RADIO
There are two games in the NBA Playoffs Tuesday, both offering great opportunities to play props and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
The Miami Heat have the Milwaukee Bucks on the ropes. They didn’t knock them out in Game Four, the Bucks just barely getting off the mat, but the Bucks are not only facing a 3-1 deficit in the series but it looks like Giannis Antetokounmpo may not be able to play in Game Five because of an ankle injury. If he does play, he will surely be compromised in some fashion. Will that be enough for the Heat to put the hammer down and finish off the Bucks?
In the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets don’t make it easy on the Los Angeles Lakers and the teams split the first two games of their series. Houston relies on quickness and threes – many, many threes – to mix things up and give them a chance against a Lakers team that is constructed for the bully ball that can take place in the postseason. Which style takes Game Three?
Here are some prop angles to consider for Tuesday’s Monkey Knife Fight NBA schedule:
Editor's Note: Here's a great special offer for all RotoBaller readers from our Monkey Knife Fight friends: New AND Existing Player Bonus. All players receive a 100% matched signup or reload bonus up to $50 with code 'BALLER'. Sign up and deposit, and use our prop picks to get off on a winning foot!
MIAMI-MILWAUKEE
MORE OR LESS
Khris Middleton MORE THAN 24.5 POINTS
Under normal circumstances there is no way that Middleton should be expected to score 25 points but he did average a career-high 20.9 per game during the regular season, and dropped 36 on the Heat when Giannis was knocked out of Game Four. Under those circumstances, with no Giannis, maybe 25 from Middleton isn’t such an unreasonable ask.
Jimmy Butler MORE THAN 21.5 POINTS
Butler doesn’t take a ton of shots, even in the games when he goes off, so his playoff scoring numbers have quite a bit of variance. In eight playoff games, he has put up 27 or more in four of them. He has 18 or fewer points in the other four. With the Bucks’ season on the line, they need to stop Butler; that doesn’t mean that they will.
Bam Adebayo MORE THAN 11.5 REBOUNDS
Miami’s high-energy big man averaged double digit rebounds during the regular season and has grabbed 12.4 rebounds per game in the playoffs, including 13.3 per game in the series against the Bucks, which should be made even easier if Giannis isn’t able to play.
Duncan Robinson MORE THAN 3.5 THREE-POINTERS
Miami’s sharp-shooter has averaged three three-pointers per game in the playoffs, though he does have at least four triples in four of eight postseason games.
RAPID FIRE
Eric Bledsoe -0.5 assists vs. Bam Adebayo
This is a fair line, since Bledsoe has averaged 5.5 assists per game in the playoffs, compared to Adebayo’s 5.0, but this is a game that cries out for Bledsoe to create offense for the Bucks. They need him to penetrate and distribute, enough to like Bledsoe as the favorite in this matchup.
L.A. LAKERS-HOUSTON
MORE OR LESS
James Harden MORE THAN 31.5 POINTS
The Beard is averaging 31.5 points per game in the first two games against the Lakers, 30.1 overall in the playoffs. He scored 27 in Game Two but took just a dozen shots from the field. He will shoot more in Game Three.
Anthony Davis MORE THAN 29.5 POINTS
The Rockets are going with an undersized lineup against Davis who has responded with 59 points in the first two games of the series. The question is: does Davis take 16 shots like he did in Game One, or does he take 24 shots, like he did in Game Two? Given the results, probably more like Game Two.
Eric Gordon MORE THAN 17.5 POINTS
Following a brutal regular season, the Rockets guard has rounded into form in the playoffs, scoring 18 or more points in six of the past seven games.
Russell Westbrook MORE THAN 7.5 REBOUNDS
While Westbrook’s shooting has been abysmal – he’s shooting 39.1% from the field and 16.7% on threes in the playoffs – he can still crash the boards like few guards in the game and he has averaged 8.2 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
RAPID FIRE
Rajon Rondo +3.5 assists vs. LeBron James
So much of the Lakers offense runs through LeBron and he has averaged 9.6 assists per game in the postseason. He’s durable, consistent, and reliable. Rondo had not played in the playoffs until the Houston series but had nine assists in Game Two. If he is going to get regular minutes, and it appears that he will, Rondo plus 3.5 assists sounds pretty good.
