Zach Thompson details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s game between the Mavericks and the Thunder.
The NBA has a monster 12-game slate this Friday night with a core doubleheader featured on Prime Video. After the Lakers and Celtics tip off the night, the Dallas Mavericks visit the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center to close out the evening.
If you’re locking in for the Western Conference matchup, there are some fun player prop bets to consider from both sides of this matchup. Let’s take a look at the current markets and highlight my top player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
In the bigger picture, the Thunder are heavy 14.5-point home favorites, with the Mavericks listed as +675 underdogs. The game’s total is set at 227.5 points.
The Thunder have come out of the gate scorching hot, going an impressive 21-1 to start the year and a perfect 10-0 at home. They have a 13-game winning streak coming into Friday night’s matchup. On the other side, the Mavericks are 8-15 overall on the year with a 3-5 mark on the road. They have been finding some success lately, though, winning three straight over the Clippers, Nuggets, and Heat.
In a matchup with plenty of interesting options on both sides, let’s dive in and find a few fun player prop bets to play in Friday night’s Western Conference matchup.
Mavericks vs. Thunder Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Chet Holmgren 18 + Points (-106)
Holmgren is averaging 18.4 points per game on the season and has gone over this prop line in three straight contests. He had 21 points in 30 minutes against the Warriors on Tuesday in the Thunder’s last game.
With Isaiah Hartenstein out with a right soleus strain, Chet has played 30+ minutes in each of his last three games to fill in the frontcourt rotation. In his last six games with at least 30 minutes, he has gone over this points prop line. The only times he has come up short of this number recently are in blowouts where he played fewer minutes.
With Anthony Davis starting for the Mavericks and potentially P.J. Washington (ankle, questionable) and Daniel Gafford (ankle, questionable) available, the Thunder will need to play big and lean on Holmgren to help carry the offense.
The returning Jalen Williams has helped share some of the scoring load behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Holmgren has still gone over this prop line in every game the two have played together.
Cooper Flagg 18+ Points (+122)
On the other side of the matchup, I’ll take Flagg to get to 18 points as well. While Washington’s potential return could muddy the rotation a little bit, Flagg should still continue to get plenty of chances as he has all season.
Flagg has averaged 17.3 points in 22 games, but he has scored at least 22 points in each of his last three contests, while playing alongside Davis and Ryan Nebhard, whose move to starting point guard has helped jump-start the offense overall.
Flagg should continue to flourish next to Davis and seems to gel well with Nembhard serving as the true point guard. Getting him at just over his season average for plus money seems like a great value this Friday night.
D’Angelo Russell 10+ Points + Assists (-119)
While Russell has played a reduced role since Nembhard’s emergence, he has still been getting enough work to exceed this low points and assists prop line in the Mavericks’ second unit. He is averaging 11.6 points and 4.5 assists per game on the season, and even in a reduced role, he has topped this prop line in each of his last two games.
Aside from a game in which he played only three minutes, Russell has at least 10 points plus assists in six straight games. He has been inconsistent overall, but he has shaken off his shooting slump from early November enough to be a solid play at this price on Friday night.
Russell likely won’t go off with Nembhard in the lineup. Still, he has taken 15 total shots in his last two games, so there is definitely enough usage for him to still hit the over on this prop in the second unit — whether this game stays competitive or turns into a blowout.
