Contributing Writer

Best NBA prop bets April 2: Back big men Sengun and Sabonis on Wednesday

Two star centres headline Wednesday’s best NBA prop bets.

The pregame narrative: Alperen Sengun is in a spot he’s shined before, so I’ll gladly take the over on his modest point total. Domantas Sabonis and P.J. Washington are also in positions to feast.

Check out the best NBA prop bets for April 2.

NBA prop bets

Best Bet: Sengun over 19.5 points (-118)

The Utah Jazz is a team Sengun seemingly has circled on the calendar.

Since becoming a focal point in the Rockets’ offence at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the big man has scored 20-plus points in all four games against the Jazz.

He grabbed 10-plus rebounds in each of those matchups, too, which isn’t important for this wager at a surface level but demonstrates how little resistance Utah has for Sengun in the paint.

The Jazz allow the fifth-most points to centres (24.69), per Fantasy Pros.

Averaging 19.1 PPG on the season, Sengun is liable to cash this bet when a plus matchup comes around. And that’s exactly what he has on Wednesday.

Key stat: Sengun has averaged 30.0 points in two games vs. Utah this season.

Best NBA picks

Washington over 16.5 points (-108): Dallas’ forward recently missed seven games with an injury but has returned to play some of his best ball of the season.

Washington has played six games since rejoining the lineup, averaging 21.7 points on 56.5% shooting (40.7% from 3-point range).

He has 16+ points in 5 of those 6 games.

On Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, Washington scored 13 points on just seven shots. So the issue was volume, not efficiency.

He has shot over 50.0% from the field in every game since returning.

Tonight is a nice opportunity to do damage as the Atlanta Hawks allow the second-most PPG to power forwards (24.23).

This matchup has the highest point total of any game on Wednesday (239).

Sabonis over 33.5 points/rebounds (-130): This stat line is very achievable for Sabonis on any night.

He averages 33.0 points/rebounds/assists, but this pick is all about the matchup.

The Washington Wizards give up the most PRA to centres per game (42.96), and it’s not close. For reference, the next team on the list is the New Orleans Pelicans (40.34)).

Sabonis played Washington earlier this season and he dominated. He finished with 29 points and 18 rebounds (47 PRA) in a below-average 31 minutes.

NBA prop picks made at 2:20 p.m. ET on 04/02/2025.

Best NBA prop bets April 2: Back big men Sengun and Sabonis on Wednesday

Two star centres headline Wednesday’s best NBA prop bets.

The pregame narrative: Alperen Sengun is in a spot he’s shined before, so I’ll gladly take the over on his modest point total. Domantas Sabonis and P.J. Washington are also in positions to feast.

Check out the best NBA prop bets for April 2.

NBA prop bets

Best Bet: Sengun over 19.5 points (-106)

Embed: #112068

The Utah Jazz is a team Sengun seemingly has circled on the calendar.

Since becoming a focal point in the Rockets’ offence at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the big man has scored 20-plus points in all four games against the Jazz.

He grabbed 10-plus rebounds in each of those matchups, too, which isn’t important for this wager at a surface level but demonstrates how little resistance Utah has for Sengun in the paint.

The Jazz allow the fifth-most points to centres (24.69), per Fantasy Pros.

Averaging 19.1 PPG on the season, Sengun is liable to cash this bet when a plus matchup comes around. And that’s exactly what he has on Wednesday.

Key stat: Sengun has averaged 30.0 points in two games vs. Utah this season.

Best NBA picks

Washington over 16.5 points (-124): Dallas’ forward recently missed seven games with an injury but has returned to play some of his best ball of the season.

Washington has played six games since rejoining the lineup, averaging 21.7 points on 56.5% shooting (40.7% from 3-point range).

He has 16+ points in 5 of those 6 games.

On Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, Washington scored 13 points on just seven shots. So the issue was volume, not efficiency.

He has shot over 50.0% from the field in every game since returning.

Tonight is a nice opportunity to do damage as the Atlanta Hawks allow the second-most PPG to power forwards (24.23).

This matchup has the highest point total of any game on Wednesday (239).

Sabonis over 40.5 points/rebounds/assists (-112): This stat line is very achievable for Sabonis on any night.

He averages 39.0 points/rebounds/assists, but this pick is all about the matchup.

The Washington Wizards give up the most PRA to centres per game (47.0), and it’s not close. For reference, the next team on the list is the New Orleans Pelicans (45.2).

Sabonis played Washington earlier this season and he dominated. He finished with 29 points, 18 rebounds and four assists (51 PRA) in a below-average 31 minutes.

