Scott Foster might grab the headlines tonight, but the real story belongs to the players on the floor. Someone might want to remind him before tip-off in Minnesota, because Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and more are ready to take center stage for their respective teams in a Game 3 slate.
So keep your attention where it matters — on these player props and NBA picks for Thursday, April 23 — not on the whistles trying to steal the spotlight.
Best NBA player props today
| Player | Pick |  |
|---|---|---|
 Karl-Anthony Towns |
Over 1.5 3-pointers | +135 |
 Collin Murray-Boyles |
Over 10.5 points | +100 |
 Anthony Edwards |
Over 5.5 rebounds | -140 |
Prop #1: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 3-pointers
The New York Knicks center has hit multiple 3-pointers in each game of this series against the Atlanta Hawks, going 5-of-9 in the first two games at home. Why in the world is this prop priced at such plus-money?
No, really, why? Let’s try to think of reasons.
Karl-Anthony Towns struggled in the last month of the regular season, going just 13-of-37 from deep in his final 12 games. But even a month of struggles featured Towns shooting 35.1% from beyond the arc.
The bigger worry then may have been attempting just 3.1 triples per game, but upping that to 4.5 already in this series is reason enough to expect Towns to keep hitting multiple 3-pointers in each game. At that rate, even Towns’ struggling rate of 35.1% would make him more likely than not to hit two 3-pointers.
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Prop #2: Collin Murray-Boyles Over 10.5 points
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic benched Jakob Poeltl in the second half of Game 2, trying a small-ball lineup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Did it work? Well, Toronto trailed by six at halftime and lost by 10, so not really.
But the Raptors’ shooting percentage jumped to 60% in the second half, compared to 41.9% in the first. That may be enough proof of concept to encourage Rajakovic to continue leaning on his wings, even if he said on Wednesday, “[Poeltl] needs to be part of the solution for us. He needs to be more aggressive. … He’s going to be a big part of Game 3.”
Collin Murray-Boyles played 12 minutes in Game 2’s first half and then 14 in the second half. He plays regardless of Poeltl’s action, though a slight uptick makes sense if Poeltl sees fewer minutes.
So this prop has potential no matter Poeltl’s workload.
Murray-Boyles has cleared this prop in both games of this series, scoring 14 and then 17. He topped it in six of his final eight regular-season games, discounting his truncated appearance in the season finale.
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Prop #3: Anthony Edwards Over 5.5 rebounds
Anthony Edwards has grabbed 19 rebounds so far in this series against the Denver Nuggets. This is a common postseason emphasis of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ superstar, now clearing this prop in 24 of his last 33 playoff games.
Sure, he tends to average 5+ rebounds per game in the regular season — 5.4 two years ago, 5.7 last season and 5.0 this year — but he then plays a more all-around game when games matter most.
Much like Towns and Murray-Boyles, sportsbooks are putting too much of an emphasis on regular-season results, not recognizing tangible and intangible postseason changes.
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.
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