Best NBA Player Props Today | Friday, April 22nd | Alex Caruso and Jonas Valanciunas
Best NBA Player Props for Friday, April 22nd: Does the Caru-show continue in Chicago tonight?
Player props in the NBA playoffs are always fun to follow. After a huge performance, it's interesting to see how the sportsbooks respond to a certain player. There is so much to love about playoff basketball. There are three to four high-quality games every day, and that means one thing: there is a lot to gamble on.
Friday night, there are two guys in great spots to continue their success from Wednesday night.
Player Prop No. 1: Alex Caruso over 4.5 Assists (+105)
Alex Caruso appreciation tweet ‼️ https://t.co/FEm1vGupv6
"Alex Caruso appreciation tweet!!"- @chicagobulls
After dishing out 10 assists in Game 2, the books seem to be disrespecting Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso on his player prop lines for Friday night.
Behind DeMar Derozan, Nikola Vucevic, Zach Lavine and Caruso, Chicago captured a 114-110 victory on Wednesday to tie the series at one game apiece.
Since returning from injury right before the playoffs began, Caruso has averaged 6.2 assists per game over his last five contests. His dedication to defense has earned him more playing time in the playoffs, as Caruso's minutes have jumped up to 36 per game.
The scoring threats that surround Caruso are very good, which creates an abundance of opportunities for him to rack up assists like he did in Game 2. This player prop line just seems too low. Given that the books are even putting it at plus-money is icing on the cake. Caruso over 4.5 assists, let's ride!
Player Prop No. 2: Jonas Valanciunas over 12.5 Rebounds (+100)
Jonas Valanciunas had 25 rebounds. That's first 20-rebound game in Pelicans playoff history.
"Jonas Valanciunas had 25 rebounds."- @_andrew_lopez
The New Orleans Pelicans center has had a huge impact on this series. Jonas Valanciunas displayed his physical presence, grabbing 25 rebounds in Game 1 followed by 13 rebounds in the Game 2 win. Valanciunas loves this matchup with Deandre Ayton, as he's gone over the 12.5 rebound line in five out of six games against the Suns this season.
The absence of Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker is something that could have a massive impact on the outcome of these next two games.
The Pelicans have two good scoring options in CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram, who need to show up to give the Pelicans a chance to take a 2-1 series lead.
When big Val's consistency is over 80% on this line against this matchup, it's hard to turn away from it.