NBA

3 NBA Prop Bets to Target on 5/21/18

Our models see value in betting on Jayson Tatum's point total. Which other prop bets should you zero in on for Game 4?

Prop betting odds can be useful in daily fantasy sports to help gauge the potential performance of a player on any given night in the NBA. Likewise, the same principles can be applied in the opposite direction -- by using our fantasy projections and models to help make more informed prop bets.

Using the odds available at BetOnline Sportsbook, here are three prop bets available for Wednesday night that are good plays based on our nightly NBA game projections.

Please note that Vegas lines and our game projections may change throughout the day after this article is published.

Boston Celtics At Cleveland Cavaliers

Jayson Tatum UNDER 17.5 Points (-114)

After a stretch of seven straight games with 20 or more points, Jayson Tatum has failed to reach the 20-point mark in each of the first three games of the Eastern Conference Finals. While Tatum has still been efficient with his scoring, his usage has dropped by a signifciant amount.

In his first 12 playoff games, Tatum owned a 24.8% usage rate for the Boston Celtics. However, over the course of the last three games, Tatum's usage rate has dipped to 19.8%. Our models are taking notice, projecting Tatum for 15.9 points in Game 4.

Kevin Love OVER 17.5 Points (-114)

Speaking of usage rates, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been making a more concerted effort to get Kevin Love going since the early parts of their matchup with the Toronto Raptors in the previous round. However, BetOnline has yet to correct Love's prop total, which is still sitting at 17.5 points.

Over the first eight playoff games, Love owned a 21.2% usage rate. In the Cavs' last six playoff games, Love's usage rate has shot up to 27.3%. Despite scoring just 13 points in Game 3, our models like Love to net 22.7 points on Monday.

Marcus Morris OVER 5.5 Rebounds (-114)

Marcus Morris was on his way to another big rebounding game on Saturday, but with the Celtics getting blown out, he lost some run and finished with 5 boards across 26 minutes. Morris has collected 20 total rebounds in the first three games of this series, and our models think he could once again grab more than BetOnline's prop total.

The Cavaliers were a below-average rebounding team during the regular season, and in the playoffs, they rank 10th with a 78.2% defensive rebounding rate. We project Morris for 6.9 rebounds in Game 4.