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Sunday’s four-game slate is certainly not lacking in excitement. The Los Angeles Lakers can complete the sweep of the Houston Rockets on the road and head to the Western Conference semifinals with a victory.
The other three matchups all feature home teams down 2-1, looking to even up their respective series. Today’s best NBA player props and NBA picks focus on those games, keying in on young players enjoying breakout postseason success.
Best NBA player props today
| Player | Pick |  |
|---|
RJ Barrett | Over 20.5 points | -120 |
Scoot Henderson | Over 14.5 points | -130 |
VJ Edgecombe | Over 6.5 rebounds | +115 |
Prop #1: RJ Barrett Over 20.5 points
-120 at bet365
The Toronto Raptors wouldn’t have won Game 3 without RJ Barrett... plain and simple. He scored 16 points in the decisive fourth quarter, going off for 13 points in a blistering three-minute stretch to put Cleveland out of striking distance once and for all.
Over his last 14 games, dating back to the regular season, Barrett has averaged 22 points, reaching 21+ nine times. He’s hit that mark in four of his last seven at home and scored exactly 20 one more time.
Immanuel Quickley is out again, and Barrett’s scoring average increased from 19 points per game to 20.6 in eight games with Quickley on the sideline. Barrett scored 21+ in four of eight regular-season games without IQ this season.
Barrett has averaged a healthy 26.3 points per game while shooting 64.4% from the floor in this series. His efficiency is bound to drop off, but I don’t expect it to crater, and I’m counting on another strong offensive showing.
- Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ESPN
Prop #2: Scoot Henderson Over 14.5 points
-130 at bet365
Scoot Henderson missed most of the regular season due to a left hamstring injury, but he averaged a career-high 14.2 points across 30 games to close out his third NBA campaign.
Dating back to the regular season, he's started 11 straight games, and he’s averaged 17.4 points in that span. Henderson recorded at least 15 points in eight of his last 11, going for exactly 14 once more.
Scoot has been phenomenal in his first-ever playoff series. He ranks third on the team in field goal attempts and minutes per game, and he leads Portland in points (23.3) and triples (4.0).
The 22-year-old microwave scorer is making the most of his opportunities, and his season-high 31 points propelled the Portland Trail Blazers to victory in Game 2.
They'll need all the scoring they can get against a stout San Antonio Spurs defense, and Henderson’s outside shooting will be key to spacing the floor and countering the daunting interior presence of Victor Wembanyama.
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: ESPN
Prop #3: VJ Edgecombe Over 6.5 rebounds
+115 at bet365
Like Barrett and Henderson, VJ Edgecombe is another hungry, young player having a productive playoff run. With Joel Embiid expected to sit out Game 4, Edgecombe should continue to see increased rebounding opportunities.
Edgecombe recorded 10 rebounds in Games 2 and 3, and he’s finished with 7+ boards in three of seven total matchups with the Boston Celtics this season. In those seven games, the rookie averaged 6.1 boards.
Edgecombe averaged 5.6 rebounds per game on the season, but he’s taken his rebounding to a new level over his last eight appearances. In that span, Edgecombe has averaged eight boards and corralled at least seven in six of them.
Playing at home and in desperate need of a win, I expect Edgecombe to continue his stellar inaugural playoff run and cash this plus-money player prop.
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Where to watch: NBC/Peacock
These props are available now at bet365, one of our best betting sites.
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