NBA Play-In Tournament Preview: 3 Player Props for Friday, April 19
The Play-In Tournament ends tonight! Two teams will make it into the official playoffs, and two teams will go home without a chance to win the NBA Finals. The first game of the night is between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat, and the second is between the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans.
The Bulls are coming off an emotional win, and the Heat are coming off a heart-breaking loss. Both teams are coming into this game with different motivations, but it should be a great game based on the matchups! The same goes for the battle between the Kings and the Pelicans. Both teams have what it takes to come away from this one with a win, so we’re expecting them to fight hard.
With that in mind, here are our favorite player props of the night from Underdog! We expect a few marquee players to dominate these games, which are reflected in the props below. Let’s get into it!
Bam Adebayo OVER 21 Points
This is our favorite play of the night. With Jimmy Butler’s status up in the air for this matchup, we think Bam Adebayo is going to step up in this one, especially considering his veteran leadership.
The Heat will need to keep up with the Bulls, and we believe Adebayo will be especially active in the paint in this one, dominating the competition to score 25+ points.
Brandon Ingram OVER 20.5 Points
We like this line for a few reasons, but at the end of the day, the analysis is similar to that of Adebayo. Zion Williamson is out this game, and the Pelicans will need to do everything to find scoring from elsewhere.
Brandon Ingram presents that level of upside in this offense, especially since they are playing the Kings. Ingram has averaged 24.2 points per game in his last five matchups against them, and we’re certainly not going to fade him tonight in a must-win game.
De’Aaron Fox OVER 6.5 First Quarter Points
Some people think that first-quarter points are a sucker bet, but we’re not shying away from it tonight, especially for De’Aaron Fox against the Pelicans. They might struggle early without Zion, and Fox could capitalize early as he has done so often throughout the season.
We are confident in his ability to put up at least 10 in the first quarter of this game, which is why we’re taking the over in this spot!
Andrew Elmquist
Sports Betting Contributor
Andrew is an up-and-coming sports betting analyst who specializes in Daily Fantasy Sports and player props in all sports. He holds degrees from Winona State University in Spanish and Communications. You can find Andrew on X @AndrewElmquist1