We have three NBA props for this Saturday, and our staff of basketball betting experts is focused on key players who could be in line for noteworthy performances in tonight's Game 7 between the Clippers and Nuggets tonight.
Continue below for my NBA player props for Saturday, May 3.
NBA Player Props for Saturday, May 3
- Aaron Gordon Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds
- Russell Westbrook Over 15.5 Points + Rebounds
- Kawhi Leonard Over 7.5 Rebounds
Aaron Gordon Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds
Clippers vs Nuggets, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Nuggets are continuing the trend of almost solely relying on their starters, even in the postseason. Denver's bench averaged the third-fewest minutes (14.7) during the regular season, and that number is down to 9.7, the second-lowest in the playoffs.
Those numbers are particularly appealing when it comes to assessing Nuggets player props.
For example, Denver's Aaron Gordon has a points + rebounds prop of 19.5, available at FanDuel. It's worth noting that Gordon has covered this line in nine straight games dating back to Apr. 9th.
What's particularly interesting is that Gordon is seeing a significant bump in playing time during this first-round series, averaging 39.5 minutes, up from 28.4 in the regular season.
He crossed the 40-minute mark in three of the six games, and with a pivotal Game 7 on the horizon, we should anticipate another heavy workload.
Pick: Aaron Gordon Over 19.5 Points + Rebounds (-128 at FanDuel)
Russell Westbrook Over 15.5 Points + Rebounds
Clippers vs Nuggets, 7:30 p.m. ET
Russell Westbrook is one of the few Nuggets players interim head coach David Adelman continues to call on. In the playoffs, Westbrook has averaged 25.2 minutes, which is only slightly lower than the 27.9 he averaged in the regular season.
Bench players tend to perform better at home with the crowd behind them, and Westbrook's home-away splits would certainly support that assertion.
The veteran point guard averaged 14.8 points at Ball Arena compared to 11.8 on the road.
Westbrook's points + rebounds prop at FanDuel is 15.5, which he has cleared in eight straight games at home. During that span, he averaged 22.4 points + rebounds while registering a median of 20.
If we look at his regular-season numbers at home, he's been exceptional, covering this line in 28 of 39 games (72%).
The odds on this prop are only slightly juiced at -114, making it significantly undervalued at the current price.
Pick: Russell Westbrook Over 15.5 Points + Rebounds (-114 at FanDuel)
Kawhi Leonard Over 7.5 Rebounds
Clippers vs Nuggets, 7:30 p.m. ET
After a 39-point effort in Game 2, the Nuggets have done a decent job limiting Kawhi Leonard to an average of 23 points over the next four games.
Given the emergence of Ivica Zubac at the center position, the Clippers have a much more balanced team this time around.
Zubac averaged a career-best 16.8 points during the regular season and has been even better in the playoffs, averaging 18.7 points per game. Therefore, those standout performances from Leonard might be a bit more sporadic than commonplace.
However, Leonard can still find other ways to get involved, and I've been particularly pleased with his industry on the boards.
The Clippers forward has a rebounding prop of 7.5 —a number he has cleared in four straight games, averaging 9.8 rebounds.
While I'm aware that Leonard only averaged 5.9 rebounds during the regular season, he has a history of picking things up in the playoffs, given his career average 7.8 per game.
Thus, in a must-win game, I'd expect Leonard to leave everything out on the court and put in a comprehensive performance that includes a considerable effort on the glass.
Pick: Kawhi Leonard Over 7.5 Rebounds (-113 at FanDuel)
