NBA Prop Picks and Predictions for Tuesday August 4

NBA Tuesday Prop Plays

Odds Via Fanduel Sportsbook
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Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Player Prop Picks

Game set for 4:00 p.m. ET

Devin Booker Under 36.5 – points + rebounds + assists (-112)

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns are off to a hot 2-0 start in the bubble, beating a completely depleted Wizards team in their first outing, then pulling off the upset against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks 117-115 in their second contest.

Deandre Ayton emerged as Booker’s running mate in the first game against Washington, tallying 24 points and 12 rebounds, to go with Booker’s 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. But in the Suns second game, Ayton got into some early foul trouble, yet Booker was still able to shine, recording 30 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in the win for Phoenix.

The first time the Suns and Clippers met up this season, it was the Phoenix who came out victorious over the Paul George-less Clippers, and it was the Devin Booker show, tallying 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. The 2nd time around, Booker did not dress during the 21-point Clippers victory.

In the 3rd meeting, things went much differently for the Suns young superstar than things went back in October, as the Clippers threw a lot of different looks at him defensively, and Booker appeared to be completely overwhelmed by PG and company, scoring just 14 points on 26.5% shooting, going 1 for 8 from deep. Booker passed the ball sharply in the game, recording 10 assists, but managed to not grab a single rebound in the contest, raising even more concern about Booker achieving this total tonight.

The Suns have scored 125 and 117 points in their first 2 games in the bubble against very poor defensive Washington and Dallas lineups. The Clippers have allowed 103 points in each of their games against the Lakers and Pelicans, who are much more sound offensive teams than Phoenix. Booker achieved 36 total stats in his first game against Washington, and 37 total stats in his second game against Dallas.

I expect Phoenix to have its lowest scoring game in the bubble to date tonight against to Clippers, and for Booker’s volume stats to fall below the 36.5 line in the Suns first loss in Orlando.

Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat
Player Prop Picks

Game set for 6:30 p.m. ET

Gordon Hayward Over 25.5 – points + rebounds + assists (-118)

After dropping their first game in the bubble to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics were able to rebound against the Trail Blazers Saturday afternoon behind a 34 outing by Jayson Tatum, who infamously shot 2 for 18 from the field and 0 for 4 from three-point range in his first game back from quarantine. Tatum has completely broken out for the Celtics this year, and it he draws so much attention, that people aren’t really noticing the resurgence of Gordon Hayward to relevance.

Hayward is averaging 17.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on the year, but is averaging 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists so far in Orlando. In Boston’s only game against the Heat so far this season, Hayward recorded his second highest scoring output of the season, tallying 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist in the Celtic victory.

The Butler product has finally gotten the time he needed to get back to full strength from his ankle injury and is finally beginning to look like the guy we saw back in Utah. I expect Hayward to continue to progress as the season goes on and his MPG numbers continue to climb. Hayward has gone over 25.5 total stats in 4 out of his last 5 games, and I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t be able to go over again versus a Miami team that he typically fares pretty well against.

Houston Rockets vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Player Prop Picks

Game set for 9:00 p.m. ET

Damian Lillard Over 42.5 – points + rebounds + assists (-106)

On January 29th, 2020, Damian Lillard recorded his first ever career triple-double, in a 125-112 win over James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Dame scored 36 points, knocking down 6 of 12 three-point attempts, while also recording 11 assists and grabbing 10 boards in the Blazers victory. In the Blazers most recent game against Boston, Lillard had a chance at making another classic “Dame Time” moment as the clock was winding down and the Celtic lead stood at 3 points.

Instead, with less than 10 seconds left on the clock, Lillard decided to feed the ball to Nurkic and cut the lead to 1, leaving just under 4 seconds on the clock, pretty much gift wrapping the game for Boston. Lillard has addressed the matter and has assured us it he just “overthought” the situation, but there is no doubt that mental error has left a bad taste in the Portland point guard’s mouth as he aims to rebound tonight in a showdown with Houston.

The Rockets, on the other hand, are coming off an impressive 2-0 start in Orlando with wins over the Mavericks and Bucks, averaging 136.5 points per game. Houston runs at the 4th fastest pace in the NBA (103.72), compared the Blazers who rank 12th, which indicates there will be more shots available to the Blazers players, and in the case of playing the Rockets, that means more 3-point attempts.

The Rockets force teams to play small by hitting 3 pointers at such an explosive rate and playing the majority of the game without a center on the floor. I expect Dame to come out with a killer mentality tonight, willing the Blazers into the game against a Rockets team with far more superior talent.

Lillard has gone over 42.5 total stats in both games inside the Orlando bubble so far; back him to go over that total again against a Rockets team that plays much faster and scores more points than the teams Portland has played recently (Celtics and Grizzlies).