Best Bets on Today’s NBA Player Props Market
If you’re looking for some plays for the NBA Finals action on Thursday, June 1st, we have you covered in every way possible. As always, we’ll have best bets to give you some ideas of what to back when it comes to moneylines, spreads and totals. However, we’re tackling player props here, and we’re targeting Bam Adebayo in Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets tonight. Keep reading to find out how we’re betting this.
MORE: Check out our Pro Picks page for everything our experts have on June 1
Here are our favorite NBA prop bets for Thursday, June 1:
Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets (-8.5, 218.5) – Game 1
A lot of people were quick to rip on Bam Adebayo’s offense in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Heat don’t beat the Boston Celtics without him. And Adebayo will be even more important in this series against the Nuggets, as Miami will be counting on him to hold his own against Nikola Jokic. There’s no such thing as outplaying Jokic, as he’s undoubtedly the best center in the game — and arguably the best player on the planet. But the Heat will have a chance in this series if Adebayo is making Jokic work on both ends of the floor.
One thing to keep an eye on in this series is Adebayo’s playmaking. With the Heat lacking trustworthy creators, the Nuggets are going to do everything they can to blitz Miami’s ball handlers. That should end in a lot of possessions in which the Heat dump the ball to Adebayo and ask him to make the right four-on-three reads. Adebayo averaged 3.2 assists per game during the regular season, and he’s averaging 3.8 per game in these playoffs. So, we know for a fact that the 25-year-old is comfortable finding his teammates.
The Nuggets are also a team that can get a little lost defensively. While Denver has been a lot sturdier on that end of the floor throughout the playoffs, this team struggled to get stops during the regular season. And a lot of the time it was because of lazy off-ball defense. If the Nuggets play any of that here, Adebayo will spot out open shooters. And Miami has been burying open looks at an impressive clip throughout these playoffs, so most kickouts will end with dimes.
In addition to Adebayo being a trustworthy passer, with a plus matchup, it’s also just nice knowing that he’s going to play a ton of minutes. Assuming Adebayo avoids foul trouble, he should flirt with 40.0 minutes per game. That alone will make him a threat to reach four assists, as he’s going to touch the basketball a lot.
Overall, I’m expecting this to be a big series from Adebayo as a key cog on offense. And I think that starts with a productive performance in Game 1. So, let’s get this and then continue to look to this prop throughout the remainder of the series.
Bet: Adebayo Over 3.5 Assists (+100)
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