NBA prop picks made at 11:20 a.m. ET on 04/02/2025.

Maple Leafs props vs. Panthers April 2: Picks on teammates William Nylander and John Tavares

The Toronto Maple Leafs look to hold the top spot in the Atlantic Division as they face one of their challengers, the Florida Panthers.

The pregame narrative: John Tavares looks like his prime self at the moment, and I’m taking a shot on his goalscorer prop at plus money. I’m also tailing William Nylander in my best bet.

Check out my Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Panthers for April 2.

Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Panthers

Best Bet: Nylander over 2.5 shots (-134)

This is a tough matchup, no doubt, but there are still a few reasons to like this over:

Nylander averages well over this mark with 3.20 shots per game this season. That ranks 16th in the NHL.

He’s 9-5 against this line over the past 14 games.

On March 13 vs. the Panthers, Nylander tallied a team-high six shots (out of Toronto’s 25 total).

On a nightly basis, the Swedish winger has to share opportunities with Auston Matthews and other high-octane offensive talents.

But he continues to shine through, leading Toronto in both shots (237) and goals (42) this season.

Matthews’ shot total is set at 3.5 for a similar price, so I’ll buy in on Nylander instead.

Key stat: Nylander has tallied three-plus shots in both games against Florida this season.

Quick pick

Tavares anytime goalscorer (+170): I love the value here on the red-hot former captain.

Tavares has been the Leafs’ best player lately, scoring eight goals in his past six games.

He was held pointless against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, but he notched 11 points in the five games before that.

If Tavares was due for a down game, it just happened, so I’m going to jump right back on the train.

I’m not sure if it’s the magic of a contract year or the relief of not wearing the “C” anymore, but Tavares sits second on the Leafs and 11th in the NHL with 35 goals.

Additionally, he scored one of Toronto’s goals in a 3-2 loss to the Panthers last month.

Maple Leafs vs. Panthers prop picks made at 9:35 a.m. ET 04/02/2025.

Maple Leafs props vs. Panthers April 2: Picks on teammates William Nylander and John Tavares

The Toronto Maple Leafs look to hold the top spot in the Atlantic Division as they face one of their challengers, the Florida Panthers.

The pregame narrative: John Tavares looks like his prime self at the moment, and I’m taking a shot on his goalscorer prop at plus money. I’m also tailing William Nylander in my best bet.

Check out my Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Panthers for April 2.

Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Panthers

Best Bet: Nylander over 2.5 shots (-143)

Embed: #112055

This is a tough matchup, no doubt, but there are still a few reasons to like this over:

Nylander averages well over this mark with 3.20 shots per game this season. That ranks 16th in the NHL.

He’s 9-5 against this line over the past 14 games.

On March 13 vs. the Panthers, Nylander tallied a team-high six shots (out of Toronto’s 25 total).

On a nightly basis, the Swedish winger has to share opportunities with Auston Matthews and other high-octane offensive talents.

But he continues to shine through, leading Toronto in both shots (237) and goals (42) this season.

Matthews’ shot total is set at 3.5 for a similar price, so I’ll buy in on Nylander instead.

Key stat: Nylander has tallied three-plus shots in both games against Florida this season.

Quick pick

Tavares anytime goalscorer (+195): I love the value here on the red-hot former captain.

Tavares has been the Leafs’ best player lately, scoring eight goals in his past six games.

He was held pointless against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, but he notched 11 points in the five games before that.

If Tavares was due for a down game, it just happened, so I’m going to jump right back on the train.

I’m not sure if it’s the magic of a contract year or the relief of not wearing the “C” anymore, but Tavares sits second on the Leafs and 11th in the NHL with 35 goals.

Additionally, he scored one of Toronto’s goals in a 3-2 loss to the Panthers last month.

Maple Leafs vs. Panthers prop picks made at 9:35 a.m. ET 04/02/2025.

Braves vs. Dodgers prop picks March 31: Take overs for Mookie Betts, starter Tyler Glasnow

The Los Angeles Dodgers look to stay undefeated when hosting the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

The pregame narrative: Tyler Glasnow makes his first start of the season against an offence he’s mowed down in the past. Mookie Betts returns to the Dodgers lineup, and I’m betting on him to stay hot with the bat.

Check out my Braves vs. Dodgers prop picks for March 31.

Braves vs. Dodgers prop picks

Best bet: Glasnow over 6.5 Ks (-127)

Embed: #111937

This line feels like a snag to me. The Braves are winless through four games and their offence is struggling while fighting through some key injuries.

On top of that, Glasnow is one of the best swing-and-miss arms in the majors. Last year, he ranked in the 95th percentile for K-rate (32.2%), per Baseball Savant.

