NBA Player Props for Thursday, 2/26: Best Bets & Predictions Today
What kind of performances can we expect from Kevin Durant, Bennedict Mathurin, and Jalen Green? Follow along as our NBA betting analyst, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NBA prop bets for Thursday, February 26th. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more NBA plays, by subscribing to the RotoGrinders Props & Pick’em package.
Thursday’s NBA slate features 10 games, highlighted by a Prime Video doubleheader beginning at 7:30 PM ET with the Rockets against the Magic, followed by the Timberwolves against the Clippers.
It’s a busy night on the NBA injury report, with Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, Deni Avdija, Kawhi Leonard, Cooper Flagg, and Jalen Johnson already ruled out.
As always, be sure to use tools like CourtIQ and our NBA starting lineups page to evaluate how injuries impact usage and to search for inefficiencies in the player prop and DFS markets.
Below, you can find 3 of my favorite picks for Thursday, February 26th!
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Best NBA Player Props for Thursday, February 26th
Here are my top player prop bets for today, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM ET on Thursday, February 26th:
- Kevin Durant Over/Under 3.5 Assists
- Bennedict Mathurin Over/Under 24.5 Points
- Jalen Green Over/Under 20.5 Points
Kevin Durant OVER 3.5 Assists (-136, DraftKings)
DRAFTKINGSDurant has cleared this number in 3 of 4 games since the All-Star break. Tonight’s matchup against Orlando’s stingy defense isn’t ideal, but the market has more than adjusted for the level of difficulty.
Durant has at least 3 assists in 25 of his last 30 games and at least 4 assists in 20 of those contests. The Magic have been stingy with actual assists recently, but part of that has been due to a stretch of offensively challenged opponents on their schedule.
Luka Doncic had 20 potential assists against them on Tuesday. Kevin Porter Jr. had 17 potential assists against the Magic before the All-Star break. Lower-volume facilitators like Kawhi Leonard and DeMar DeRozan have posted 10 potential assists against the Magic of late.
If Houston’s role players can knock down shots tonight, Durant should have a good chance to get to 4 assists.
Bennedict Mathurin UNDER 24.5 Points (-115, BetMGM)
BETMGMKawhi Leonard and John Collins have both been ruled out tonight for the Clippers, presumably leaving the lion’s share of shot volume to Mathurn. That being said, this isn’t a great matchup for Mathurin to prove his capabilities as a lead scorer.
Mathurn attempts a high rate of his nightly shot attempts in the restricted area and the paint – two areas of the floor where Minnesota’s defense has excelled this season. In February, the Timberwolves have allowed the 4th-lowest success rate on shots in the restricted area and the 8th-lowest success rate in the paint.
Jalen Green OVER 20.5 Points (-114, FanDuel)
FANDUELAt a certain point, the ball simply has to go in the basket for Green. Tasked with being Phoenix’s No.1 scoring option with Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks sidelined, Green has taken at least 16 shots in each of the team’s games since the All-Star break.
Unfortunately for Green, he’s shot 23.1%, 37.5%, and 27.8% in his last 3 contests. Tonight, he draws a favorable matchup against a Lakers defense that has struggled to get stops this month. If Green continues to see significant shooting volume, he’s eventually going to have a night with some positive regression. That night could be tonight against Los Angeles.
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