The Association features a small four-game slate, but we’re still delivering our favorite NBA player prop picks for tonight. We’re paying particularly close attention to the Los Angeles Clippers, who host the Oklahoma City Thunder on NBA TV.
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NBA Player Prop Picks for Thursday, March 23
Evan Mobley (+6.5 Points) vs. Mikal Bridges
Bridges is emerging as the Nets’ primary scorer. Meanwhile, Mobley is often required to survive off of scraps left over from Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. That didn’t matter on Tuesday, a 115-109 Cavs win, when Mobley finished with 17 points compared to Bridges’ 18.
The Cavs feature the league’s best defensive rating, so even if they fail to force another 0-for-8 three-point effort from Bridges, they’ll make life difficult for him. We like Mobley’s efficiency, though we’ll admit that we’re hoping for a little more volume – he attempted 12 shots on Tuesday. We like the 6.5 points he’s getting in this spot nonetheless.
C.J. McCollum Over 5.5 Points In 1st Quarter
The Pelicans are in a very similar situation as Tuesday when they blew out the visiting San Antonio Spurs. Tonight’s guest in another absolutely must-have contest is the hapless Charlotte Hornets, a team that struggles offensively and defensively.
McCollum operates as the No. 2 to Brandon Ingram, but should still see enough opportunity to make his presence felt in the first quarter. It’s reasonable to bank on the Pelicans trying to get off on the front foot in a vital home game.
Russell Westbrook Over 8.5 Assists
Paul George vacates a team-high 29.5% usage rate and 24.6% assist rate. Westbrook will assume some of that volume in a game in which the Clippers are still laying 4 points. Westbrook went Over in two of his last four, and the stage is set for him to do so once again.
The Clippers certainly need secondary players to make the most of their increased opportunity, but the sheer volume figures to be there for Westbrook to rack up 9 dimes.
Kawhi Leonard Over 29.5 Points
One of the reasons we’re comfortable playing the Over on Westbrook’s assists is Leonard’s form. He’s scoring at a remarkably efficient clip with a 53.9/50.7/89.7 shooting line – and that’s on healthy volume too.
Simply put, this is a playoff game for Kawhi and the Clips – they’re 1.5 games out of the play-in tournament and 2.5 games out of missing the playoffs altogether. Not to mention, the Thunder are among the teams hot on their tail. Leonard has no choice but to take on a good portion of the 18 shots George leaves up for grabs, and we’re betting on the added volume pushing him to an Over.
Note: Odds and lines for NBA player prop picks are subject to change leading up to tip-off – and even throughout the game. Check the best NBA betting sites for the most up-to-date numbers.