His stuff was electric in spring training, too. He struck out 19 batters across 11.0 innings of work.

It’s utterly insane that Glasnow (3.49 ERA, 0.95 WHIP in 2024) has yet to start a game for the 5-0 Dodgers, but I guess that’s baseball.

That all goes before mentioning the righty’s successful history against this Braves lineup.

Key stat: Atlanta’s offence has a combined 11 hits in 62 career at-bats against Glasnow (.177) with a 30.5% K rate.

Prop prediction

Betts 1+ RBI (+148): I really like the value on this plus-money prop. I was originally eyeing Shohei Ohtani to score a run but it’s priced at -143.

RotoWire projects Betts to hit second behind Ohtani tonight, which is a lineup the Dodgers typically run when both are active.

So, who better than Betts to drive in his superstar teammate?

The shortstop had a scheduled off-day on Saturday but is further removed from the illness that caused him to lose over 20 pounds.

But it didn’t show in his first two games of the season.

Betts has four hits in eight at-bats, including two home runs and four RBI.

He had 182 RBI combined in the past two seasons despite missing almost 50 games in 2024.

Grant Holmes takes the mound for the Braves. It will be just his eighth start and 28th MLB appearance.

One of the biggest things working against him is that he’s a righty. In 2024, Ohtani hit .322 against right-handed pitching and Betts hit .280.

Expect the one-two punch to do damage on Monday.

Braves vs. Dodgers prop picks made at 2:21 p.m. ET on 03/31/2025.

Rockets vs. Lakers SGP predictions March 31: Tail Austin Reaves, Jalen Green in +390 wager

The Houston Rockets play their second game in as many nights, facing off against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Monday night.

The pregame narrative: This is a rare spot where I feel it’s smart to fade the Rockets. This +390 SGP includes a pick on the Lakers, paired with props on Austin Reaves and Jalen Green.

Check out my Rockets vs. Lakers SGP predictions for March 31.

Rockets vs. Lakers predictions

Parlay: Lakers ML | Reaves 20+ points | Green over 22.5 points (+390)

Embed: #111935

Lakers ML (-180): Houston is 9-1 over its last 10 games, but I have a few reasons to fade the away side:

The Rockets played last night in Phoenix, meaning this is the second half of a road back-to-back.

Los Angeles is at full strength, and the trio of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Reaves is cooking right now.

The Lakers have the third-best home record in the NBA (28-9) behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

James is listed as a game-time decision for Monday but is reported as likely to play. On Saturday, LeBron, Doncic and Reaves combined for 85 points against the Memphis Grizzlies.

This is a really tough spot for Houston. At the same time, it’s a great opportunity for the Lakers to grab a statement win and inch up the standings.

NBA SGP legs

Reaves 20+ points (-167): Of those 85 combined points on Saturday, it was surprisingly Reaves who led the charge. He paced the Lakers with 31 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

The undrafted guard is working his way into debates of the best third option in the league.

And he’s got a real case. Over the past 10 games, he’s averaged 27.3 points on 53.1% shooting and is 9-1 against this line.

Reaves finished with 18 in the outlier, a basket shy of this mark.

He had one previous meeting with the Rockets this season, scoring 21 points on 13 shot attempts.

Reaves has taken on a bigger offensive role, attempting 14-plus shots in 10 of his last 11 games.

As long as he’s efficient, I really like Reaves’ chances of smashing this modest total.

Green over 22.5 points (-112): Green has been crushing it lately, too.

Take a look at his scoring averages over the past 10 games:

25.8 PPG
20.0 FGA
44.0 FG%
23+ points in 8/10

The uptick in production can be chalked up to volume.

Mix in 6.5 free throw attempts per night, and it’s easy to understand why this line is too low for Green at the moment.

He played a below-average 27 minutes yesterday in a blowout win. He still managed to drop 33 points on 9-of-17 from the field.

Since the Rockets have been winning, I don’t see any reason for them to move away from Green as the No. 1 offensive option.

Rockets vs. Lakers predictions made at 1:02 p.m. ET 03/31/2025.

Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks March 31: Bet on Bo Bichette, Keibert Ruiz to mash in series opener

The Toronto Blue Jays open a new series at Rogers Centre against the Washington Nationals on Monday night.

The pregame narrative: Bo Bichette is doing damage out of the leadoff spot and I’m backing him to score a run. For the Nationals, I believe Keibert Ruiz can build on his early-season momentum.

Check out my Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks for March 31.

Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks

Best bet: Bichette over 0.5 runs (-130)

Hitting leadoff might be the best spot for Toronto’s slugging shortstop.

