The NBA Finals between the Celtics and Warriors begin Thursday night, so let's take a look at some of the best player prop bets for Game 1 at Golden State.
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Celtics vs. Warriors: Best player prop bets for Game 1
Klay Thompson OVER 20.5 points (-102) on FanDuel
After failing to hit 20 points through the first four games of the Western Conference Finals, Thompson went off for 32 in Game 5 to help move the Warriors back into the NBA Finals. He's averaging 19.8 points per game this postseason, and at times he's struggled to find his shot given that he's still working his way back after missing two-plus seasons. Sometimes it just takes one game to help give a shooter their confidence back, and, as we know, Klay can find a rhythm pretty quickly. Hitting eight 3s in an close-out game can certainly be a major carry-over factor in Game 1.
Jayson Tatum OVER 3.5 turnovers (-105) on BetMGM
Tatum will have the ball in his hands a ton, and just like Miami, Golden State will do everything they can to hound him on every possession with different looks. He averaged 4.7 turnovers last series, going OVER this number in four of seven games. Given the fact that the Warriors finished just behind the Celtics in defensive rating during the regular season and are still sitting a solid sixth during the playoffs, they have the capabilities to go after the Eastern Conference Finals MVP relentlessly.
Marcus Smart OVER 2.5 made three-pointers (+115) on DraftKings
The Warriors have always been the team that makes you prove you're not a liability from 3, and Smart can certainly be that. That can actually benefit him in Game 1 when it comes to clean looks. Look at how Golden State has defended inconsistent shooters in the playoffs and you'll get why Smart will get some open shots early. Ja Morant couldn't find his outside shot against the Warriors, and they left him plenty of space to prove otherwise. Same for Kyle Anderson. Josh Green and Frank Ntilikina were the next up in the Western Conference Finals.
Given the Warriors' likelihood, at least early in the series, to essentially make Smart show that he can be a consistent shooter from deep, there's a chance he could catch them off guard and find a rhythm in Game 1 with space. Smart hit five triples in Game 2 against the Heat and played hurt the rest of the series, but he was still able to hit three more in Game 7.
He's never afraid to take the open invitation (those two games mentioned above came with a combined 22 attempts for Smart), and let's not forget he shot 39.4 percent from deep against the Bucks.
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