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NBA Player Props & Best Bets Today: Schedule, Picks for Saturday

Zachary Hanshew

Last Updated: March 16, 2024 3:06 PM EDT • 4 min 54 sec read.

Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks during the first half against the Phoenix Suns. We expect Allen to have a big game in our NBA player props for Saturday.
Jarrett Allen of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks during the first half against the Phoenix Suns. Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images via AFP.

Shorthanded squads present favorable matchups that set up our NBA player props and bets for Saturday based on the best NBA odds.

It's a loaded weekend for basketball with nine games on the NBA slate Saturday, and we've got four player props from our best sports betting sites. The fun begins as Jarrett Allen and the Cleveland Cavaliers face a Houston Rockets team dealing with a key frontcourt injury as it fights to rise in the NBA Play-In Tournament odds.

Mikal Bridges has been in a slump since the All-Star break, and he’ll look to get back on track tonight as the Brooklyn Nets face the Indiana Pacers on the road. Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Memphis Grizzlies, who are down to their last remaining reserves.

Our night finishes up with Alex Caruso and the Chicago Bulls facing the Washington Wizards in a matchup of shorthanded Eastern Conference squads.

Here are our NBA player props and best bets for Saturday (NBA picks based on odds via our best NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Saturday’s NBA best bets

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Saturday's NBA schedule and odds

(Odds via DraftKings)

Saturday's NBA player props

Jarrett Allen Over 31.5 points+rebounds+assists vs. Rockets (-120 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Cavaliers will be without Evan Mobley once again, and Allen has averaged 32.2 points+rebounds+assists in 28 games without Mobley this season, hitting the Over on this line 11 times. Max Strus will be on the sidelines again, freeing up additional rebounding and scoring opportunities for Cleveland’s big man.

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Houston has allowed the fourth-most rebounds per game this season. The Rockets have also allowed the 10th-fewest points in the paint on the season (47.7), but over the last three, they’ve given up the third-most (55.3).

Alperen Sengun is out tonight, and Houston’s depth at center is lacking. With no Sengun and a thin center rotation behind him, Allen should be able to dominate in the paint. This line is juiced a little more than we would like, but given the great matchup and Allen’s success without his frontcourt counterpart, we’re comfortable betting the Over here.

Mikal Bridges Over 19.5 points vs. Pacers (-102 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bridges has averaged just 17.3 points on 39.6% shooting since the All-Star break. In those 12 games, he’s hit the Over on this line just three times. It’s been a rough stretch for Bridges, but he’s averaging 20.9 points per game on the season and has hit the Over in 36 of 66 contests overall. Before the break, Bridges averaged 21.2 points on 45.2% shooting, so his current dip in scoring is just a slump and not the norm.

Cam Thomas has averaged 27 points over his last three since returning, but his scoring prop is set at 22.5 with odds of -120 or shorter across our best sports betting apps. At first glance, it makes sense to take the Over on Thomas’ scoring prop, but digging in a bit deeper, we see that Bridges’ line is set far too low based on his season-long production.

The implied probability of the -102 odds is 50.2%, according to our odds calculator, but Bridges has hit the Over in 54.5% of his games on the season, making this a nice value. It’s an especially appealing prop, considering the Pacers are one of just two teams to allow opponents to shoot 50% or better this season. This is our favorite prop of the night.

Chet Holmgren Over 8.5 rebounds vs. Grizzlies (+112 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Memphis has allowed the third-most rebounds per game this season, and they’ve allowed a player to grab at least 20 rebounds four times - the most of any NBA squad. The Grizzlies have 12 players on tonight’s injury report, with nine listed as out, including starting big man Jaren Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies’ starting five for their last game out was Luke Kennard, Scotty Pippen Jr., GG Jackson, John Konchar, and Trey Jemison. Three of those players started the season in the G League.

The Grizzlies are running on fumes, and Holmgren should be able to keep up his strong rebounding in this favorable road matchup. On the season, he’s got 25 games with nine rebounds, but he’s reached that milestone in six of 12 games since the All-Star break.

Pre-All-Star break, Holmgren averaged 7.6 boards, but post-break, he’s averaged 9.0 per tilt. Holmgren has also pulled down 8.2 boards per game on the road compared to just 7.5 at home. Tonight’s juicy, plus-money odds offer an implied probability of 47.1%, but Holmgren has hit the Over in 50% of games since the break. We’re all about values here, and this is another one we’re all over.

Alex Caruso Over 14.5 points vs. Wizards (+100 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

The odds are juiced at -115 or shorter across our other best sports betting sites, but we can get this one at even money at DraftKings, making it a tremendous value comparatively. Caruso averages 10.6 points at home and 9.0 on the road, giving him the edge to cash this one in Chicago tonight.

What we really love about this one is Caruso’s recent hot streak from beyond the arc. Over his last two, he’s averaged 20 points and hit five three-pointers in both contests. On the season, he averages 43.3% from downtown at home, compared to just 35.1% on the road.

Coby White remains on Chicago’s injury report as doubtful, and he’s expected to miss his second straight contest. On the season, Caruso has averaged just 7.5 shot attempts, but he’s taken nearly double that, attempting 13 shots in each of his last two. Caruso isn't known as a prolific scorer, so the +100 odds seem appropriate given his additional offensive opportunities and favorable matchup with a team allowing the most points per game to opponents this season.

NBA best bets made Saturday at 12:45 p.m. ET.

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Written By:
Zachary Hanshew
Zak is a lucky husband and blessed father of four. He’s been writing about sports since 2018 with prior stops at FantasyPros, RotoWire, and FantasyLabs. In addition to Sportsbook Review, you can find his work at NBC Sports Edge, Yahoo, and OwnersBox. When he’s not writing, Zak can be found playing the guitar, hanging out with his family, coaching his son’s basketball team, or laughing way too hard at old Simpsons episodes.