Category Archives: Prop Bets

April 17th, 2022

Tonight we get another chance to go back to one of my favorite markets: 1st quarter props. DraftKings has had these off and on the books for most of the year and it’s such a great market because you can cash in 1 quarter and the lines feel a little off sometimes.

I’ll be going back to someone I’ve bet on a lot this year in Devin Booker. Booker has the 2nd highest average 1Q points with 9.3, just behind Luka. Usually DK does a pretty good job with setting lines, but I think these Booker lines are off. In his last 5 games, Book is averaging 13.2 points in the 1Q, with 10, 11, 12, 11 and 22(!!) with an average of 8.4 FGA. After seeing his first quarter game log again, I was surprised the line didn’t open at 9 at around -200. DK is offering 8+ at -155, which feels like a great leg for a same game parlay. Like other stars around the league, Booker is also almost always playing the full 12 minutes in the first. In his 4 games against the Pelicans this season, Book has 11, 11, 13, and 5 points (1Q). To get rid of the juice and complete the SGP, I’m keeping it simple and going with 1 Booker rebound in the first quarter to get us to +100. He’s gotten there every game this season against the Pelicans, including a game where he had 5 in the first. In his last 20 games, DB has recorded at least 1 board in the first 19/20 times. 

Play: 1U Devin Booker 8+ points 1Q / 1+ rebound 1Q +100

The Hawks travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers in the final play-in game for the Eastern Conference. The winner tonight will take on the Miami Heat in the first round. The Hawks own the season series at 3-1, taking a game in Cleveland along with their 2 wins at home.

Tonight, we get another opportunity to experiment with an underrated market in the sports betting world – first quarter prop bets. I’m going back to the well and riding with Trae Young assists in the first quarter. In the last two games against the Cavs, Trae has put up 4 and 5 assists in the first quarter. He is easily the best ball-handler and playmaker the Hawks have. In his last 5 games, Young has recorded 5, 2, 6, 5, and 6 assists in the first quarter, including 5 against the Cavs on March 31. For this SGP, all we need is 3+ assists from Trae. One of my favorite aspects of Trae Young is the fact that he almost always plays all 12 minutes of the first quarter, allowing him plenty of time to get a few assists.

One thing I typically look for in same game parlays is correlation between plays. To go with Trae’s assists, I’m looking to target De’Andre Hunter’s first quarter points prop. Hunter has proven himself with the Hawks, becoming a consistent starter and an important presence on both sides of the ball. For this play, all we need from Hunter is 4+ points in the first quarter. In his last 5 games, he’s dropped 7, 0, 6, 6, and 9 points in the first quarter. Against the Cavs, he had 5, 5, and 3 points in the first quarter. The volume has been there plenty recently in the first for Hunter, averaging 4.6 field goal attempts in his L5. As long as he makes two shots, we’ll be golden. My favorite thing about this play is that Trae consistently looks for Hunter in the first quarter. In the last two games against the Cavs, 4 of Trae’s 9 total 1Q assists have gone to Hunter.

Play: 1.25U Trae Young 3+ 1Q assists / De’Andre Hunter 4+ 1Q points -105 (DK)

For my mini longshot, I’m laddering the above play and adding Darius Garland’s first quarter points prop. Garland has transformed into an all-star this year and has become the leader of this young, surprising Cavaliers team. In his two games against the Hawks this season, DG had 12 and 10 points in the first quarter on 5/8 and 4/7 shooting. I truly believe he can get us 9+ points in the first quarter tonight.

Play: 0.15U Trae 4+ 1Q assists/Hunter 6+ 1Q points/Garland 9+ 1Q points +800 (DK)

The San Antonio Spurs travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans in a win or go home game in the play-in tournament. The winner of this game will take on the Clippers for a chance to play the Suns in the first round of the playoffs. The Spurs and the Pelicans have already played each other 4 times this season, with the Spurs taking 3 out of the 4 games, including one in New Orleans.

The two players I’m looking to play in this game are Jaxson Hayes and Dejounte Murray. Hayes has proved to be a key piece for the Pelicans defensively and in his last 2 games against the Spurs, he has recorded 3 blocks in each. Jaxson Hayes O0.5 blocks is currently available on DraftKings at -135. Hayes has also played an average 25.9 minutes in his 3 games vs the Spurs – about 6 minutes more than his season average of 20.0. In the last 2 games where he recorded 3 blocks, Hayes got the start and played 28 and 29 minutes respectively. I see Hayes getting around 30 minutes again, as this could be the last game of the season. The Spurs are also known for driving to the hoop on offense and PFs have recorded the most blocks in the league at 1.62 per game over the last 15 games against the Spurs.

Play: 1.35U Jaxson Hayes O0.5 blocks -135 (DK)

The next play I’m looking to make in this game is an SGP that represents Dejounte Murray and what he has been doing all season. For this one, I’m going with O5.5 rebounds, O7.5 assists, and 1+ steal for -115 on DraftKings. Murray has been consistently hitting these numbers all season, averaging 8.3 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. In his 4 games this season against the Pelicans, Murray has averaged 9.8 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 2.3 steals. Dejounte Murray (a 1st-team all prop member) has averaged 17.3 potential assists against New Orleans this season and I expect him to take over tonight for the Spurs. I think that Murray can cash this SGP for us like Paul George did last night (O5.5 boards, O4.5 assists, 1+ steal). The ball will be in his hands plenty and he should see 35+ minutes tonight in a close, thrilling game.

Plays: 1.15U Dejounte Murray O5.5 rebounds, O7.5 assists, 1 steal -115 (DK)

1U Dejounte Murray O17.5 rebounds/assists +100 (DK)

Longshots: 0.2U Murray 10+ rebounds/10+ assists +425 (DK)

0.1U Hayes 2+ blocks/Murray 3+ steals +1000 (DK)