We have a total of three NBA props for this Thursday, and I'll be focusing on a pair of key players who could be in line for noteworthy performances in Game 1 of the anticipated NBA Finals between the Pacers and the Thunder tonight.
Continue below for my NBA player props for Thursday, June 5.
NBA Player Props for Thursday, June 5
- Tyrese Haliburton Under 9.5 Assists (-145, BetMGM)
- Jalen Williams Over 21.5 Points (-127, BetRivers)
- Jalen Williams Finals MVP (+3300, FanDuel)
Tyrese Haliburton Under 9.5 Assists
Pacers vs. Thunder, 8:30 p.m. ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the best defense Tyrese Haliburton has seen so far in the playoffs in totality, even though the Knicks obviously had stretches where they looked imposing.
But the Cavs, at their best, also play with pace, unlike the Knicks. Cleveland was eighth in defense and 10th in pace in the regular season, with New York being 14th in the former and 26th in the latter.
The issue is, OKC is the best defense in the NBA, and arguably the best defense we've seen in many years, not just today. And while I do think we'll get pace and points, I think Haliburton won't have the same explosive assist games as he did against the Knicks and Bucks. In fact, he might be forced to become more of a scorer because he understands the importance of taking what a defense can give you, but for OKC it isn't much.
Of note, Haliburton had just three and eight assists in the regular season meetings with OKC.
Pick: Tyrese Haliburton Under 9.5 Assists (-145, BetMGM)
Jalen Williams Over 21.5 Points
Pacers vs. Thunder, 8:30 p.m. ET
I like Jalen Williams in this series, but how much could fluctuate.
I wanted his PRA but it's at 32.5 — too high for me to start. I'd like to get a feel for that and we'll work off of Game 1 going forward. I think this could be a great rebounding series for him, but the points alone are offering the most value, and I think J Dub will score in this series.
He might have met with Pascal Siakam, with whom he holds a speed advantage. If it's Andrew Nembhard, he has a size advantage — especially if Jalen Brunson seems to from a purely strength standpoint. If it's Aaron Nesmith, that'd be a mild surprise given Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's presence. But even so, it likely wouldn't be long-term. And Myles Turner will have to guard a big in these matchups.
Throw what you want at SGA and he'll probably figure it out, but I think Williams has real upside in this series playing off of that gravity, and scoring should be less challenging from a size, defense and pacing perspective than it was against Minnesota — a series in which he averaged 22 on 49/46/83 — which is why I also sprinkled on him to win Finals MVP at +3,300.
The second-best player on a team we all expect to win the NBA Finals shouldn't be +3,300 to win Finals MVP. This should probably be in that +1,000 to +1,500 range at worst.
Pick: Jalen Williams Over 21.5 Points (-127, BetRivers) | Jalen Williams Finals MVP (+3300, FanDuel)
