Clippers vs. Suns: The best player prop bets for Game 5
Monday night's Game 5 between the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns is a pivotal one, as Paul George & Co. will be looking to stave off elimination.
Will Devin Booker bounce back from his shooting woes? Can George do enough to keep the Clippers alive? Which players can we expect to come through for each side?
Game 5 tips off at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, and we have the top three player prop picks below.
Devin Booker Over/Under 4.5 assists
After a red-hot start to this series, Booker has cooled off mightily in the last three games, and is shooting just 30.5% from the field and 13.3% from 3-point range in the Western Conference Finals. However, despite his woes the Suns are still up 3-1 overall.
Since the Suns do not completely rely on Booker to shoot them out of trouble, I would expect him to make some adjustments until he regains his shooting form. This could include finding open teammates on drive and kicks and setting up Deandre Ayton on rim runs and pick and rolls.
This assist gives Devin Booker a TRIPLE DOUBLE 🔥pic.twitter.com/LnbVyQfZXc
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) June 20, 2021
Booker averaged 5.3 assists per game in the playoffs before his zero assist game on Saturday night. I believe Booker will be looking to get his teammates more involved in Game 5 and could see another high assist total for him just as we saw in Game 1 of this series.
Pick: Over 4.5 assists (+100)
Paul George Over/Under 9.5 rebounds
As bad as Booker has been shooting from the field recently, "Playoff P" has not been much better. George is shooting 35.8% from the field and 27.9% from 3-point range in this series. However, he has been hitting the glass and doing everything he can to carry this team without Kawhi Leonard.
George has tallied up 16 and 15 rebounds in each of the two previous games. In fact, he has seven games this postseason with double-digit boards. The Clippers do not possess a ton of rebounding presence outside of Ivica Zubac, and George is needed to keep Ayton from grabbing every single rebound.
Paul George trying to get the clippers to the NBA finals without Kawhi Leonard pic.twitter.com/hS75ndGCBO
— MYLESGARRETTMVP(2-2) (@camfromthe216) June 27, 2021
I expect George to give 100% effort in all facets of the game on Monday night since this is a do-or-die game for the Clippers. He will be making sure the Suns do not continue to dominate the offensive glass and will be going after it on the boards.
Pick: Over 9.5 rebounds (+105)
Player to Score the First Field Goal of the Game
This prop is usually a crapshoot, but also a huge moneymaker if you select the right player. And that player is Deandre Ayton.
Ayton has scored the first field goal of the game in three of the four games in this series. He was also the first scorer in two of the four games against the Denver Nuggets, and was the first scorer in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Suns' first round series.
He's done it again! 🔥
— TwinSpires Sportsbook 💵 (@TS_Sportsbook) June 27, 2021
Deandre Ayton first FG (+650) 💵#WeAreTheValley | #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/09eliVhQSg
That is five of the past eight games, and six of the 14 games that Ayton has scored the first field goal. Those numbers suggest you have about a 50% chance of being right here, and yet the odds are much better than a 50/50 selection. In Deandre we trust.
Pick: Deandre Ayton (+550)
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