Zach Thompson details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Sunday’s matchup between the Knicks and the Thunder.
The New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder tip off at 7:30 p.m. from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Both teams are looking to make a deep playoff run, meaning this could be a potential NBA Finals preview. Let’s break down both sides of the contest and find a few strong player prop bets to back.
In the overall matchup, the Thunder are 8.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a game total of 223.5 points.
The Thunder have the best record in the NBA at 58-16 but are just two games ahead of the Spurs for the top spot in the Western Conference. They lost to the Celtics on Wednesday, but are 13-1 over their last 14 games. They beat the Knicks during that stretch, emerging with a 103-100 win on March 4. The Knicks have won seven of their last eight games and come into this tough contest after taking a loss to the Hornets on Thursday. New York is 48-26, currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of the Cavaliers and 1.5 games behind Boston.
In this matchup, the Knicks will be without Landry Shamet but could get back Miles McBride, who is questionable. The Thunder don’t have any key players on the injury report, so they’ll be at full strength.
Knicks vs. Thunder Best Prop Bets
Isaiah Hartenstein o15.5 Points + Rebounds (-118)
Hartenstein takes on his former team for the second time this season, but he’ll be hoping for a much better result than early this month. He only played 16 minutes and had zero points and five rebounds. He missed the game before that contest and the three games right after it while dealing with a calf issue.
He has played each of the last four games for the Thunder, posting 22+ Points + Rebounds in three of those four contests. In his most recent game, he had six points and 16 boards in just 24 minutes against the Bulls.
On the season, Hartenstein is averaging 9.5 points and 9.6 rebounds in 42 games this season. He should be able to get over this prop line as long as he plays his typical minutes. Facing his former team should give him an extra boost as he ramps back up and tries to prepare for the postseason.
Karl-Anthony Towns o30.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-105)
Towns only played 22 minutes on Thursday in a loss to the Hornets, producing just 18 PRA (points, rebounds and assists). It was a huge letdown after his recent run. He had at least 31 PRA in 11 straight games before that contest.
KAT had 35 PRA in the first matchup between these teams and has gone over this prop line in 17 of his last 20 games, dating back to just before the All-Star break. Towns is averaging 21.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists for 35.7 PRA over those 20 games
As long as he’s ready to go for his full workload on Sunday, he has a great chance to put up at least 31 PRA.
Jalen Williams o4.5 Assists (-120)
The Thunder have been without Williams for most of the season, but the 24-year-old has been effective when available, averaging 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. In this contest, I’m taking Williams’ assists props, since he has stepped right back into a key role in the offense..
Williams returned from his latest extended absence just under a week ago and had six assists in 20 minutes against the Sixers. He struggled against the Celtics in a loss last Wednesday but bounced back with 18 points and eight assists on Friday against the Bulls.
Especially if this game stays close throughout, Williams should be set for over 26 minutes and hand out at least five assists.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Josh Hart o12.5 Points (+101)
If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) from this Sunday’s matchup, one way to boost the odds even higher is to take the over on Hart’s points. Adding this as the fourth player prop into the mix boosts the SGP all the way up to an even +1200 for these four Knicks-Thunder bets.
Hart has scored 33, 16, 10, and 16 points in his last four games and is playing big minutes. Since March 1, Hart is averaging 13.8 points per game and is playing a big role as the team pushes to the playoffs. In this gritty playoff atmosphere, Hart should step up once again.
