Best NBA Player Prop Bets Today (February 24) (Archive)
The NBA returns from the All-Star break with seven games this Thursday evening. Here is a few NBA prop picks from Bovada (visit our Bovada Review), a top-rated sportsbook, that should bring you the best value for your buck.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls
Thursday, February 24, 2022 – 08:00 PM EST at United Center
DeMar DeRozan
The Bulls are a 4-point home favorite against Atlanta. These teams met in back-to-back games in late December with the Bulls winning each by at least 12 points. The Bulls won their last five games before the All-Star break, and this could be a good one for player props between a red-hot DeMar DeRozan and Trae Young.
Prop Analysis
DeMar DeRozan is having the best season of his career, and he just completed the best two-week stretch of his career prior to the break. In each of his last seven games, DeRozan has scored at least 35 points and shot at least 50% from the field, a new NBA record. Pretty impressive when you do something that Michael Jordan or Wilt Chamberlain never did.
Not only is DeRozan averaging 38.6 points over the last seven games, but he is also adding 5.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. Those numbers are up from 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists over the first 48 games this season.
When I saw the line for DeRozan’s total points/rebounds/assists was 39.5, I thought it was a misprint. Just by points alone he nearly gets to that mark as of late. Sure, the off night is coming any game now, and maybe a week break from real games is the kind of event to cool him down. But I like this matchup against Atlanta, a team he had 35 points and a season-high 10 assists against in December. DeRozan has six games with at least 8 assists this season and two of them were against Atlanta.
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Maybe DeRozan doesn’t shoot 50% or score 35 again in this one, but I trust him to put up at least a 30-5-5 line, which is enough to hit the over for his total.
NBA Prop Pick: DeMar DeRozan Over 39.5 Points/Rebounds/Assists (-120) at Bovada
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 08:00 PM EST at Target Center
Ja Morant
Memphis is a 2.5-point road favorite in Minnesota, the site of the team’s worst loss of the season, a 43-point blowout in November. The Grizzlies have won the last two meetings by single digits, and this should be a good one between leading scorers Ja Morant and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Prop Analysis
While the Grizzlies ended their six-game winning streak with a loss to Portland prior to the All-Star break, it was a huge night for Morant. He was 21-of-25 from the free-throw line on his way to a season-high 44 points. Morant had not attempted more than 14 free throws in any other game this season. He also dished out 11 assists as the Grizzlies came up short in the 123-119 loss.
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A lot of attention will be on Morant’s scoring, but I see more value in his assists than his scoring in this matchup. Morant’s over/under for points is 29.5 (odds at -114), but he’s had 30 points in 20 out of 46 games this season (43.5%). Meanwhile, he’s had exactly 20 games with at least eight assists too, but you can get superior NBA odds of +112 for something that he’s done just as often.
While Morant scored 33 points in one matchup this season with Minnesota, he was held to 11 and 16 points in the other two games, two of his worst outputs all season. But he had 9 and 8 assists in two of the Minnesota games. The Timberwolves are a mediocre defense and play the third-fastest pace in the league. I like Morant to set up his teammates in this matchup and get at least 8 assists more than I like him to score 30, though he can do both as he did in his last outing.
NBA Prop Pick: Ja Morant Over 7.5 Assists (+112) at Bovada
Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 08:00 PM EST at Paycom Center
Jae Crowder
The Phoenix Suns (48-10) have been the best team in the NBA this season, but they now must deliver without point guard Chris Paul, who will miss several weeks with a thumb fracture. The Thunder, a 9.5-point home underdog, is hardly a difficult test for a deep Phoenix roster, but Paul’s absence should shake up the distribution of stats on this team.
Prop Analysis
With Paul playing every game, the Suns are fifth in the NBA at 27.0 assists per game, and Paul is leading the league at 10.7 assists per game. Those assists are going to have to come from other sources now. Devin Booker is a logical choice as he averaged 6.8 and 6.5 assists per game in the previous two seasons before Paul arrived in Phoenix. Sure enough, his line in this game is at 6.5 assists.
But Booker is still going to feel the pressure to be the leading scorer on this team, and he is a scorer at heart while Paul has always been the distributor and closer. Mikal Bridges is too inconsistent to reliably bet on, so the player I value in this one is veteran Jae Crowder.
Crowder only has nine games with at least three assists this season, but eight of them came on the road. I like him to come through with at least three in this one as the Suns adjust to life without Paul.
NBA Prop Pick: Jae Crowder Over 2.5 Assists (+134) at Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.