We have three NBA props for this Thursday, and our staff of basketball betting experts is focused on key players who could be in line for noteworthy performances in Game 2 between the Warriors and Timberwolves tonight.
Continue below for my NBA player props for Thursday, May 8.
NBA Player Props for Thursday, May 8
- Draymond Green Over 10.5 Points (+105, Fanatics)
- Rudy Gobert Over 10.5 Rebounds (-130, BetMGM)
- Buddy Hield Over 3.5 Made Threes (+110, BetMGM)
Draymond Green Over 10.5 Points
Warriors vs Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m. ET
The Warriors built a first-half lead on Tuesday as Stephen Curry scored 13 points in 13 minutes.
Unfortunately, a hamstring injury ended his night early and the over on his points, which were well on its way to cashing. Down his longtime teammate, Draymond Green stepped up with 18 points as the Warriors were able to hold off the Timberwolves and steal Game 1.
Green has now scored 34 points in his last two games. Without Curry for at least a week, the Warriors need that to continue. However, Minnesota may be okay allowing him to score as well.
Without Curry, Jimmy Butler becomes the Warriors' No. 1 scoring option and the primary focus of Minnesota's game plan.
With other shooters on the floor like Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody among others, Green often gets uncontested looks from three with teams not respecting his jumper.
Green shot just 32.5% from three in the regular season, but he attempted 3.6 per game, his most in seven years. He has gotten even more aggressive recently, as 18 of his 28 field goal attempts in his last two games have been threes.
Additionally, if Kevon Looney sees more combat to Minnesota's size, he may see more time on the perimeter to space the floor.
With 20+ shots from Curry out of the lineup, a few of those opportunities figure to go to Green. Given his recent volume, I like his chances of scoring 11 points tonight.
Pick: Draymond Green Over 10.5 Points (+105, Fanatics)
Rudy Gobert Over 10.5 Rebounds
Warriors vs Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m. ET
Green's nemesis, Rudy Gobert, is on the other side in this series. In Game 1, Gobert had 11 rebounds and if he gets the minutes, that should be the case often in this series.
Per Props.cash, the Warriors were 29th in rebounds allowed to centers in the regular season. Gobert has had at least nine rebounds in each of his last 13 games against the Warriors, clearing this line in nine of them.
He needed just 26 minutes to clear this line in Game 1. I considered him on Tuesday, but was concerned about the minutes.
Without Curry as their primary pick-and-roll option and the most likely to take advantage of Gobert on a switch, that should be less of a concern.
Additionally, the Warriors' offense tends to struggle without Curry, which should lead to more missed shots and rebound opportunities.
Gobert has averaged 20.8 rebound chances over his last 10 games, and he had 25 on Tuesday. He cleared this line while only grabbing 44% of them. I expect that percentage to increase as he grabs at least 11 rebounds for the third straight game.
Pick: Rudy Gobert Over 10.5 Rebounds (-130, BetMGM)
Buddy Hield Over 3.5 Made Threes
Warriors vs Timberwolves, 8:30 p.m. ET
Another player the Warriors will need to step up tonight is Buddy Hield. His minutes were inconsistent in the Houston series, but he played 37 minutes in Game 7 and 40 minutes on Tuesday.
He has rewarded Steve Kerr with nine and five threes in the last two games. He scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half on Tuesday.
Hield will see more attention tonight without Curry, but also more attempts. He was one of three Warriors players with double-digit field goal attempts on Tuesday, along with Butler and Green.
We know Hield is not bashful about shooting when he gets the minutes. He has averaged 7.5 three-point attempts per game for his career, and taken 19 in the last two games.
Naturally, I am also interested in his point line (15.5) tonight. However, if he goes over that, it will likely be due to four threes, which have better odds.
Pick: Buddy Hield Over 3.5 Three-Pointers Made (+110, BetMGM)
