Ahhhh, there's nothing like playoff basketball. One day after Philly shocked Boston in Game 1 of that series, we get 2 more iconic games to entertain us. The Knicks will host the Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Semis, while the Warriors and Lakers will battle it out in Game 1 of the Western Semis.
Both home teams are listed as moderate favorites. The Knicks are favored by 6.5 over the Heat, while the Warriors are favored by 4.5 over the Lakers at the time of this writing.
Ready for some more NBA Playoffs action? We got you! Here are 2 PrizePicks NBA Props for Tuesday, May 2. Let's cash some tickets!
Jordan Poole OVER 14.5 Points / Assists
FanDuel lists this prop at 15.5, and PointsBet has it at 16.5 (juiced toward the Under). That tells us that PrizePicks may be too light on this number. Poole's minutes have been lowered since the playoffs started, but he's more than capable of having a big night and going over this total.
During the regular season, Poole averaged 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game. Granted, Steph Curry was out with an injury for a portion of those games, so take those stats with a grain of salt. Poole averaged 30 minutes per game during the season and has played only 23 minutes per game during the playoffs.
All of that being said, Poole has still averaged 12 points and 3 assists per game during the playoffs. That still tells us there's a little value on the Over. The Lakers are good at defending three-pointers, but they only rank 19th in points per game allowed and 16th in assists allowed. Let's ride the Over with Poole!
LeBron James OVER 5.5 Assists
LeBron's assist numbers have been down a little since the playoffs started. The 38-year-old is only averaging 5.2 assists per game after averaging 6.8 per outing during the regular season. We're expecting some positive regression in this game against Golden State, who only ranks 15th in the league at limiting assists.
In 2 games against the Warriors this year, James averaged 8 assists per game. That makes us like the Over quite a bit in this spot. Further adding to our case is the fact that James went over this assists total in 39 of 55 games this season.
PointsBet and FanDuel are once again showing some market support for us on this play. PointsBet is currently juicing this Over at -150, while FanDuel isn't too far behind at -146. Look for LBJ to dish out plenty of assists in Game 1 tonight. Take the Over!
