Best NBA Prop Bets Today (Predictions for Tyrese Haliburton, SGA, Russell Westbrook)

A couple of huge Game 3s take place in the NBA playoffs on Friday night, as the Cleveland Cavaliers are aiming to avoid a 3-0 series deficit and the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets look to uneven their series after two interesting games in OKC.

The Cavs have been banged up – Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter and Evan Mobley all missed Game 2 – and they blew Game 2 at home. Now, their backs are against the wall in Indiana in Game 3, but I’m not looking to Cleveland in the prop market.

Instead, I’m eyeing Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, who has not taken a ton of 3-pointers in this series. Will that continue in Game 3?

In the Nuggets-Thunder matchup, OKC is a road favorite in Game 3 after evening the series with a huge showing in Game 2, scoring 149 points. I have player props for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was elite from the floor in Game 2 and Russell Westbrook on Friday.

Let’s break down each of these plays for the playoff action on May 9!

Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, May 9

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OVER 32.5 Points (-115)
Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (+105)
Russell Westbrook OVER 12.5 Points (-130)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander OVER 32.5 Points (-115)

Gilgeous-Alexander has 31 or more points in each of his last four games, including three games with 33 or more points.

The Thunder star was shooting under 42 percent from the field in his first five playoff games, but he had a dominant showing in Game 2 of this series, shooting 11-for-13 from the field and 11-for-11 from the line to score 34 points in just 30:11.

The Nuggets don’t have a single player that can really contain SGA one-on-one, and the MVP candidate has taken 24 or more shots in four of his six games this postseason. With that usage, SGA is an easy bet at this number, especially since he averaged 32.7 points per game in the regular season.

Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (+105)

Haliburton may have hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 2, but he has not shot the 3-ball at a high level in this postseason.

The Pacers guard is shooting just 30.6 percent from beyond the arc this postseason, knocking down 15 of his 49 attempts.

He’s failed to make more than two 3-pointers in a single game against the Cavs in this series, and he only took two shots from deep in Game 2. In fact, Haliburton – despite averaging seven 3-point shots per game in the playoffs – has just eight 3-point attempts in total against the Cavs.

That lack of volume is concerning, especially since the star guard only has two games with three or more made 3-pointers in the playoffs. He’s a fade candidate at this price in Game 3.

Russell Westbrook OVER 12.5 Points (-130)

This has been an impressive postseason for Westbrook, who has at least 14 points in every game that he’s been able to finish in these playoffs.

In Game 2, with Denver struggling and scoring just 106 points, Russ had a strong game. He finished with 19 points on 11 shots in less than 22 minutes.

Russ is averaging 15.0 points per game in eight playoff performances, and that includes the Game 3 against the Los Angeles Clippers where he scored three points in less than nine minutes.

With the Nuggets benching Michael Porter Jr. for Russ down the stretch in some of these games, the former league MVP is worth a look to clear this line once again.

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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