The NBA Play-In Tournament seems like a cruel joke on those Western Conference teams battling for the final two seeds. Waiting in Round 1 is either the Thunder or Spurs, which is like asking, “Would you rather wrestle a lion or a tiger?”
The Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns tip off the Play-In tonight, fighting for the No. 7 seed. These Trail Blazers vs. Suns predictions and NBA picks pass on the side and total, and instead poke around for a trio of NBA player props.
Best Trail Blazers vs Suns props
| Player | Pick |  |
|---|---|---|
 Dillion Brooks |
Over 3.5 rebounds | -140 |
 Toumani Camara |
Under 12.5 points | -102 |
| Devin Booker |
Over 2.5 threes | +150 |
Prop #1: Dillon Brooks Over 3.5 rebounds
This is a battle of two very strong defensive teams that like to shoot the 3-ball. What doesn’t go in will turn into long rebounding opportunities, and Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks isn’t shy about mixing it up on the glass.
Brooks, who averages around 3.5 rebounds, has hauled in 4+ boards in 19 of his last 28 games. That includes four rebounds in a win over Portland on February 3 (as Brooks missed 18 games with a busted hand this winter). He averaged 8.1 rebounding chances during that 28-game span.
He played just 21 minutes in the season finale and has been working his way back into form since returning to the lineup at the end of March. He’ll be a full go for this Play-In contest with projections sitting between 3.4 and 5.0 rebounds.
Prop #2: Toumani Camara Under 12.5 points
Portland Trail Blazers guard Toumani Camara is Portland's biggest outside threat, knocking down 2.7 triples per contest. He faces a drum-tight Phoenix perimeter that allows the second-lowest opponent 3-point rate, giving up only 12.2 makes from distance per game.
Camara was especially active from outside during Portland's late-season push, jacking up 6+ shots from beyond the arc in 10 of his final 11 games (8.5 3PA per game). His scoring jumped to 18.2 per contest in that span and dragged up scoring prop totals to as high as 15.5 O/U.
Tonight’s tilt in Phoenix will be played at a slow pace with postseason intensity, and Camara (who was drafted by Phoenix) will absolutely be circled on the Suns’ pregame whiteboard.
He scored six, 12, and 13 points over his three meetings with Phoenix this season, shooting a combined 7-for-24 from outside (29%). Player forecasts range from 10.0 to 13.1 points for Camara tonight, with most models short of his scoring total.
Prop #3: Devin Booker Over 2.5 threes
Devin Booker’s 3-point prop is bouncing between a juicy Over 1.5 and Over 2.5, which is paying plus-money.
He hasn’t been the sharpest shooter in the second half of the schedule, firing at a 33.8% clip since the All-Star break and knocking down an average of two triples over his last 13 games.
That said, Booker enters the Play-In well rested and ready to log major minutes after sitting out the final two regular-season outings.
Before that, he was on a scoring tear in his last six showings, averaging almost 32 points and making 2.7 shots from distance with 3+ triples in three of those outings.
Projections for Tuesday have Booker pegged between 2.0 and 2.4 makes from long range. Given the fact he’s Phoenix’s go-to scorer and his propensity to step up to the postseason pressure (averages 2.3 3PM), I’ll grab the higher return on Over 2.5 threes.
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