(5/6) NBA | Best Player Props in the Association
Written by: Varun Sharma
Published: Wed May 06, 2026, 3:13 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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The second round of the NBA Playoffs are underway and with just eight teams left, there's little room for error. Both the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves jumped out to 1-0 series leads and both will look to build on that tonight.
Broad Street vs. Broadway
First piece of important news, Joel Embiid will be out tonight for Game 2. The Philadelphia 76ers look to battle back from 0-1 deficit in this Eastern Conference semi-final and they'll have to do it without their former MVP.
The Sixers played seven games against Boston, battled back from a 3-1 deficit and won a tough fought Game 7 on the road at TD Garden. It's been an exhausting start to the postseason for the Sixers and you could see it on their faces in Game 1.
The team shot just 41% from the field in Game 1, turned the ball over 19 times and gave up 58 points in the paint. Not only did they shoot poorly, but they defended poorly. The Knicks shot 63% from the field in the series opener and 51% from three.
Now with Joel on the sidelines, I'm just a little worried about who picks up the offensive slack. Philly went 21-23 without Embiid this year, averaged 112.9 points per game and allowed 116.5 per game.
Let's compare that to games with Joel. Philly went 24-14 with Embiid, averaged 119.4 points per game and allowed just 115.6.
North Star vs. Lone Star
After an easy first round series, the San Antonio Spurs got punched in the mouth by Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves. Edwards played 25 minutes off the bench in Game 1, scoring 18 points on 8/13 from the field.
Julius Randle was the game's leading point scorer with 21 points and it was Dylan Harper off the bench leading the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama and fellow countrymen Rudy Gobert went head to head for the first time in the postseason. Wemby played 40 minutes and recorded a triple double; recording 11 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocked shots.
Victor went 5/17 from the field in Game 1 and De'Aaron Fox finished 5/14. San Antonio's two All-Stars needed to be better offensively and tonight they've got a chance at redemption.
Today's Best Bets
OG Anunoby o24.5 PRA (-114) | Lucky Rebel
OG is currently averaging 21.1 points per game in the postseason. He's shooting above 60% from the field and nearly 60% from the perimeter. Anunoby's just been incredible for the Knicks this year and it's why they're here in Round 2 with a 1-0 series lead.
OG is the Knicks' second leading scorer in the playoffs and he's averaging 7.9 rebounds per game. Going back to last year, he's cleared this line in six of the eight matchups wth Philly, averaging: 18.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.
In Game 1, OG scored 18 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and had just one assist. He played 30 minutes in a blowout win and shot 7/8 from the field. He's got the most playoff experience of anyone on this roster and it's been on full display so far this postseason.
Stephon Castle o12.5 A/R (+100) | Lucky Rebel
Castle played just 28 minutes in Game 1 and it's because he found himself in foul trouble early. He still finished with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, but it was evident his team needed him down the stretch. Castle is the team's best defender so he often finds himself defending the opponents best player.
This leads to potential foul trouble and we saw a ton in the last two games of their first round series. Castle's had 5+ fouls in three straight games now and he's failed to clear this line in five straight games. Prior to this five game stretch, Castle cleared this line in 13 of the previous 15 games and is averaging 14.4 combined rebounds/assists in his last 20 games.
If the Spurs are going to bounce back tonight, they'll need more from their sophomore point guard.
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