunder will be without Jalen Williams (wrist) and Alex Caruso (concussion), arguably their two best perimeter defenders. Expect plenty of passing lanes for Siakam to take advantage of during Thursday’s contest.
Isaiah Hartenstein under 23.5 points + rebounds + assists (-113)
Part of what makes the Thunder so dangerous is their ability to mix and match depending on the matchup. On Tuesday vs. the Rockets, head coach Mark Daigneault opted for a double-big lineup. However, tonight’s game could call for a different approach. Indiana is not nearly as big as Houston, especially without former center Myles Turner. Instead, the Pacers will likely attempt to out-hustle their opposition this season. Keeping that in mind, Oklahoma City might be better served with a small-ball starting five.
If that were to occur, center Isaiah Hartenstein would likely see a decrease in minutes. The veteran is a game-changer, capable of contributing in a number of different ways. Last season, he averaged 11.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. On defense, he chipped in with 1.1 blocks and 0.8 steals. However, the 27-year-old isn’t the most mobile big. During the Finals last summer, Hartenstein only saw the floor for an average of 19.1 minutes. A similar amount of usage tonight would make the veteran an obvious fade. In spite of OKC’s injuries, I don’t think Daigneault will go big on Thursday. Expect limited production from I-Hart against the Pacers.
