NBA Player Props Today: LaVine Projected To Shoot Lights Out vs Jazz

A triple-double from Luka Doncic in his first look at the Dallas Mavericks got us into positive units on an otherwise humdrum Tuesday night, but there's more games to wager on Wednesday with nine across the NBA schedule, which therefore means more options in the world of player props. 

Here are three expert player prop picks for your consideration on February 26, including a 3-pointers made prop for Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (-130) on the road against the Utah Jazz.

Zach LaVine To Make 3+ 3-Pointers vs. Jazz (-130)

Preview: Sacramento Kings vs. Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET

A recent 24-point loss by Sacramento to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 21 reportedly forced head coach Doug Christie to call a meeting with his starting lineup to get everyone on the same page. The Kings have only played once since then, and it did come against the lowly Charlotte Hornets, but the players did seem to respond in a positive manner in a 42-point blowout with Zach LaVine's star shining brightest on Monday.

He hit 16 of his 19 shot attempts, including 8-of-9 from 3-point range, for a season-high 42 points in just 30 minutes of action. It was far and away LaVine's strongest showing since making his debut in Sacramento colors on Feb. 5, which will hopefully have some carry over to Wednesday against a Utah Jazz team which ranks dead last in defense (118.3 points allowed per 100 possessions). 

LaVine has connected on at least three triples in two of his last three games, both of which resulted in at least five. The hesitancy to bet above three makes here comes from the two-time All-Star's hot and cold nature, although Utah does allow shooting guards to connect on 38.1-percent of their 3-point shots this season (26th). 

RJ Barrett OVER 20.5 Points vs. Pacers (-110)

Preview: Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers, 7 p.m. ET

A points prop of 20.5 for RJ Barrett against the Indiana Pacers is more than favorable, and actually quite surprising considering how well he's played since returning from concussion protocol on Feb. 12.

In his last four appearances back in the Toronto Raptors' lineup, Barrett has produced 25.3 points per game on 57.6 percent shooting from the field. He hasn't attempted fewer than 15 shots during that stretch and has converted at least two 3-pointers in three of those four games. The most important takeaway as it pertains to this prop, though, is that the Canadian guard has reached an OVER on 20.5 points each time, never finishing with fewer than 22. 

This marks the third time Barrett will see the Pacers this season, and if his initial two box scores are any indicator (34 points per game, scoring at least 29 each time), then he should easily topple this pedestrian line. 

Zaccharie Risacher UNDER 12.5 Points vs. Heat (-114)

Preview: Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET

After scoring 10 or more points in six-straight games for the Atlanta Hawks, Zaccharie Risachar came back down to earth in a major way versus the Miami Heat on Feb. 24 with just two points on 1-of-8 shooting. Now this isn't meant to suggest that the No. 1 overall pick isn't capable of a bounce-back game in this rematch with Miami at the Kaseya Center, but there's just something about playing the Heat which stifles the Frenchman's productivity. 

Risacher scored just nine points while making just a third of his shots against Miami back on Dec. 28. That would make two UNDERs in this particular matchup, but the trends don't stop just there. Despite finishing with double-digit points in six-straight games, the 19-year-old prospect hasn't strung together consecutive OVERs or UNDERs at 12.5 points at all during this run. 

Now that pattern would have to end on Wednesday for an UNDER to occur, but the numbers don't lie. Risacher has struggled multiple times against Miami, and that should prove to be the case once again.

Paul George UNDER 4.5 Rebounds vs. Knicks (+102)

Preview: Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks, 7 p.m. ET

The Philadelphia 76ers are a ticking time bomb, and are a heartbeat away from embracing the tank and sitting some of their key players to close out the campaign in an effort to preserve their 2025 first-round draft pick with top-six protection. At the rate things are going, this may be one of the final times bettors can wager on someone like Paul George, who has dealt with his fair of injuries since coming aboard and would be a prime candidate to start missing time. 

This meeting with the New York Knicks has "blowout" written all over it with Philadelphia entering as the 10-point road underdogs, considering it just got throughly handled by the feeble Chicago Bulls on Feb. 24. New York allows the fewest rebounds to opponents on the season at just 41.6, which makes taking the UNDER on George at 4.5 for plus money an enticing play.

George has reached an UNDER on this number in three of his last five games and six of his last nine. He finished with just three the last time the Sixers played the Knicks on Jan. 15 which superstar teammate Joel Embiid was also absent for, just like he'll be again on Wednesday. 

NBA Best Player Prop Trends Today

Josh Giddey UNDER 5.5 Assists vs. Clippers (+118)

The Clippers defense is our X-factor here. As the Outlier trend notes, Giddey has gone UNDER this assists total in five straight games against top 10 defenses for assists allowed. This streak includes games against the Pistons, T-Wolves, Warriors, and Knicks. Now, the Bulls guard faces L.A., a squad with a surprisingly stout defense.

The Clippers defend everything well as a team, yielding just 108.5 points per game (fourth-best) and 25.19 assists per game (sixth in the NBA). L.A. excels at closing passing lanes and forcing isolation plays, leaving Giddey in a difficult spot.

The odds are nice here, with a +118 line offered at FanDuel. That's a sharper bargain than most books will offer for a relatively small-time UNDER like Giddey's assists. It's worth the risk with Giddey averaging just 3.8 APG in his last five against those top assist defenses.

- Ethan Diamandas