Jamal Murray headlines Monday's NBA playoff prop bets.

The pregame narrative: Every team has one playoff game under its belt, giving bettors something to work with heading into Game 2. Murray should keep his foot on the gas against the Los Angeles Lakers while Austin Reaves should have a nice night, too. Thirdly, I'm fading a banged-up Joel Embiid.

Check out these NBA prop bets for April 22.

NBA prop bets

Best Bet: Murray over 24.5 points (-117)

Full disclosure, I had an awful weekend betting on NBA props, going 0-for-6 with my picks.

That included a wager on Murray to score 25-plus points in Game 1. So fade if you must but I believe in a bounce back, for Murray and myself.

The Canadian guard had 22 points in the series opener, shooting an uncharacteristic 37.5% from the field. The good news is the volume is there (24 shot attempts) and should continue.

Murray averaged 32.5 points against the Lakers in the playoffs last year. He cleared this line in all four games and scored 30-plus points three times.

Stopping Nikola Jokic will be priority No. 1 for L.A.

That's easier said than done but the two-time MVP ran roughshod on the Lakers while taking 23 field goal attempts, which was well above his 17.9 season-long average.

Jokic will still get his but don't be surprised if he gets even more attention than usual. That means Murray will have an opportunity to feast.

Key stat: Los Angeles gave up the seventh-most points per game to point guards this season, per Fantasy Pros.

Quick picks

Reaves over 22.5 PRA (-122): It's time for Reaves' role to increase significantly.

The third-year shooting guard played 37 minutes in Game 1 but only took nine shots. He still finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, which is only one 3-pointer away from clearing this total.

Reaves averaged 25.7 PRA on the season and blew by this mark in all three regular-season games versus the Denver Nuggets (29.3 PRA).

He also averaged 30.1 PRA in the Western Conference Finals last year, clearing this mark in three of four games while landing on 22 PRA in the outlier.

D'Angelo Russell really struggled in Game 1 (6-20 from the field, 1-of-9 from deep) and I expect Reaves to take control.

Embiid under 29.5 points (-129): Fading the reigning MVP who averaged 34.7 points during the regular season might seem foolish but I have my reasons.

Firstly, it looks like Embiid's knee is hanging by a thread.

Philadelphia 76ers fans had their hearts sink when Embiid left Game 1 after falling awkwardly after a dunk. He returned and managed 29 points on an underwhelming 8-of-22 shooting.

Embiid missed 29 games with an injury and is playing visibly hurt. He's going to be in tough against a New York Knicks team which plays rabid defence.

The Knicks have the third-best defensive rating (110.3) since acquiring OG Anunoby on January 1. They also play at the slowest pace (94.37 possessions/game) meaning there are fewer opportunities for Embiid to fill the basket.

New York allows third-fewest points per game to opposing centres.

Picks made at 10:06 a.m. on 04/22/2024.

Looking to get started? Sign up here.