Best NBA Prop Bets Today (Predictions for Jayson Tatum, Deni Avdija, LeBron James)

What better way to enter the weekend than by picking up a few player prop wins on the NBA playoff action?

An interesting three-game slate takes place on Friday, with both No. 2 seeds (Boston and San Antonio) looking to rebound from losses at home in Game 2:

Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs vs. Portland Trail Blazers

A Victor Wembanyama concussion (questionable on Friday) has completely altered the Blazers-Spurs series, and it’s also opened the door for a lot of players in the prop market.

The theme of tonight’s action: Who will step up?

Joel Embiid (appendectomy) is doubtful for Philadelphia while Luka Doncic is out for Friday’s Western Conference matchups. Plus, Wemby and Austin Reaves are questionable for their respective squads

I’m eyeing a few players in the prop market on April 24, including a pick for Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds and the analysis behind these props for Friday’s Game 3s.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, April 24

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Jayson Tatum 10+ Rebounds (-160)

Tatum has been an elite rebounder in his playoff career, and he’s continued that in this series against the 76ers.

Tatum picked up 11 boards in Game 1 before topping that with 14 rebounds in Game 2. The C’s star is averaging 17.0 rebound chances per game, giving him a really solid floor in this prop heading into Game 3. Tatum has averaged 11.5, 9.7 and 10.5 rebounds per game in the last three postseasons, so he’s more than capable of hitting double-digit boards on Friday night.

The 76ers have been pretty weak on the glass all year, finishing the regular season at 21st in rebound percentage. Through two playoff games (for every team), they were dead last in the league in rebound percentage.

I’m trusting Tatum to grab 10 or more boards for the third game in a row on Friday.

Deni Avdija OVER 23.5 Points (-109)

Portland Trail Blazers All-Star Deni Avdija had 30 points in the team’s Game 1 loss to San Antonio, but he took a step back – partially due to foul trouble in Game 2 – dropping just 14 points on 13 shots.

I’m going to buy low on Avdija in this game, as he may face less defensive resistance at the rim with Victor Wembanyama dealing with a concussion. The Spurs still have a plethora of elite defenders, but Wembanyama is a one-man defense at the rim with his size and length.

Avdija averaged 24.2 points per game in the regular season, and I’d expect him to take more than 13 shots in this Game 3 matchup. In fact, he’s scored 25 or more points in eight of his last nine games, including 41 in the play-in tournament.

This is a buy-low spot for the Blazers star as he looks to give his team a 2-1 series lead.

Devin Vassell OVER 14.5 Points (-117)

Devin Vassell has put up 15 and 16 points in the first two games of this series, and he could be a player that steps into a bigger role on Friday night.

This season, Vassell is averaging 16.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 16 games without Wembanyama in the lineup. So, if the All-Star sits, it's hard not to love Vassell as a scorer.

Vassell is going to be one of the top options for the Spurs offensively, and he took 16 shots in Game 2 when the former No. 1 overall pick exited early.

While Vassell hasn’t been super efficient so far in the playoffs, the Spurs need someone to step up on offense if they want to win Game 3. He’s worth a look with this prop set just above his season average (13.9 points per game).

LeBron James OVER 15.5 Rebounds and Assists (-131)

I’ve been targeting LeBron James’ passing and rebounding a ton in recent games, and I’m not going to stop in Game 3 of the playoffs.

James had 21 rebounds and assists in Game 1 and 15 rebounds and assists in Game 2, falling just short of this prop. He’s also averaging 15.0 potential assists and 13.5 rebounds chances per game in the postseason, giving him a really solid floor in this market.

Houston has not had an answer for the four-time champion, and James showed in the regular season that he can stuff the stat sheet when Luka Doncic is sidelined. He averaged 22.2 points, 10.3 assists and 7.0 rebounds in 11 games without the star guard.

I’m buying LeBron to lead the way for L.A. again as it attempts to take a 3-0 series lead.

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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