With the NBA regular season over, the Play-In Tournament has arrived, with Tuesday marking the start of the action. The Brooklyn Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers will take each other on in the Eastern Conference, with the Western Conference matchup featuring the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Wednesday's action will see the Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks in the East, and the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans out west. With plenty of stars involved, such as Kevin Durant, Paul George, Trae Young and Karl-Anthony Towns, there are no shortage of fireworks expected from the Play-In games. That makes prop betting quite the adventure. Could Durant, who exploded for 55 points at the start of the month, do it again in a pivotal game? Could Trae Young, who dished out 15 assists just last week, do so and be the slate's leading passer? Durant and Young would be the obvious leading candidates in their respective point and assist categories, though that doesn't mean the big winner can't be someone other than the favorites. That said, here are the three juiciest prop bets in the 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament, with the odds courtesy of FanDuel.
3 Juiciest Prop Bets For NBA Play-In Tournament
3. Clint Capela Most Rebounds +210
Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela finished fourth in the NBA with 11.9 rebounds per game. In each of the last three seasons, Capela has posted an average of 12 boards per game or better. It's understandable then, that FanDuel has him listed as the favorite to be the Play-In Tournament's leading rebounder. While it's not exactly ground-breaking to recommend betting on the favorite, that is exactly what should happen here. The Hawks center pulled down 13 or more boards in six of his last nine games and goes up against a Hornets squad that surrendered the fourth-most rebounds per game in the league this season. In four regular season matchups against the Charlotte frontcourt, Capela pulled down 14 or more boards three times. The man is a rebounding menace and is as safe a bet as any to lead the Play-In Tournament in boards.
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2. LaMelo Ball Most Assists +550
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has emerged as one of the league's best passers since entering the NBA. Ball averaged a career-best 7.6 assists per contest this season but stepped it up a notch over his team's final seven games played, as he averaged a robust 10.2 dimes per game. At just +550 odds to post the most assists in the Play-In Tournament, Ball is too juicy of a prop bet to pass up. The talented guard posted double-digit assists in two of the three games against Atlanta this season. In a battle between two of the fastest-paced teams in the NBA, there should be plenty of possessions- and assist chances- available for Ball.
1. Kyrie Irving Most Points +500
Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving slots in behind teammate Kevin Durant and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young in FanDuel's odds for the most points scored. However, that's good value for Irving, who dropped 30-plus, including a 42-point game against the Houston Rockets, in three of the season's final five games. The best part? Two of those games were played at home, which is where the Play-In Tournament contest against the Cavs will take place. Irving put up just 18 points against the Cavs last week, though the stakes are considerably higher this time around. Look for Irving to exact revenge against the Cavs with a monster scoring performance.