It seems like the Philadelphia 76ers left it all on the floor against the Boston Celtics in their 3-1 comeback, as they now face a far more challenging 3-0 deficit against the New York Knicks. A comeback in the series seems unlikely, but a win on Sunday would help keep hope alive while avoiding the sweep. In the West, things are far more competitive, as the Minnesota Timberwolves look to pick up a win at home to tie the series against the Spurs before they head back to San Antonio for Game 5.
For picks on sides and totals in EVERY postseason game, check out our NBA predictions. But for now, let’s look into the player prop market. Here are my favorite prop bets for Sunday’s NBA playoff action.
NBA player prop: Karl-Anthony Towns (NY) over 5.5 assists (+114)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publishing. Playable to +100.
The referees were really letting Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns play physically in Game 3, which made scoring in the post tough for both. It resulted in the Knicks center once again looking for his teammates and racking up assists instead, which is something the Knicks will be keen for him to do once more. Towns has recorded 6 or more assists in 6 straight contests, with his team winning all of those games. With that sort of correlation and a tough opponent in the post, Towns should be dishing the ball out a ton here.
Of course, assists require teammates to make shots — which isn’t an issue for the Knicks. During this postseason run, the Knicks are 2nd in true shooting percentage. Not to mention, the 76ers are 12th of the 16 playoff teams in opponent assists per game. At plus money, this is a no-brainer.
NBA player prop: Ayo Dosunmu (MIN) over 1.5 made threes (+100)
Odds courtesy of BetMGM at the time of publishing. Playable to -105.
Mike Conley started Game 3 and had a plus/minus of -10 in just 4 minutes of playing time, so I expect the Timberwolves to lean more heavily on Ayo Dosunmu in this one. He played for 32 minutes in the previous contest, and a similar allotment of playing time should provide enough opportunities to contribute from deep — just like in Game 3 when Dosunmu knocked down 3-of-8 perimeter attempts. That is hardly surprising, considering he has connected on 48.4% of his three-point attempts this postseason. He has also managed to make 2 or more in 3 of his last 4 games.
With the Timberwolves edging towards a shorter rotation, Dosunmu will get his opportunities to get shots away from deep. Given his efficiency, anything around even money on over 1.5 made threes seems to be great value tonight.
Now check out our expert’s NBA best bets for Sunday’s playoff slate
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