The No. 1 seed Cavaliers have their backs against the wall as they head to Indiana down 2-0 in their best-of-seven series. Despite those previous losses, Donovan Mitchell filled up the hoop, and my NBA picks are backing him to come up big again in Game 3.
I'm also betting on a bounce-back performance from Aaron Gordon with the Nuggets looking for revenge at home after an ugly loss to the Thunder in Game 2.
Here are my best free NBA player props for Friday, May 9.
Best NBA player props today
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Haliburton u1.5 turnovers (-135) -
Mitchell o29.5 points (-115) -
Gordon o17.5 points (-110)
NBA player props for May 9
Tyrese Haliburton Under 1.5 turnovers (-135 at bet365)
Despite wild accusations of being "overrated," Tyrese Haliburton is one of the best floor generals in the NBA. Not only did he finish the regular season third in the league in assists per game (9.2), but he rarely coughs up the ball.
Haliburton averaged just 1.6 turnovers per game, and he easily led the league in assists-to-turnover ratio (5.7). The Cleveland Cavaliers play strong defense, but they don't apply much ball pressure and are a modest 14th in the league in opponent turnover rate (14%).
The star point guard has turned the ball over just once through the first two games of this series. He has also logged fewer than 1.5 turnovers in 21 of his last 28 games overall (75%).
Donovan Mitchell Over 29.5 points (-115 at bet365)
The Cavs desperately need point guard Darius Garland to suit up after missing the last four games. Garland is listed as questionable, but if his toe injury is as bad as reports suggest, he won't be near 100% even if he plays.
That will put the offensive burden on the shoulders of All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell once again. Mitchell scored 48 points in Game 2 after dropping 33 points in Game 1, and he took a whopping 30 field goal attempts in each game.
He went a combined 2-18 from 3-point range in those contests so his scoring should have been even higher if he shot anywhere near as well as he usually does from deep. With Cleveland's backs against the wall, expect a ton of minutes and shots for Mitchell tonight.
Aaron Gordon Over 17.5 points (-110 at bet365)
The Denver Nuggets pulled off the upset in Game 1, but the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back in a big way by curb-stomping them 149-106 in Game 2. Plenty of Denver players struggled in Game 2, including forward Aaron Gordon, who finished with 10 points on 3-12 shooting in 27 minutes.
Denver rested Gordon in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach but I'm expecting a closer contest in Game 3, which should mean more minutes for Gordon. Don't forget that he dropped 22 points in 39 minutes in the first game of the series. He also scored at least 19 points in four-straight games before his off night on Wednesday.
The Thunder have a lockdown defense but they also play at a speedy tempo which should lead to an increase in scoring opportunities for Gordon.
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NBA odds today
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