NBA

3 NBA Player Prop Bets to Target on Friday 4/1/22

Player props are a fun way to bet the NBA without having to worry about the zaniness that last-minute injuries can cause in terms of a spread or a game total.

Here, we'll focus on utilizing our projections and a slew of other tools and simulations to help make some cash.

For this article, we are using the odds provided at NBA Finals odds to pinpoint spots where value can be had tonight.

The prop-betting experience on FanDuel Sportsbook is getting even more fun. You can track your player props with real-time updates and place in-game props with ease.

Note: Betting lines and our player projections may change throughout the day after this article is published.

Cade Cunningham Under 23.5 Points (-114)

Cade Cunningham is red-hot right now. He's put up 27 and 34 points in back-to-back games, and he's got a delightful matchup on tap versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But our model likes the under on Cunningham's points prop.

Cunningham has taken 20 and 24 shots in the last two games, recording a 33.8% usage rate in that span. A bet on him to hit the under here is, for the most part, a bet on that usage rate to regress a bit. Cunningham had a 29.2% usage rate overall in March, and he took more than 18 shots only once in his previous five outings prior to the past two games.

In said five-game stretch (before the last two games), Cunningham netted 24-plus points just one time.

Our model projects the stud rookie to score 20.8 points against OKC, so we see some good value on this prop.

Kevin Porter Jr. Under 19.5 Points (-118)

Taking the under on another player who is on a heater and in a dope matchup?

Yes.

Kevin Porter Jr. poured in 30 points last time out and had 26 the game before that. Dude is rolling, and a matchup with the Sacramento Kings -- a game with a 233.5-point total and 2.5-point spread -- looks pretty nice at first glance.

But the Kings have actually been stingy against point guards of late, limiting the position to 20.7 points per night over the last 15 games, the second-fewest in that stretch.

On top of that, Porter's recent surge isn't in line with how he's been playing overall for the last month. Before the past two games, Porter had scored 20-plus points just once across his last 10 games. He's averaging 14.4 points for the year and dropped in 16.5 per game in March.

Porter is projected for 18.2 points tonight, per our numbers.

Nikola Jokic to Double-Double and Nuggets to Win (-114)

This is mostly a bet on the Denver Nuggets to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Nikola Jokic has double-doubled in 28 of his last 30 games. He is projected for 27.8 points and 13.9 rebounds, according to our model. Barring injury, Jokic is basically a lock to get double-digit points, and the line on his rebounds prop is set at 13.5 boards. He's also projected for 8.7 assists, so if you want, you can just roll the dice on him to get a triple-double, which is listed at +180 odds.

As for the Nugs to get a win, that's not nearly as much of a lock as Denver is just a 2.5-point home favorite. However, our model really likes them tonight. While Denver is a decent -142 on the moneyline, which implies win odds of 58.7%, our numbers have the Nuggets winning 69.4% of the time.

If you wanted to be bold, you can get Jokic to triple-double and the Nuggets to win at +340.