Round 1 NBA Playoff action resumes on three fronts on Wednesday, with the East-leading Cavaliers and #2 seeded Celtics both in action, each looking for a 2-0 series lead.
Golden State, meanwhile, is in Houston trying to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before heading back to the Bay.
With those stakes in mind, we’ve gathered the best player props available and share our best free NBA picks below.
NBA Player Props Picks for April 23
Paolo Banchero Over 25.5 points vs Celtics (-115 at Bet365)
Orlando’s star forward was a wrecking ball in Game 1, going for 36 points on 14-for-27 shooting, adding 11 rebounds and four assists.
He’s been given a decent 25.5 scoring line for Wednesday’s Game 2, and I think the line is just a tad low.
The Magic have just two scoring options in Banchero and Franz Wagner, and the Celtics are happy to let them take the majority of the shots, so long as the rest of the offensively-challenged roster doesn’t get going.
Paolo and Wagner took 51 shots, while the rest of the team went a combined 10-for-30 from the field for 27 points.
Banchero should be the featured vehicle of Orlando’s offense and shine again.
Donovan Mitchell Under 3.5 3-point makes vs Heat (-145 at Bet365)
Cleveland looked every bit the top seed with a 121-100 dismantling of the Miami Heat in Game 1, and even though Donovan Mitchell led the way with 30 points, he struggled from long range, connecting on 2-for-9 on his 3-point attempts.
Still, Mitchell’s line is set at 3.5 for Game 2, and he’s only hit four triples in a game twice in his last 14 outings.
In his last 10 games against the Heat, Mitchell has gone under the 3.5 moneyball make line seven times.
Miami isn’t great at defending the arc, allowing a middle-of-the-pack 36%, but they just happen to have Mitchell’s number of late, and I like the trend to continue.
Jimmy Butler Over 22.5 points vs Rockets (-120 at Bet365)
I don’t know how the Jimmy Butler scoring line has stayed at 22.5 points.
Since transforming into “Playoff Jimmy” right at the end of the regular season, Butler has been a scoring force, the perfect No. 2 option behind flamethrower Steph Curry.
He dropped 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting against the Rockets in Game 1, the fifth straight game Butler has scored at least 24 points.
Golden State’s offense gives everyone a chance to eat, and Butler has found the right balance of deferring to Curry and being the beneficiary of his space in that ecosystem.
Butler should be that consistent scoring threat on Wednesday, and cross a very reasonable total again.
