Saturday’s NBA action gets underway with a matinee matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The game was adjusted to earlier in the day due to severe weather in the area later in the day, but it gives us a nice way to get in some early player prop bets for Saturday’s slate. In this post, I’ll run down my three favorite options from the player prop bets market for you to either use as standalone plays or group them in a Same Game Parlay (SGP), as indicated at the bottom of the post.
In the overall matchup, the Spurs are 3.5-point road favorites with the point total set at 227.5.
Both sides of this matchup have exciting young players throughout their roster and have been exceeding expectations so far this season. The Hornets have won five straight and are on the verge of moving into a Play-In Tournament spot, while the Spurs have won five of their last seven and currently sit second in the Western Conference after getting a big win over the Rockets on Thursday.
In this game with an adjusted start time, both teams should have fairly regular rotations based on their early injury reports. Let’s run down my top player prop bets from this matchup and pick out some options from both the Hornets and the Spurs this Saturday.
Hornets vs. Spurs Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Moussa Diabate O17.5 Points + Rebounds (-116)
Diabate has been playing very well for the Hornets during their recent run of success and has lifted his season averages to 8.4 rebounds and 8.4 points per game for an average of 16.8 points and rebounds combined. In this prop, I’m backing him to get to at least 18 points and rebounds, even against the Spurs’ stout frontcourt.
His recent form has been excellent coming into Saturday’s matchup, going over this prop line in three straight games before coming up just a little short on Thursday against the Mavericks with 15 points and rebounds. He has gone over this prop line in 11 of his last 18 overall, and he was extremely impressive with 18 points and 19 rebounds earlier this week against the Bucks.
Dylan Harper O14.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-109)
Harper has had some inconsistencies this season, as most rookies do as they adjust to the NBA pace, size and spacing. He is averaging 17.4 PRA (points, rebounds and assists) per game, though, and he has a good chance to go over this prop line on Saturday against Charlotte.
Harper had a nice game on Thursday, contributing 16 points, four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes to easily go over this prop line. He has gone over this PRA total in six of his last eight games, coming up just short with 14 PRA earlier this week against the Pelicans.
Harper’s role has fluctuated as other players have been in and out of the rotation, but even with everyone healthy, he should get enough work to produce at least 15 PRA this Saturday. If you’re looking to be more aggressive, I also think his 20+ PRA altnernate line brings sneaky value at +283.
Kon Knueppel U16.5 Points (-103)
Knueppel went off for 34 points and knocked down eight three-pointers in 36 minutes on Thursday in his showdown against Cooper Flagg. Based just on that game, this total seems way too low, but he hasn’t been nearly that productive on a regular basis, so I like taking the under and expecting a more typical work distribution on Saturday.
With most of the rest of the team healthy, Knueppel has become a peripheral option in most contests. He scored under this points prop line in four straight games before his monster game on Thursday.
With LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges all available and Diabate emerging as an offensive option as well, the Hornets probably won’t lean too heavily on the rookie in this matchup. The Spurs’ solid wing defense should be able to hold Knueppel under his point total in this matchup.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Brandon Miller O2.5 3PM (-156)
If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) to start your Saturday with an even bigger smile, the four picks in this post combine to a solid +950 overall when we add in the over on Miller’s 3PM (three-pointers made).
Miller has drained at least three triples in six of his last eight games and is averaging 3.0 3PM per game this season. At home, he is averaging exactly 3.0 3PM as well, and I think he’ll reach or exceed that average on Saturday against San Antonio in what should be a fun matchup to tip off the day.
