The final few days of the NBA regular season are upon us. While Thursday nights slate may not be the biggest, bringing us 6 games, it should be very competitive. The live games on PRIME will feature the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks. Both sides have slender leads over their chasing rivals in the standings. Expect them to be desperate to win against their matchups against the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics, respectively.
You can find all of our NBA previews here, first take a look at my favorite player props for the nights action below.
NBA player prop: Bam Adebayo (MIA) under 21.5 points (-112)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has struggled to score against the Toronto Raptors this season. While his season high against them is a 20-point effort, he has managed just 9 and 7 points in the 2 contests since. His opponents are able to put Jakob Poeltl against him, which leaves Adebayo at a size disadvantage, discouraging him to attack on the low block. That prevents Adebayo from being the focal point of the offense, as seen by his season-high of 13 field goal attempts against them. It also forces him to look for his points further away from the basket. Considering he is just a 31.3% shooter from beyond the arc, the Raptors were happy to have him take 7 three-point shots in their last game. Do not be surprised to seem them offer the Heat center similar opportunities here. It is hard to see Adebayo being able to capitalize on this.
Check out our Heat vs Raptors prediction
NBA player prop: LeBron James (LAL) to record a triple-double – Yes (+400)
For LeBron James, scoring double-digit points has been a given in his career, so this one is going to come down to overachieving on the boards and as a facilitator. With Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves remaining out, James will have to take on the playmaking burden. He already averages 9.5 assists per game against the Warriors this season, including a 10-assist effort in a contest that Doncic and Reaves missed. Furthermore, James He has recorded 9 or more rebounds in 4 of his last 7 games. In a contest without dominant rebounding centers on either side and a matchup against a player like Draymond Green, who he can back off against on the perimeter, I fancy James to improve on that mark here.
NBA player prop: Joel Embiid (PHI) over 8.5 rebounds (-110)
Joel Embiid dominated the glass when he last faced the Houston Rockets. He recorded 15-rebounds, taking full advantage of his size advantage over Alperen Sengun. Nothing should change in this contest. Embiid is averaging 12.5 rebounds per game to start the month, and with the 76ers still in a fight to avoid the NBA play-ins, he should see no shortage of minutes tonight.
Sengun has struggled to space the floor to start off the month, making just 30% of his attempts from deep. That should allow Embiid to drop off and dominate the defensive glass. He collected 12 boards on that end in their last meeting alone, and I expect him to perform similarly tonight.
Find our Sixers vs Rockets prediction
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