The Eastern Conference is set to join in on the NBA Play-In Tournament fun, and we have our top NBA player props and best bets for Wednesday based on the best NBA odds.
The Philadelphia 76ers (47-35) and Joel Embiid kick off the NBA slate on Wednesday against the Miami Heat (46-36), who were long viewed as a lock by the NBA Play-In Tournament odds.
The evening's first game is set for a 7 p.m. ET tip (ESPN) at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa., with the 76ers serving as 5-point favorites across our best sports betting sites thanks to the combo of Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who we previewed in our Heat vs. 76ers player props.
Following that game, the Atlanta Hawks (36-46) head to the United Center in Chicago, Ill., to take on a Chicago Bulls (39-43) team favored by 3 points at home. In what could be a clunky game – as highlighted in our Hawks vs. Bulls player props – the Bulls will look to knock off the Hawks at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Here are our NBA player props and best bets for Wednesday (NBA picks based on odds via our
best NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Wednesday's NBA best bets
- Joel Embiid Over 11.5 rebounds (-104 via FanDuel) ???
- Jimmy Butler Under 23.5 points (+100 via bet365) ???
- DeMar DeRozan Over 29.5 points (-102 via DraftKings) ????
- Trae Young Under 37.5 points + rebounds + assists (-115 via FanDuel) ????
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Wednesday's NBA schedule and odds
(Odds via Caesars)
- Heat vs. 76ers | Spread: 76ers -5 | Total: 208
- Hawks vs. Bulls | Spread: Bulls -3 | Total: 222.5
Wednesday's NBA player props
Since Embiid has returned to the 76er s lineup, he's looked like an in-shape version of Charles Barkley with his dominant play. An NBA MVP odds favorites pre-injury, the seven-time All-Star returned after missing 29 games to play in five of Philly's final seven and was a monster over the last three.
While scoring against the Heat can be difficult – Miami is third in the NBA in points allowed (108.4) – Embiid can own the glass. Erik Spoelstra's team is just 26th in rebounds per game (42.3) and allows the 11th-most defensive rebounds to opponents this season (33.5).
Embiid is averaging 11 rebounds per game this year and pulled down 12 per game over his last three regular-season outings. Even with Bam Adebayo at the five, the Heat allow opposing centers to bring in 14.21 boards per game, which is why there's so much value with these odds from FanDuel.
This prop is as short as -125 at our other best sports betting apps, which implies a 55.56% probability Embiid hits the Over, according to our odds calculator. With our odds at FanDuel, though, a $10 bet would bring in a $9.62 profit.
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Normally, betting against Jimmy Butler in the postseason earns a chastising from ball knowers, but Butler hasn't been quite the same player we've seen in the past at age 34.
While he still led the Heat in points per game this season (20.8), both his 2-point and free-throw attempts were down as Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, and Bam Adebayo surpassed him in usage rating. The six-time All-Star seems to have embraced his new emo persona by turning in more than a few sulk-worthy performances.
Butler closed out the season with 15 points or fewer over his last three games and only scored more than 23.5 points in 18 of 60 games this season (30%). This is an outlier price at bet365, too. Butler's odds to hit the Under are as short as -131 at our other best sportsbooks.
Those shorter odds imply a 56.71% probability Butler will hit the Under against a 76ers squad that ranks ninth in the NBA in points allowed (111.5) and holds opposing small forwards to 20.5 points per game. A $10 wager on this prop pays out $20 if Butler scores fewer than 24 points.
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When Zach LaVine went down with a season-ending injury, it looked like the Bulls postseason hopes were going to fall apart. Instead, DeMar DeRozan did his best Michael Jordan impression and put the team on his back to give them a chance at qualifying for the playoffs.
At 34, DeRozan averaged 24 points per game this season and closed out the year with a jaw-dropping stretch. He scored at least 30 points in six of his final eight games while averaging 30.2 per game.
His scoring surge should continue against a Hawks defense that looks like it's playing the wrong sport at times. Atlanta allows the third-most points per game in the NBA (120.5) and ranks 27th in defensive rating (119.4).
For Chicago, DeRozan is technically a four, but it doesn't even matter what position he's labelled as because the Hawks allow the eighth-most points per game to power forwards (24.74) and the second-most to small forwards (22.67). This prop is as short as -115, implying a 53.48% probability he hits the Over, but with our odds it will pay out $19.80.
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There's not a worse team on paper taking the court in the NBA postseason than the Hawks. For basketball purists, watching this squad is like watching an air raid football team: the scoring is fun, but at some point it would be nice to get a stop on defense.
Losing Trae Young for 23 games certainly didn't help the Hawks' watchability, and even in his return for the final three games he was lackluster. To close out the regular season the Hawks lost six straight, three with Young, while the All-Star averaged just 28 combined points, rebounds, and assists.
To expect him to recapture his form against the Bulls in a do-or-die game is a big ask. Chicago held opposing point guards to the fourth-fewest points per game in the NBA this season (23.01) and fourth-fewest rebounds (5.67). This prop is as short as -127, implying a 55.95% probability Young hits the Under, but FanDuel's price pays out $18.70 on it.< /p>
NBA best bets made Wednesday at 10:20 a.m. ET.
Here are our best NBA betting sites:
- Caesars Promo Code: SBRBONUS1000 | Read our Caesars Review
- BetMGM Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetMGM Review
- bet365 Bonus Code: SBRBONUS | Read our bet365 Review
- BetRivers Promo Code: SBRBONUS | Read our BetRivers Review
- FanDuel Promo Code | Read our FanDuel Review
- DraftKings Promo Code | Read our DraftKings Review
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Related pages
- Best Live Betting Sites | Best Sportsbook Promos (U.S. only)