Thursday’s Best NBA Player Props: Betting Eric Bledsoe Assists, More

Prop bets can be a great way to get action on a game. Bookmakers don’t have to worry about taking a lot of action on them, so there isn’t as great an incentive to post a competitive line.

As a result, props can be some of the most exploitable bets on the board.

These props can become downright unfair when you combine them with the FantasyLabs Player Prop tool.

Wednesday’s best props focus on three of the slate’s six games:

• Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Hornets: 7 p.m. ET
• Los Angeles Clippers at Philadelphia 76ers: 7 p.m. ET
• Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics: 8 p.m. ET on TNT

Let’s dive right in.

Hornets C Cody Zeller

The Pick: Over 5.5 rebounds (-143)

Zeller hasn’t been playing many minutes this season, but he’s been productive when on the court. He’s averaging 5.8 rebounds in just 22 minutes per game, pulling down six rebounds in three of his past four games.

He’s also seen a little more court time recently (25.5 minutes in each of his past two games). The Thunder have been good on the glass this season, but this line still seems a bit too low.

We’re currently projecting Zeller for seven rebounds, which makes this one of the highest-rated bets in the FantasyLabs Player Prop tool. I’d play it up to -160.

76ers PG Ben Simmons

The Pick: Over 9.5 rebounds (-125)

It feels weird to see a point guard with a rebound prop of 9.5, but Simmons is not a typical PG. He’s been one of the best rebounders in the league this season, pulling down an average of 12.2 boards per 36 minutes.

He managed just eight rebounds in his most recent contest, but has totaled double digits in every other game that he’s played this season. His current matchup against the Clippers should also result in a lot of possessions, with both teams currently ranking inside the top 10 in pace.

This seems like a really nice spot to buy low on Simmons after a poor rebounding game. I’d play this up to -165.

Bucks PG Eric Bledsoe

The Pick: Under 5.5 assists (-130)

Bledsoe has averaged 6.9 assists this season, but even so, this line feels a little high for his matchup tonight vs. the Boston Celtics.

They’ve been the best defensive team by a wide margin over the past two seasons, ranking first in defensive efficiency both years. Bledsoe struggled in two regular season matchups vs. the Celtics last season, racking up just seven total assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo will also be back in the lineup for the Bucks, and his presence has unsurprisingly had a negative effect on Bledsoe’s assist numbers: His assist percentage has decreased by 4.0% when sharing the court with Giannis this season.

The Celtics should be able to slow down the Bucks, who have averaged 120.0 points per game this season. But I wouldn't play this prop at more than -130.