Thursday’s national games on TNT are two of the best fans will have this week. Both are Eastern versus Western conference squads squaring off in cross-country travel as the Golden State Warriors (30-27) take on the New York Knicks (35-24) at 7:30 pm while the Miami Heat (33-25) face off against the Denver Nuggets (40-19) at 10 pm.
Which team – and player – will rise to the occasion Thursday night? We’ll cover our four best NBA player prop bets for Thursday, February 29 below.
Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo UNDER 32.5 Pts + Reb + Ast
Miami is among the hottest teams in the NBA right now, having won five consecutive games heading into their Thursday night matchup against Denver. Heat center Bam Adebayo is a big reason for the winning streak as he’s averaging 20.8 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists during those five games, numbers that are slightly above his season totals.
Against the Nuggets, expect Adebayo to see his torrid streak come to an end as he is unable to cover a player prop bet of securing more than 32 points, rebounds and assists combined. In the two teams’ previous four matchups over the past two season, Denver has kept Adebayo from reaching this figure in all four games.
New York Knicks’ Donte DiVincenzo OVER 3.5 3-Point Field Goals
When Golden State faces off against New York Thursday, Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo will see a lot of familiar faces. The sixth-year veteran played last season for the Warriors, giving the former Villanova standout plenty of motivation to showcase his talents in this TNT primetime contest.
On the season, DiVincenzo is connecting on a career-best 41.6% of his three-point attempts. In his last five outings, DiVincenzo has made four or more three-point shots with Knicks star Jalen Brunson sidelined due to a neck injury. Expect 6-4 guard to make at least four deep field goals again Thursday night to successfully cover this player prop bet.
Denver Nuggets’ Jamal Murray OVER 3.5 Rebounds
The Nuggets also enter their contest against Miami on a winning streak, having defeated their last four opponents by an average of 18 points per contest. Denver guard Jamal Murray – who returned last week from shin splints – is one of the reasons behind the winning streak as the guard is averaging 25.7 points, 5.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds in his last three games.
Against Miami, expect Murray to continue to shine – especially on the glass. In February, the guard is averaging 4.4 rebounds per night and has eclipsed the 3.5 rebound mark – what is needed to cover this player prop bet – in five of his eight outings.
Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski OVER 10.5 Points
Golden State is 9-2 in their past 11 games with wins over four Eastern Conference foes during that run. One reason the Warriors are improving on the floor is the emergence of rookie guard Brandin Podziemski. The former University of Santa Clara star is averaging 9.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his debut season.
In his first trip to Madison Square Garden Thursday night, Podziemski – who is slated to start for Golden State – will draw less attention than future Hall of Fame teammate Stephen Curry. Expect Podziemski to use that to his advantage and eclipse double-figure scoring in a contest for the 10th time this month.
