Raybon’s Favorite NBA Props for Monday: Will P.J. Tucker Drop 8 Points?

Highlighted below is one prop from each of the two playoff games Monday night:

• Milwaukee Bucks at Detroit Pistons: 8 p.m. ET on TNT
• Houston Rockets at Utah Jazz: 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT

As a reminder, our FantasyLabs NBA Player Props Tool leverages our projections against odds offered at various sportsbooks and grades each prop on a scale of 1 to 10. All odds as of 5:30 p.m. ET. View live odds here.

Bucks PG Eric Bledsoe

THE PICK: Over 16.5 Points (-125)

The Pistons have been able to hold Giannis Antetokounmpo to a modest 21.3 points and 3.7 assists per game in the series — though that's partly due to him needing to play only 27.1 minutes a game. The Pistons have had no such luck containing Bledsoe, who is cooking them for 20.3 points per game despite playing abbreviated minutes himself (27.7).

That continues a trend of Bledsoe destroying the Pistons all season long, averaging 20.4 points in 29.1 minutes on 51.4% shooting across seven regular-season and playoff games, scoring at least 17 in six of the seven.

He's averaging 16.7 points in 29.1 minutes on the road this season, and considering his above-expectation output against Detroit and his room for growth minutes-wise in Game 4, the over should have value up to 17.5 at standard juice.

Rockets PF P.J. Tucker

THE PICK: Over 7.5 Points (-145)

When you're facing an offense featuring James Harden, Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and Clint Capela, you essentially have no choice but to let Tucker beat you. That's been Utah's strategy, and it's unlikely to change in Game 4.

Tucker averaged 7.3 points on 6.4 field goal attempts in 34.2 minutes during the regular season, but he's nearly doubling his scoring average against the Jazz this postseason, putting up 13.0 points on 9.0 attempts in 33.2 minutes.

Tucker has reached double figures in all three games of the series, continuing a trend of him scoring above expectation against the Jazz that started in the second-round playoff matchup between these two teams last season. Dating back to that series, Tucker has poured in at least 9 points in 7-of-8 playoff games against Utah, so I'd play the over up to a line of 8.5 at standard juice.

I usually throw a few more prop picks in the app throughout the night as I do more research and lineup news trickles in, so be sure to follow me on there if you aren't already.