Best NBA prop bets today for Suns vs. Pelicans (Kevin Durant is due for a big game)
By Peter Dewey
The Phoenix Suns are finally starting to play some quality basketball, and it’s no surprise that it has come with the Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker all healthy.
The Suns are on the road on Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, who have jumped up into the No. 5 seed in the conference ahead of this game.
There is plenty of star power on both sides of this matchup, but the Suns are the team I want to mainly focus on for my favorite props – which include plays for Beal and Durant.
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Let’s break down the picks for Friday’s action:
Suns vs. Pelicans best NBA prop bets
- Bradley Beal OVER 18.5 points
- Jonas Valanciunas OVEr 8.5 rebounds
- Kevin Durant OVER 36.5 points, rebounds and assists
Bradley Beal OVER 18.5 points
Beal fell short of this total in his last game, but he’s cleared 18.5 points in six of his last nine since returning to the lineup from an ankle injury.
The Suns are tough to predict on a night-to-night basis since any of their stars can go off, but 18.5 points is rather low for Beal, who is averaging 17.9 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent shooting from 3.
Bettors have to remember that Beal was on a minutes limit earlier this season due to a back injury, but he’s putting up 21.3 points per game over his last nine games.
The Suns guard also has taken at least 12 shots in each of those matchups. After an 0-for-4 game from 3 led to Beal going under in the last game, I’ll bet on him to bounce back tonight.
Jonas Valanciunas OVER 8.5 rebounds
This is a shocking line for Jonas Valanciunas, who is plus money to grab nine rebounds despite averaging 9.5 rebounds per game this season.
Phoenix does rank fifth in the NBA in rebounding percentage, but this is a perfect matchup for the New Orleans Pelicans center, as he’s facing off with another big center in Jusuf Nurkic.
Valanciunas has seen his minutes slashed against teams that play smaller lineups, but he’s still picked up nine or more boards in 15 of 23 games since Dec. 1.
On the season, Valanciunas is averaging 16.7 rebound chances per game. I love him to go OVER in this matchup.
Kevin Durant OVER 36.5 points, rebounds and assists
Kevin Durant is due.
The Phoenix Suns star has not cleared 36.5 points, rebounds and assists in three straight games, but he’s gone over this number in 24 of 33 games this season.
The two-time NBA Finals MVP is averaging 28.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, although he’s been asked to do less on a nightly basis with Booker and Beal healthy.
Still, I think we're getting value on Durant as a scorer (25.5 points is his prop) and a passer (4.5 assists is his prop). Rather than relying on one, I’ll take his PRA in hopes that KD pushes his season averages tonight.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.