April Fool’s Day is often celebrated across the sports world, highlighting pranks that fans and athletes enjoy. While there are sure to be more today, there are numerous infamous pranks from previous years sports fans can get a chuckle recounting their glorious success.
NBA fans will not be fooled by their teams’ matchups tonight. With six games on tap featuring mostly Eastern Conference opponents, playoff seeding will be on the line for multiple teams Monday night.
This author’s recent NBA player prop predictions have been anything but fool’s gold. After hitting nine of 12 correctly last week, can the hot streak continue in April? We’ll soon see as below you’ll find the best four NBA player props for Monday, April 1.
Live player props data coming soon for Miles Bridges.
Charlotte Hornets’ Miles Bridges OVER 6.5 Rebounds
Since January, Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been the star of the show for Charlotte. The 26-year-old player has averaged over 22.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per night to pace the Hornets in those categories.
Monday night Charlotte faces off against the Celtics. With Boston’s hold on the Eastern Conference’s top spot etched in stone, the Celtics can afford to rest starters over the last eight games to ensure their health for a deep playoff run.
In his first matchup against the Boston Celtics in November, Miles uncorked a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Bettors should expect a similar stat line tonight – especially on the rebounding front – as Charlotte is without multiple starters from that early-season matchup.
Live player props data coming soon for Tyrese Haliburton.
Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton OVER 2.5 3-Pt Field Goals
Tyrese Haliburton was selected as an All-Star this season for the second time in his career. It’s no surprise as the Indiana guard is leading the league with 11.0 assists per night while averaging 20.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
From behind the arc, Haliburton has shot over 42.8% in his past three games after a shooting slump derailed his early March contests. Monday’s matchup features the Brooklyn Nets.
In his first matchup against Brooklyn in March, Haliburton had a horrendous outing from behind the three-point line, going just 1-of-9 from that distance in his team’s 121-100 victory. Expect Haliburton to rebound from that showing tonight, easily eclipsed the three-point player prop bet against the Nets.
Live player props data coming soon for DeMar DeRozan.
Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan Over 26.5 Points
The final Eastern Conference matchup features the Chicago Bulls hosting the Atlanta Hawks. With these two teams separated by 1.5 games, both the Bulls and Hawks are fighting for the ninth playoff position in the Eastern Conference.
DeMar DeRozan leads Chicago with 23.5 points per game while contributing 4.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists each night. The veteran guard has averaged 28.0 points over the past five games, hitting at least 27 points each outing.
DeRozan led the Bulls to a pair of victories over the Hawks by scoring a combined 54 points in those games. Expect DeRozan’s late-season push to continue as the 6’ 6” forward should notch at least 27 points Monday night.
Live player props data coming soon for CJ McCollum.
New Orleans Pelicans’ CJ McCollum OVER 26.5 Pts + Reb + Ast
A pivotal Western Conference matchup rounds out the NBA’s April Fool’s Day schedule as the Phoenix Suns travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans. At 45-29, New Orleans is currently tied for fifth place in the Western Conference while Phoenix is 43-31 and tied for seventh place.
These two teams will face off against each other again Sunday, emphasizing both teams’ need to win these contests. The Pelicans have relied on guard CJ McCollum this season in big contests as the veteran athlete is averaging 18.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on the year.
In his last five games, McCollum has averaged 25.0 points, 6.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. With playoff seeding on the line, expect McCollum to continue that torrid pace and easily cover his player combo prop bet tonight against the Suns.