Bichette has seven hits in 15 at-bats, resulting in a .467 batting average and a .556 OBP. When the first hitter in your order gets on base that frequently, he’s bound to score some runs.

And that was the case in the first series against the Baltimore Orioles. Bichette scored runs in three of four games.

Now the Blue Jays face Canadian pitcher Michael Soroka in his first start as a National.

Soroka had a bad 2024, going 0-10 with a 4.75 ERA in 79.2 innings pitched. He didn’t look any better in spring training, giving up 12 earned runs in his final 8.2 innings of work.

If Bichette continues to get on base against some shaky pitching, I’m confident one of Toronto’s big sluggers can drive him in.

Key stat: Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Andres Gimenez are a combined 6-for-16 (.375 BA) against Soroka in their careers.

Prop prediction

Ruiz over 1.5 total bases (+125): It’s only been three games, but the 26-year-old catcher is looking like a prime breakout candidate for 2025.

Ruiz is batting .500 with two home runs. He had at least one hit in every game and is 2-1 against this line.

I want to highlight his advanced metrics as well, per Baseball Savant:

10.0% whiff rate (99th percentile)
38.9 squared-up % (91st percentile)
55.6 hard-hit % (89th percentile)

In summary, Ruiz hardly strikes out and is more than capable of lacing the baseball.

Bowden Francis was one of the few bright spots on the Blue Jays last season, owning a 2.92 ERA in 13 starts.

He did get knocked around in spring training, however, owning a 7.63 ERA across five appearances.

I’m not completely sold on Francis being elite yet, so I will back Washington’s hottest hitter.

Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks made at 12:41 p.m. ET on 03/31/2025.

Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks March 31: Bet on Bo Bichette, Keibert Ruiz to mash in series opener

The Toronto Blue Jays open a new series at Rogers Centre against the Washington Nationals on Monday night.

The pregame narrative: Bo Bichette is doing damage out of the leadoff spot and I’m backing him to score a run. For the Nationals, I believe Keibert Ruiz can build on his early-season momentum.

Check out my Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks for March 31.

Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks

Best bet: Bichette over 0.5 runs (-106)

Embed: #111931

Hitting leadoff might be the best spot for Toronto’s slugging shortstop.

Bichette has seven hits in 15 at-bats, resulting in a .467 batting average and a .556 OBP. When the first hitter in your order gets on base that frequently, he’s bound to score some runs.

And that was the case in the first series against the Baltimore Orioles. Bichette scored runs in three of four games.

Now the Blue Jays face Canadian pitcher Michael Soroka in his first start as a National.

Soroka had a bad 2024, going 0-10 with a 4.75 ERA in 79.2 innings pitched. He didn’t look any better in spring training, giving up 12 earned runs in his final 8.2 innings of work.

If Bichette continues to get on base against some shaky pitching, I’m confident one of Toronto’s big sluggers can drive him in.

Key stat: Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Andres Gimenez are a combined 6-for-16 (.375 BA) against Soroka in their careers.

Prop prediction

Ruiz over 1.5 total bases (+132): It’s only been three games, but the 26-year-old catcher is looking like a prime breakout candidate for 2025.

Ruiz is batting .500 with two home runs. He had at least one hit in every game and is 2-1 against this line.

I want to highlight his advanced metrics as well, per Baseball Savant:

10.0% whiff rate (99th percentile)
38.9 squared-up % (91st percentile)
55.6 hard-hit % (89th percentile)

In summary, Ruiz hardly strikes out and is more than capable of lacing the baseball.

Bowden Francis was one of the few bright spots on the Blue Jays last season, owning a 2.92 ERA in 13 starts.

He did get knocked around in spring training, however, owning a 7.63 ERA across five appearances.

I’m not completely sold on Francis being elite yet, so I will back Washington’s hottest hitter.

Nationals vs. Blue Jays prop picks made at 11:01 a.m. ET on 03/31/2025.

Best NBA prop bets March 31: Anthony Davis, Ja Morant headline Monday’s top picks

I’ve got three prop bets for Monday’s eight-game NBA slate.

The pregame narrative: Anthony Davis is playing his way back from injury, and his recent results have me bullish on his points prop. Elsewhere, I have picks on Ja Morant and Keegan Murray.

Check out the best NBA prop bets for March 31.

NBA prop bets

Best Bet: Davis over 24.5 points (-106)

There’s a pretty big disclaimer to this pick and it’s that Davis hasn’t topped this total since returning from injury.

His high mark, over three games, is 18. That was in his last outing against the Chicago Bulls. But there are some positives to explore, too.

