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NBA Prop Picks and Predictions for Sunday August 2

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
5 minute read

NBA Sunday Prop Plays

Odds per DraftKings Sportsbook
T&C's Apply, 21+, Only in NJ, CO, IN, WV, PA, and IA

Boston Celtics vs. Portland Trail Blazers Player Props

Jaylen Brown Over 27.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-112)

The Boston Celtics dropped their opener in the Disney World bubble against the Milwaukee Bucks (119-112) behind a 36-point performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Boston gets a chance to bounce back against the Blazers tonight.

Portland’s first game back was a 140-135 OT win against the Grizzlies; CJ McCollum tallied 33 points in the contest. The Blazers allowed 124 points to the Grizzles in regulation Friday night, which isn’t out of the ordinary for them. Portland has the second worst team defensive rating out of any teams joining the bubble (113.6. Only team worse – WAS).

Damien Lillard and CJ McCollum both possess 112+ defensive ratings, which means scoring options should be plentiful for the Celtic guards in tonight’s contest. Normally this would be a good spot to play Jayson Tatum’s over, but Tatum was miserable in the Celts game against the Bucks, going 2 for 18 from the field, tallying just 5 points. The Boston offense was instead led by Jaylen Brown (22 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast) and Marcus Smart 23 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast). Tatum still managed to lead the Celtics in field goal attempts (18), but Brown was right there behind him, putting up 15 shot attempts.

Prior to the shutdown, Tatum had been scoring at an insanely explosive rate, with drastically more volume than we had ever seen from him in his career. Some regression from him statistically should pay dividends to the efficient Boston scorers such as Brown (48% FGA). He is one of the 3 Celtics players that averages over 20 points per game (20.5), and he gets a chance against a Portland crew that is ranked 26th in the league defensively (only 22 teams in the bubble). In Boston’s only game against Portland this year, Brown recorded 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists, easily pushing him over 27.5 total stats in the Celtics 12-point victory. Expect Brown to go over that total again tonight, possibly needing to lead the Celtics offensive charge again if Tatum doesn’t play significantly better than he played Friday.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Houston Rockets Player Props

Khris Middleton Over 34.5 – Points + Rebounds + Assists (-108)

Eric Bledsoe will miss his 2nd game in Orlando due to a positive COVID-19 test, once again leaving the door open for an increase in volume for the explosive Bucks scorers.


In Milwaukee’s 119-112 win over the Celtics Friday, Khris Middleton tallied 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists which would’ve finished under the total stats line of 34.5, but it is important to keep in mind who the Bucks were playing against on Friday and who they play Saturday night. Boston is and elite defensive team, ranking 4th in defensive rating (106.3), allowing opponents to shoot an average of 44.2% against them. The Rockets on the other hand, following the trade of C Clint Capela, have been 17th in defensive rating (112.3; lower than the Suns and Grizzlies), and play with the 4th highest average game pace in the NBA (103.69). So far this season, the Bucks and Rockets have been the NBA’s highest scoring teams, deadlocked at 118.7 average points per game.

The total point OU for this contest currently sits at 241.0 points, which is indicative of what the oddsmakers expect to see out of these teams tonight in the bubble. Houston is going to score alot of points, and the Bucks are going to have to keep up.

I expect Milwaukee to lean on their secondary scorers who shoot the ball better from deep than the reigning-MVP, and for Bledsoe’s absence to leaveanother positive effect on Middleton’s hustle stats. 34.5 total stats for Middleton should be veryachievable in a 3-point contest against the Rockets tonight.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns Player Props

Deandre Ayton Over 32.5 – Points + Rebounds (-118)

The Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks square off in the nightcap of our Sunday evening basketball slate. The Mavericks are coming off a 135-140 overtime loss to Houston, while Phoenix is coming off an 11-point win against the Bradley Beal-less Washington Wizards. Devin Booker led the way for the Suns in their win against the Wizards, tallying 27 points on 21 shot attempts, but right behind him was 2018 number 1 overall pick, Deandre Ayton.

The Arizona product recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists; knocking down 2 of 3 three-point attempts.
Ayton’s 14 field goal attempts on Friday, was the 2nd highest by a Suns player by a good margin (Johnson and Bridges both attempted 8; T-3). The Mavericks allowed 153 total points in their opener against Houston, and while a lot of that can be attributed to James Harden and company, it also speaks volumes about the Mavs ability to defend dominant players.

Ayton is on the fringe of becoming an elite big man in the NBA, and this opportunity in the bubble might just be when he decides to assert that presence. He is averaging 19.2 points and 12 rebounds on the year, and has scored 20+ points in 5 of his last 7 contests.

In his only game against the Mavericks this year, Ayton recorded a career high 31 points and 9 rebounds on 86.7% shooting from the field in the Suns 29-point win over the Mavericks. Dallas will come back much more prepared for Ayton and the Suns in this one, but I think the ex-Arizona big man will still be able to have a big game in a high scoring contest tonight. Back him to go over his points + rebs total against a Mavericks team that had absolutely no answer for him last time.

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