Best NBA Prop Bets Today (Predictions for Cade Cunningham, Austin Reaves, SGA)

Tuesday’s NBA Playoff action brings two very different conference semifinals, as the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are massive favorites in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers while the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers are playing a toss up game in their series opener.

Detroit is a small favorite in the first round, but it has struggled on offense all postseason, and I’m actually fading a Pistons star in Game 1.

Meanwhile, there are two star guards – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Austin Reaves – that could be worth a look in the prop market in the Western Conference battle later in the night.

Betting on props is a fun way to kick off these series, especially since the 15.5-point spread in Lakers-Thunder is extremely intimidating – from both sides.

Let’s dive into the odds and analysis behind my favorite props for Tuesday’s Game 1s.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, May 5

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Cade Cunningham UNDER 28.5 Points (-108)

Cade Cunningham had a huge first-round series against Orlando, but he faces a Cleveland team that has a lot of rim protection in the second round.

The Cavs actually gave Cade a ton of problems in the regular season:

Oct. 27: 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting
Jan. 4: 27 points on 7-of-22 shooting
Feb 27: 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting (in overtime)
March 3: 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting

The Cavs don’t have an elite Cade stopper, but as a team they forced him to struggle shooting the ball, which makes him an interesting UNDER bet in Game 1. Cunningham may not play as many minutes as he did with the Pistons trailing Orlando 3-1 in the first round, and it’s worth noting that the star guard averaged 23.9 points per game in the regular season.

After three games in a row with 32 or more points, I think Cade takes a small step back in this series opener.

Austin Reaves UNDER 21.5 Points (-107)

Austin Reaves had 22 points in his first game back in the lineup for the Lakers against Houston, but he was held to 15 points in Game 6 – even though L.A. won.

Now, Reaves has to take on the No. 1 defense in the NBA that will have Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Lu Dort and others in his grill all night long in Game 1.

I think the UNDER is the play for Reaves, even though he should have an expanded offensive role with Luka Doncic out. Reaves struggled against the Thunder in the regular season, scoring 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting in their first meeting, 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting in their second meeting and 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the game he hurt his oblique towards the end of the regular season.

There may be more shots for Reaves, but I can’t get behind him at this number against the No. 1 defense in the league.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 7+ Assists (-171)

During the regular season, the Lakers were 18th in the NBA in opponent assists per game, and they allowed seven, nine and eight dimes to SGA in his three games against them.

The reigning league MVP averaged eight assists per game in the first round against Phoenix, picking up at least seven dimes in each of those matchups.

The more impressive stat is that Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 16.0 potential assists per game in the first round, a sign that he’s an even more willing passer than we’ve seen in previous playoff runs. SGA averaged 6.5 assists per game in last year’s Finals run, and I wouldn't be shocked if he flirts with a double-double in this game with Jalen Williams out.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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