I’ve got one prop bet from each of Monday’s NBA playoff games.
The pregame narrative: Christian Braun eats up big minutes for the Denver Nuggets, and I expect him to stuff the stat sheet against the Los Angeles Clippers. Before that, look for Karl-Anthony Towns to hit a pair of 3s against the Detroit Pistons.
Check out the best NBA prop bets for first-round playoff action on April 21.
NBA prop bets
Best Bet: Braun over 6.5 rebounds and assists (-154)
This isn’t the sexiest pick, and it’s definitely not the sexiest price, but I believe it’s a bet worth making.
Braun had a decent outing on Sunday, scoring 11 points (5-of-10 shooting) with three rebounds and one assist in 45 minutes of play.
He fell well short of this line, but let’s look at the positives. Interim head coach David Adelman ran the guard out for an absurd amount of playing time thanks to his defensive prowess. Braun should see 35-plus minutes again on Monday, and I expect him to stuff the stat sheet.
- Braun averaged 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 25 games following the all-star break.
- In that span, he recorded 7+ rebounds/assists 18 times. That 72.0% hit rate far exceeds the 58.85% implied probability of this wager.
The Clippers allow the fewest rebounds (5.77) and the fifth-fewest assists (4.59) per game to shooting guards, according to Fantasy Pros.
It’s a tough matchup, but Braun should get enough opportunity to coast by this modest total.
Key stat: Braun cleared this line in both regular-season games against the Clippers where he played 30-plus minutes.
Best NBA picks
Towns over 1.5 threes (+130): Towns has played the Pistons twice in the last 11 days and shot a combined 1-for-4 from 3-point range. That’s not great, but I expect the big man to be more active from deep on Monday night.
- Towns has averaged 2.0+ threes per game in each of the last six seasons.
- He shot 42.0% from deep this year, which led all centres and was the 16th-best rate in the NBA.
- KAT cleared this mark in both games against the Pistons before April 10, shooting a combined 7-for-15 from deep in those contests.
Detroit had the sixth-highest opponent 3-point percentage (36.7) in the NBA and allowed the eighth-most 3s per game to opposing centres this season.
NBA prop picks made at 8:48 a.m. ET on 04/21/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.