Davis’ playing time has increased each game, leading to 30-plus minutes on Saturday.

He’s attempted an average of 21 shots per game over the last two but is shooting a woeful 28.6% from the field.

I’d be a fool not to expect better efficiency in his upcoming games, and the Brooklyn Nets feel like the right matchup to get back on track.

The Nets have the eighth-worst defensive rating in the NBA (117.0). Brooklyn has been starting 6-foot-9, 185-pound Ziaire Williams at power forward. He’s there for his sharpshooting, not his defence.

AD should be able to find mismatches in the paint early and often.

Key stat: Davis is 25-17 against this line when playing more than 30 minutes this season.

Best NBA picks

Morant over 30.5 points/assists (-130): The athletic point guard has missed his fair share of time with injury this season.

But when he’s in the lineup, he’s been very productive.

Morant just recently missed six games and came back to immediately make an impact against the Los Angeles Lakers.

He played a full workload of 31 minutes, tallying 22 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. He took a healthy 23 shots, which is great volume to work with.

Overall, his last 10 games have been excellent:

28.5 points
8.1 assists
4.2 rebounds

Morant shot above 50% in just two of those games. That demonstrates his ability to fill the statsheet when healthy, even with below-average shooting performances.

The Boston Celtics are an elite defensive team, but I can’t pass on this Morant prop.

Murray over 12.5 points (-130): Murray has been playing his best ball of the season and has a great matchup to do damage.

The Indiana Pacers allow the fifth-most points per game to power forwards (24.02), per Fantasy Pros.

Since the all-star break, Murray has averaged 14.1 points on 47.7% from the field and 40.9% from downtown.

That’s encouraging to see when over half of his shot attempts are from beyond the arc.

Over that 19-game sample, he’s 13-6 against this wager.

This game has the second-highest total of any contest tonight (234), so expect an uptick in volume for most players, including Murray.

NBA prop picks made at 12:04 p.m. ET on 03/31/2025.

Best NBA prop bets March 31: Anthony Davis, Ja Morant headline Monday’s top picks

I’ve got three prop bets for Monday’s eight-game NBA slate.

The pregame narrative: Anthony Davis is playing his way back from injury, and his recent results have me bullish on his points prop. Elsewhere, I have picks on Ja Morant and Keegan Murray.

Check out the best NBA prop bets for March 31.

NBA prop bets

Best Bet: Davis over 23.5 points (-122)

Embed: #111927

There’s a pretty big disclaimer to this pick and it’s that Davis hasn’t topped this total since returning from injury.

His high mark, over three games, is 18. That was in his last outing against the Chicago Bulls. But there are some positives to explore, too.

Davis’ playing time has increased each game, leading to 30-plus minutes on Saturday.

He’s attempted an average of 21 shots per game over the last two but is shooting a woeful 28.6% from the field.

I’d be a fool not to expect better efficiency in his upcoming games, and the Brooklyn Nets feel like the right matchup to get back on track.

The Nets have the eighth-worst defensive rating in the NBA (117.0). Brooklyn has been starting 6-foot-9, 185-pound Ziaire Williams at power forward. He’s there for his sharpshooting, not his defence.

AD should be able to find mismatches in the paint early and often.

Key stat: Davis is 25-17 against this line when playing more than 30 minutes this season.

Best NBA picks

Morant over 35.5 points/rebounds/assists (-120): The athletic point guard has missed his fair share of time with injury this season.

But when he’s in the lineup, he’s been very productive.

Morant just recently missed six games and came back to immediately make an impact against the Los Angeles Lakers.

He played a full workload of 31 minutes, tallying 22 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. He took a healthy 23 shots, which is great volume to work with.

Overall, his last 10 games have been excellent:

28.5 points
8.1 assists
4.2 rebounds
8-2 against this line

Morant shot above 50% in just two of those games. That demonstrates his ability to fill the statsheet when healthy, even with below-average shooting performances.

The Boston Celtics are an elite defensive team, but I can’t pass on this Morant prop.

Murray over 12.5 points (-115): Murray has been playing his best ball of the season and has a great matchup to do damage.

The Indiana Pacers allow the fifth-most points per game to power forwards (24.02), per Fantasy Pros.

Since the all-star break, Murray has averaged 14.1 points on 47.7% from the field and 40.9% from downtown.

That’s encouraging to see when over half of his shot attempts are from beyond the arc.

Over that 19-game sample, he’s 13-6 against this wager.

This game has the second-highest total of any contest tonight (234), so expect an uptick in volume for most players, including Murray.

NBA prop picks made at 9:40 a.m. ET on 03/31/2025.