Let’s tip off the new NBA week with some winners in the NBA player props market. With eight games on the board, there is no shortage of options for basketball bettors.
Tonight, I take a look at Brook Lopez to continue his outstanding month of March when the Bucks take on the Pistons, Julius Randle to break out of his shooting slump against the Rockets, and CJ McCollum to distribute dimes against his former team.
Here are my best NBA player prop picks for Monday, March 27.
NBA player props for March 27
Picks made on 3/27/2023 at 1:20 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Today’s best NBA player props
The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.
Bucket Lopez
The Milwaukee Bucks stand atop the Eastern Conference and are big favorites over the Detroit Pistons tonight. Speaking of big, Bucks' center Brook Lopez should continue his impressive month of March in this matchup against the Pistons.
Lopez has been doing it all for Milwaukee, but he has taken his game to the next level this month. Lopez is averaging 19.9 points, which includes him shooting 40.4% from 3-point range, while adding 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game.
Tonight, he faces a Pistons team where the tank is in full swing. Lots of regulars are missing time down the stretch as the team is struggling to get buckets while notching just one win since February 12.
Detroit has a lot of problems right now, but the Pistons’ defensive effort on the interior is really lacking. They rank next-to-last in the NBA when it comes to opponent points in the paint per game, and Lopez has given them problems this season.
In three meetings against Detrot, Lopez has gone for 24, 11, and 21 points on nearly 64% shooting from the floor. His point total for this matchup is a reasonable 15.5, a number he has eclipsed nine times in 12 games this March. I’m backing him to make it an even 10 tonight against the Pistons.
Brook Lopez prop: Over 15.5 points (-115)
Randle finds his rhythm
It’s not all that surprising that the New York Knicks' recent rough patch has coincided with Julius Randle’s current slump.
Randle is shooting 26.8% from 3-point range over a nine-game stretch, but if there’s a team that can help him bust out of that slump, it’s the Houston Rockets.
Houston has a real problem when it comes to perimeter defense. The Rockets surrender the most 3-point attempts and makes per game in the NBA, and rank 28th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. And it feels like almost every time the Rockets play, someone is torching them from beyond the arc.
Just look at what Luke Kennard did to them over the weekend:
Luke Kennard tonight:
— NBA (@NBA) March 25, 2023
???? Sets career-high and franchise record with 10 threes
???? Becomes 1st player ever with 10+ 3PM on 90%+ FG
???? Leads Grizzlies to a playoff-clinching W pic.twitter.com/7WEjWEi926
Now, Randle is certainly a more streaky shooter than a guy like Kennard is, but when he gets going he can drain treys with the best of them. Prior to this nine-game funk, Randle had an 11-game stretch where he shot 42.5% from three and hit four or more treys seven times.
Additionally, in his other lone meeting against the Rockets this season back on Dec. 31, Randle went 5-for-13 from downtown. I’m betting Randle finds his rhythm in this matchup and taking the Over 3.5 on his made threes prop at nice plus money.
Julius Randle prop: Over 3.5 threes made (+132)
Dime a dozen
Talk about the right time to start a hot streak. With just a couple of weeks left in the regular season, the New Orleans Pelicans have rattled off four straight victories and are now tied with the Golden State Warriors in the loss column for the sixth spot in the Western Conference. The Pels will try to make it five in a row when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers.
On the other side, it looks like the Blazers' season is slipping away. Portland has lost eight of its last 10 games thanks to a defense that has been putrid since the All-Star break. The Blazers rank 27th in defensive rating and are giving up 120.5 points per game in the unofficial second half of the season.
Portland has been very vulnerable to teams willing to make the extra pass and the Pels, specifically CJ McCollum, fit the bill.
The Over/Under on his assists total is set at 5.5 tonight. McCollum is generally known for his shooting prowess but has also been a solid facilitator for this Pels team, averaging 5.9 assists per game this season. Over his last eight games, that average bumps up to 6.8, and has gone Over that number five times over that stretch.
McCollum has also done a great job getting his teammates involved when he’s gone against his former team this season. In three matchups against the Blazers, McCollum has dished out 25 dimes, handing out no fewer than seven in those three games.
I’m betting McCollum and the Pels continue this grove and move the ball well in this matchup against an increasingly disinterested Portland team.
CJ McCollum prop: Over 5.5 assists (-111)
