After yesterday’s five-game set, we’ve got a loaded slate of 12 games tonight. NBATV will broadcast a pair of tonight’s games: PHO/PHI (7 p.m. ET) and MEM/LAC (10 p.m. ET) if you’re looking to follow along with the action.
Here are the top NBA betting plays for Wednesday, April 21, provided by BettingPros experts Raju Byfield and Isaiah Sirois (Main game odds courtesy BettingPros Consensus; lock and prop odds sites may vary):
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day >>
Betting Lock of the Day
Sirois: Thunder +9.5 (-110 at FD Sportsbook)
The oddsmakers know that Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis are out, right? Sure, the Thunder also have a short roster. And sure, their players don’t fare that well in terms of FiveThirtyEight’s RAPTOR ratings. But the Thunder have gone a rock-solid 17-12 ATS on the road this year, and the Pacers are just 7-19 ATS at home. Indiana’s home cover percentage (26.9%) is the NBA’s second-worst, ahead of only the Houston Rockets. The efficiency stats also point to value on the Thunder. Though they rank last in offensive efficiency on the year (and through the last three games), the Pacers are a below-average unit that ranks fourth-worst over the last four. Oklahoma City even outranks in Indiana in defensive efficiency over the last three (sixth-best to 13th-worst). Look for the Thunder to keep this one within 10 tonight.
Top Game Prop of the Day
Sirois: Knicks First Half +0.5 (-110 at FD Sportsbook)
The New York Knicks have gotten hot at the right time, and they’ll take on an injury-riddled Hawks team tonight. Atlanta will remain without Danillo Gallinari, De’Andre Hunter, and Cam Reddish this evening, and that’s bad news against a team like the Knicks. New York ranks third-best in defensive efficiency this season, and they give up the fewest first-half points per game (51.9). Also, they have already beaten the Hawks twice! New York won the first half by a three-point margin the last time they played Atlanta in Madison Square Garden, and they should at least cover this first-half spread tonight.
Top Player Prop of the Day
Sirois: Buddy Hield Over 16.5 Points (-102 at FD Sportsbook)
Hield didn’t surpass this total in last night’s game against the T’Wolves, but I suspect he’ll do so tonight. Minnesota allows the most points per game to opposing small forwards (22.9), where he plays 56% of his minutes, and the sixth-most to shooting guards, where he spends the other 44%. Hield got unlucky last night, as he went just 3-of-11 (27.3%) from deep, his 12th-worst rate of the season. He went 6-of-16 (37.5%) from three-point land against the Timberwolves earlier this month, and that showing was good for 18 points — a nose above this total. Look for him to positively regress tonight and hit the over.
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day >>
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