Filip Tomic
Show Bio
The NBA season is heating up as we enter April. Playoff seeding is on the line which should bring out the best in everyone, and what better way to enjoy a nine-game slate than with some player prop bets?
Our NBA experts have been on a real hot streak lately, going 6-1 ATS last night and are currently 29-9 on the O/U for the past five days. Make sure you check out all of our experts’ thoughts on the side and total for each of tonight’s games!
Zach LaVine over 23.5 points (-128)
Even though the Bulls acquired a scoring threat in Nikola Vucevic, it is pretty clear that Zach LaVine is still their number one option on offense. He is averaging 27.2 points for the season while shooting 50.4 percent and is very much a rhythm player. He plays his best ball on back-to-backs, upping his average to 29.8 points in those games and shooting 54.5 percent while draining 3.4 three-pointers on 43.6 percent shooting.
Competing against great players always brings out the best in him. In seven head-to-head meetings against Trae Young, he has won four times and has outscored Young averaging 25.1 points in those seven meetings — he even once had a 47-point game. The last time these two teams met he scored only 22 points, but it’s worth noting that his three-point shot wasn’t going that night as he went just 1-8 from deep. Atlanta has had some injury issues as of late and they could struggle defending LaVine here.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks.
Jayson Tatum over 24.5 points (-106)
© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Tatum has had a productive stretch of eight games scoring 20 or more points and has averaged 28.8 points during the stretch. He’s coming off a 25-point performance against the defensive-minded New York Knicks on very efficient shooting from the field. He has also scored at least three times from beyond the arc in his last four games.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are anything but a defensive-minded team — they allow 111.9 points per 100 possessions which ranks them 26th in the NBA in defensive efficiency. Guarding Tatum will be rookie forward Anthony Edwards’ assignment, who is focused on scoring as many points as possible at the moment as he tries to win Rookie of the Year honors. Tatum should take the rookie to school here and don’t be surprised if he goes for 30+ points tonight.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Boston Celtics.
Pickswise is the home of free NBA picks and predictions. Make sure to also check out our ‘NBA parlays‘ and ‘NBA prop bets‘ tabs for more expert picks.
