Bryan Armetta shares his three favorite player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday’s nine-game NBA slate.
With the regular season coming to a close, the time is now to place a few NBA player prop bets. Friday’s nine-game, 18-team slate offers up several must-watch matchups. There’s no shortage of contenders tonight, with the Timberwolves, Knicks, Celtics, Rockets and more expected to take the floor.
Which players should bettors be targeting this evening? Here are my three favorite NBA prop bet picks on DraftKings Sportsbook for Friday’s contests.
Top NBA prop bet picks
Moussa Diabate double-double (+254)
Among the many reasons for Charlotte’s surprisingly good season, a strong interior defense stands out. Despite concerns about the center position, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate have done a terrific job down low. The latter has been particularly effective, eventually gaining full control of the starting job. Through 69 games this season, Diabate is averaging 8.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 63% from the field. To boot, the Frenchman has recorded a team-leading 20 double-doubles.
Diabate has notched at least ten points and ten rebounds in nearly a third of his outings this season. Keeping that in mind, his current double-double line feels a bit undervalued. Tonight’s opponents, the Pacers, are giving up the second-most rebounds (56.0) and second-most points in the paint (55.7) per game. Indiana’s starting center Ivica Zubac (rib) is also sidelined. When these clubs last met in February, Diabate tallied 14 points and 11 rebounds over 30 minutes. A similar showing wouldn’t come as a surprise on Friday.
Josh Hart 13+ rebounds + assists (-115)
No player embodies the phrase ‘jack of all trades’ better than Josh Hart. The heart (no pun intended) and soul of New York does a little bit of everything on the court. Over 62 appearances this season, he’s posted 12.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists. Granted, the veteran’s scoring output can vary greatly from night to night. As a result, Hart is usually safer for bettors when it comes to his other skills on the floor. During the last two seasons, he leads all Knicks players with 11 total triple-doubles.
Hart hasn’t been at his best as of late. The 31-year-old has notched a combined 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists over his last two contests. A streaky shooter, the wing may take some time getting his jumper back on track. However, he should have little trouble making an impact tonight against the rebuilding Bulls. Chicago has surrendered the tenth-most rebounds (54.2) and third-most assists (28.8) per game to opponents this season. In addition, the Knicks might be without Karl-Anthony Towns (elbow). On paper, this has all the makings of another stat-stuffing Hart performance.
Devin Carter 2+ three-pointers made (+119)
The Kings are en route to yet another lottery pick, with virtually nothing left to play for. That means the team’s handful of youngsters should have every opportunity to show off over the next week. Devin Carter is among the names worth paying attention to in Sacramento. The former first-round pick has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency this season. However, he’s logged at least 20 minutes in six of his last ten outings. During that stretch, he’s averaging 11.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
Shooting isn’t really Carter’s forte; he’s knocking down just 24.7% of his attempts from beyond the arc this season. Still, the guard is more than willing to let it fly from deep. He’s nailed two or more three-pointers in four of his last seven matchups. Tonight, the Kings will take on a Pelicans squad that struggles to defend the perimeter. New Orleans is coughing up the NBA’s third-most three pointers made per game (14.3). There’s no reason to think Carter can’t continue his recent success from long distance in this one.