Keagan Smith details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday’s game between the Thunder and Trail Blazers.
In the NBA’s late slate, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder visit the Portland Trail Blazers looking to protect their unbeaten streak against a team of young upstarts. OKC enters as -3.5 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, but we’re looking deeper than game lines and checking out some player prop bets instead for this late-night affair.
Here are a couple of the best Thunder vs. Trail Blazers prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Wednesday’s contest.
Best Thunder vs. Trail Blazers Player Prop Bets
Deni Avdija over 21.5 points (-111)
The Trail Blazers are led by forward Deni Avdija, a 24-year-old fully blossoming into a star. Through his first seven games of the new season, he paces the team with 24.1 PPG while shooting 49.1% from the field and 37.8% from three-point range. That production marks quite the leap for the young talent as he posted just 16.9 PPG last season during his first campaign in Portland. The early returns are quite encouraging for a potential All-Star leap for the former Washington Wizard as he fully takes the reigns of the offense with a 26.3% usage rate. While the matchup against this Thunder defense isn’t an easy one, all of Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort and Alex Caruso are out tonight due to various injuries or rest. That boosts the outlook for the Trail Blazers’ scorers, and Avdija has gone over this 21.5-point line in 5/7 contests thus far, so it feels like a reliable number for the moment.
Isaiah Joe 4+ three-pointers made (+155)
Looking to the opposite side of this matchup, one player stands out among three-pointer prop bets. The Thunder have one of the NBA’s premier role-playing sharpshooters in guard Isaiah Joe, who’s taken advantage of his opportunities in just three appearances this season. He’s a career 40.3% shooter from beyond the arc and played a key role on last year’s title team, but this season’s small sample shows an absolute heater for the 26-year-old. Joe has averaged 4.7 made three-pointers through his three outings with an average of 9.7 attempts per game. With Dort and Caruso both out, there’s more room for additional minutes in the backcourt. He’s played at least 21 minutes in all three contests with five or more made threes in two games, so Joe clearly brings the green light for now. Can he continue the heater tonight? The Trail Blazers’ defense allows the second-fewest made threes per game but also falls 21st in opponent shooting percentage at 36.3%. Plus odds make this worth the shot.
Donovan Clingan 10+ rebounds (+120)
In his second NBA season, big man Donovan Clingan is off to a solid start. While his raw stats don’t exactly jump off the sheet, he’s playing his role quite well. The No. 7 pick in last year’s draft averages 8.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, the latter of which gives us reason to play a prop bet on the boards. Without Holmgren in the lineup, the Thunder are missing a major presence on the glass and will see Hartenstein work as the primary big man. While the latter is an imposing presence in the paint at 7-foot, 250 pounds, Clingan outclasses him in terms of size — the 21-year-old comes in at 7-foot-2 and 270 pounds himself. The Trail Blazers’ center should clean up in the rebounds category tonight.
