Best NBA Player Prop Bets Today (March 8) (Archive)
The NBA continues with six games this Tuesday evening. Here are 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.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte Hornets
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 – 07:30 PM EST at Spectrum Center
Kevin Durant
The Nets (32-33) are under .500 and have the same record as the Hornets, who had no real expectations coming into the season. Kevin Durant looks healthy since his return, and as a 3.5-point road favorite, at top-rated sportsbooks, he should be getting his share of minutes in this matchup of suspect defenses. The Hornets and Nets are 22nd and 23rd in Defensive Rating.
Prop Analysis
Durant has already missed too many games (27) this season to qualify for rate stats, but he is in the ballpark for an unofficial scoring title at 29.5 points per game. In a league where so many players can score 28 points one night and eight the next, Durant’s consistency should be appreciated.
In 38 games played this season, Durant has scored at least 21 points in 36 games. He had one off game with 19 points against the Warriors in November, and he scored 12 points in 12 minutes against New Orleans before leaving with his latest injury that kept him out until last week.
Durant played the Hornets once this season back in October. Despite the 16-point loss, he still scored 38 points on 17-of-24 shooting, his third-highest FG% in a game this season.
Durant played a great game on Sunday against Boston with 37 points, but Jayson Tatum (54 points) was just better for the win. I like Durant to have a third-straight 30-point game in this one because his team needs him to play that well to win in what has become a much more challenging season than expected for Brooklyn.
NBA Pick: Kevin Durant Over 29.5 Points (-114) at Bovada
Phoenix Suns vs. Orlando Magic
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 – 07:00 PM EST at Amway Center
Mikal Bridges
The Phoenix Suns continue to play without their two best players in Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Don’t be fooled by the final score on Sunday – Phoenix gave the Bucks all they could handle in a near upset. Now the Suns are a 7.5-point favorite in Orlando and will again be looking for other starters to step up and contribute more than they are used to.
Prop Analysis
The absences of Paul and Booker have been good for Cameron Payne’s ability to score and dish out assists. But small forward Mikal Bridges is also benefitting from this guard shakeup. Bridges has had at least four assists in four of the six games since the All-Star break, which is when Paul has been out.
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Orlando allows the sixth-most fantasy points per game to the small forward position. In a matchup with Orlando last month, Bridges had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and two assists. He didn’t play 30 minutes as the Suns won in blowout fashion, but this one could certainly be closer and ask more of him.
NBA Pick: Mikal Bridges Over 3.5 Assists (+122) at Bovada
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 – 07:30 PM EST at FedEx Forum
CJ McCollum
In the early tip on TNT, the Memphis Grizzlies are a 5.5-point favorite against the Pelicans. But New Orleans is 4-1 since the All-Star break and have the highest Net Rating in the league in that time. A new acquisition has been a big reason for that.
Prop Analysis
The CJ McCollum trade from Portland was met with little fanfare, but it has paid dividends already for the team. In 10 games with New Orleans, McCollum is averaging 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and shooting 51.8% from the field. The Pelicans have scored at least 117 points in six straight games. This could very well be a shootout with Ja Morant’s Grizzlies.
McCollum has played the Grizzlies twice this season, including once as a member of the Trail Blazers. He had at least 25 points and six rebounds in each game. In the game last month with New Orleans, McCollum had 30 points, six rebounds, and seven assists for a total of 43 in the main stat categories. I see no reason why he can’t get to at least 34 in this matchup, making my NBA pick easy.
NBA Pick: CJ McCollum Over 33.5 Points/Rebounds/Assists (-109) 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.