Another day with Meat Loaf, as Victor Wembanyama and Luka Doncic covered their rebounding props last night. Isaiah Hartenstein had zero in the first half, and as predicted the New York Knicks would need a big game from him to win. He didn’t have a good game, and the Knicks lost. 

 

 

 

Despite that, it was another profitable day, and as always, ‘...two out of three ain’t bad’. There are nine games in the Association tonight, and Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets looks to make it another profitable day. 

It appears there is a PRA (points, rebounds, assists) on deck today, but it’s the old fashion version. Three players combine for three player prop bets, with a mix of over and under bets. The Indiana Pacers play the Brooklyn Nets in their second match in three days, and there is a wager on a 2024 All-Star in this matchup. 

The Orlando Magic travel to the Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center, and there is a wager on an All-Star in this match too. The Bet of the Night is in the second match on ESPN’s double header. It is not on an All-Star but on a player having the best season of his career…of course it’s on rebounding too.

 

 

 

Expert NBA Best Bet Today, 4/3

Jusuf Nurkic Props: Over 11.5 Rebounds (-110 on BetMGM)

Jusuf Nurkic has appeared in this column a few times throughout the year. He is having one of his best seasons of his career, if not the best. His assists per game at an all time high with 3.7. He has played in his third most games in a season, and still has seven games remaining this year. He is also experiencing his second-best rebounds per game average with 11.1, and the 768 total rebounds this year are his most ever in a season.

Tonight, the Phoenix Suns host the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Cavs have two great rebounders in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Nurkic is coming off of a game where he had 19 rebounds in a blowout win against the New Orleans Pelicans. He is averaging 11 rebounds per game and he is the sixth-leading rebounder in the Association. 

The Suns are currently eighth in the Western Conference but only one game from the fifth seed – just one game to move up three in the rankings. They are also only one and a half games away from the ninth seed. With only seven games remaining on their schedule, every game becomes precious for moving out of the play-in tournament. 

Nurkic will have an advantage over both Mobley and Allen in size and strength, although they are both just as tall. He will utilize his size to block out, and position himself for several defensive rebounds. Trust the ten-year veteran to deliver and get past the hook set 0.5 rebounds above his average. 

 

 

 

NBA Prop Bets Today, 4/3

Tyrese Haliburton Props: Over 10.5 Assists (+100 on Fanatics Sportsbook)

There is a 10% boost available on Fanatics Sportsbooks, and it can be utilized on any bet. It is suggested to put it on Tyrese Haliburton to record 11 or more assists. The Indiana Pacers are playing the Brooklyn Nets tonight in their second match in three days. This time it's at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

In their game two days ago, Haliburton recorded 13 assists in just 26:43 of playing time. That is barely over two quarters of NBA basketball. Haliburton leads the league in assists and has 39 more assists than the second-closest person, Nikola Jokic. He averages 11 per game and should have every opportunity to earn his average tonight.

Pascal Siakam is coming on strong as he improves his two-man game with Haliburton. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith have also improved in the second half of the season. This leaves three great scorers available for Haliburton to pass to. 

The Brooklyn Nets would be officially eliminated with a loss and the Indiana Pacers are in the jam-packed middle of the Eastern Conference. They are currently in sixth place and only 0.5 games ahead of the Miami Heat who are currently in the play-in. They are also only 1.5 games behind the Orlando Magic for fourth place. 

The Pacers can slip back or move up the rankings, and Haliburton is the leader of their team. Look for Rick Carlise to draw up plays to take advantage of mismatches and look for Haliburton to find the open man for high percentage field goal attempts. Trust him to cover his assists line tonight. 

 

 

 

Paolo Banchero Props: Under 21.5 Points (-125 on BetMGM)

Paolo Banchero has been a more frequent player in the column since the All-Star break. Truth be told, he is probably the most inconsistent 2024 All-Star player. Yet he has particular matches in which the data pops out. 

One consistency in Banchero’s numbers are his minutes played. He has played 30 or more minutes in all but one of his last 10 games. And the one he did not was a blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets. Despite playing over 30 minutes, he has only one game in which he scored over 23 points. 

In his game against the Pelicans on March 21st, he scored just 20 points. He has not attempted over 18 field goal attempts since March 10th, and he has made over nine field goal attempts just once in his past 10 games. 

Where Banchero does most of his damage is at the free throw line. He has made 40 free throws in his last 10 games, but he had only two attempts in his last game against the Pelicans and made zero. If his free throw attempts are low again, this should be an easy wager to cover. 

He rarely makes over one three per game, and he does have an average of 5.3 assists per game. Banchero has scored less than 21 points in five of his last seven games. This should be an intense game as both look to move up their respective conference’s rankings. Trust the under on Banchero’s points tonight against the Pelicans. 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my NBA best bets today! Don't forget to visit Fantasy Alarm for all your fantasy and betting desires.

Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy

*All bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise