Odds to Score Most Points on First Day of 2019 NBA Playoffs: Steph Curry Listed as Favorite
- Steph Curry missed the team’s regular season finale with an ankle injury
- Joel Embiid, who missed 14 of the team’s last 24 games, is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s contest
- D’Angelo Russell averaged 21.0 points per game versus the Philadelphia 76ers this season
The first day of the 2019 NBA playoffs is on Saturday and we’ve got four games on tap. Oddsmakers have posted a prop on which player will have the most points for the day, and not surprisingly, Steph Curry is favored.
Is he the best bet or will someone else cash in?
Odds to Score the Most Points on Saturday
| Player | Leading Scorer Odds |
|---|---|
| Steph Curry | +325 |
| Joel Embiid | +450 |
| Kevin Durant | +500 |
| Kawhi Leonard | +650 |
| D’Angelo Russell | +700 |
| LaMarcus Aldridge | +1200 |
| Nikola Vucevic | +1400 |
| DeMar DeRozan | +1400 |
| Danilo Gallinari | +2000 |
| Lou Williams | +1400 |
| Klay Thompson | +1400 |
| Nikola Jokic | +2000 |
| Tobias Harris | +3000 |
| Jimmy Butler | +3000 |
| Jamal Murray | +3000 |
*Odds taken April 13
Look To The Totals
One of the best tools you can use for handicapping a prop like this is to look to the totals.
There are four games on the board for Saturday and oddsmakers have a total of 231.5 for Brooklyn-Philadelphia and 232 for Los Angeles-Golden State. They’re expecting those to be high-scoring affairs.
It’s time to stand together. All of us.
It’s time to lay it all out on the table.#PhilaUnite | #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/5fFNmNg7hR— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 11, 2019
Meanwhile, the other two games on the board have much smaller numbers. The Orlando-Toronto game is at 213 and the San Antonio-Denver game is at 211.
While it’s not a surefire tool by any stretch, there’s a small correlation as this gives you an indication of which games to choose from as two of the games are expected to see more points.
Curry Has Torched Clippers
The Golden State Warriors faced the Los Angeles Clippers four times this season. Curry played in three of those games and was the team’s leading scorer each time.
However, it’s worth noting that he only faced off with Patrick Beverley – the Clippers lock down defender – just once this season, but did score 42 in that game.
Ahead of the #NBAPlayoffs, ? @StephenCurry30‘s (27.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.2 APG) BEST PLAYS from the 2018-19 regular season!
?: (8) #ClipperNation x (1) #StrengthInNumbers Game 1
⏰: Saturday, 4/13 – 8:00pm/et
?: #NBAonABChttps://t.co/W0o0Z3tMJ9— NBA (@NBA) April 12, 2019
Curry isn’t a bad bet but the Clippers did hold the Warriors to 48.9% from the field and 32.4% from three, which is well below their overall averages. Also, keep in mind he’s dealing with a mild ankle injury, although he should be good to go.
The Clippers are a good defensive team and they know they need to slow Curry. I would take a flier on someone else on the board.
Be Careful With Embiid
Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers will be taking on the Brooklyn Nets and Embiid should have a good game…if he’s healthy.
On the season, he averaged 30.0 points per game against the Nets while shooting 60% from the field and 45.5% from three. The issue is that he’s actually listed as doubtful for Game 1.
BREAKING: Joel Embiid is still having pain in his left knee and does NOT know if he will play game 1 vs Nets
Embiid is frustrated @6abc #JoelEmbiid #NBAPlayoffs #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/jUF8HhyIVv
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) April 12, 2019
If he plays, I would bet him.
He had just 16 against them in the first meeting in a game at Brooklyn that got out of hand (76ers were blown out). However, since then, he’s scored 32, 33 and 39. Those are some healthy numbers, so I would bet him to finish the day with the most points.
However, this ‘doubtful’ tag, is something to be wary of.
Take A Flier On Russell At +700
One player I’d take a flier on from the longer shots is Russell, who is at +700. Again, the game has a high total as these two teams averaged 238.8 points per game in their four regular season meetings.
Russell did have 13 points in one game and 12 in another, but he also had 38 and 21 in the other two meetings.
D’Angelo Russell showing out in LA pic.twitter.com/KhTazifY3T
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 18, 2019
The 76ers defense has faded down the stretch and it’ll be even worse if Embiid – one of the top defensive players in the league – is out. They gave up 116.1 points per game over their last 15, which is 21st in the NBA.
They were also 22nd in fast break points allowed (14.7), which should set up well for Russell. He’s worth a flier at +700.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
