NBA Prop Bets 5/2/2022

James Harden under 25.5 points (-116 FD)

Joel Embiid has been ruled out tonight with an orbital fracture so the sportsbooks have inflated the prop lines on the rest of the Sixers starters, primarily Tyrese Maxey and James Harden. In round 1 against the Raptors, Harden was typically lined around 20.5 points and finished the series with a 19.0 PPG average, on only 13 FGA’s per game and a series high 22 points scored. Now Harden gets a matchup against a top 5 defense in the league in the Miami Heat. If anyone watched the round 1 series between the Heat and Hawks, you may not have even noticed Trae Young was in the game because the Heat locked him down defensively, holding him under 12 points in 3 out of 5 games for an average of 15.4 PPG. They threw a slew of defenders at him every possession, even picking him up full court for much of the game, forcing the ball out of his hands. We expect the Heat to employ a similar defensive tactic on Harden, without needing to worry about the threat of Joel Embiid down low, Harden will be the focus of the defense. Harden isn’t the perennial MVP candidate he used to be and we expect him to struggle big time. We’re playing under 25.5 points, under 42.5 PRA and even some alt unders at +money are in play!

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