Trail Blazers vs. Suns: The best player prop bets for May 13

The 2020-21 NBA season is rapidly coming to a close, but the Phoenix Suns (48-21) and Portland Trail Blazers (41-29) still have plenty to play for when they meet tonight at 10:00 p.m. ET at the Purple Palace.

A loss could plunge the Blazers into the play-in tournament, while a win would bring the Suns one game closer to claiming the top seed in the Western Conference. It's a scenario that seemed nearly unthinkable a year ago when Phoenix finished a distant third in the Pacific Division, 19 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers.

We’ve examined tonight’s matchup closely and have selected the three best players props to wager on.

Deandre Ayton to record a double-double

Deandre Ayton has emerged as a two-way force in his third season with the Suns, and has already recorded 33 double-doubles this season, the 10th highest mark among all players.

Although he should have another solid game tonight, a double-double may be just out of reach. Ayton has posted just one double-double in his last nine games, and that was against the undersized Knicks, who rank a distant 15th in opponent rebounding and have been playing without starting center Mitchell Robinson since March 29. The 22-year-old Ayton will face considerably more opposition tonight when he clashes with Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter, both of whom have the size and strength to keep him off the glass.

Ayton is averaging just 4.5 rebounds per game this season against the Trail Blazers – his lowest total against any team – and should finish with fewer than 10 boards tonight.

Pick: No (-175)

Over/Under 1.5 three-point field goals by Devin Booker

Unlike other high volume scorers, Devin Booker doesn’t nail a ton of threes, but there’s reason to believe that may change this evening. The two-time All-Star went 4-for-9 from deep on Tuesday against the Warriors, and he hit multiple three-pointers in his two previous games against the Blazers this season. Booker was 2-for-2 against Portland on Feb. 22 and 3-for-5 on March 11.

The Blazers rank 18th in opponent three-pointers made and 20th in opponent three-point percentage. Count on Booker getting plenty of open looks tonight and converting at least two of his shots from beyond the arc.

Pick: Over 1.5 (-159)

Chris Paul Over/Under 9.5 assists

9.5 dimes may sound like a high total for a player who is only averaging 8.9 on the season, but Chris Paul has been on a tear lately. The four-time assist champion has had 10 assists or more in six of his last eight games, and finished with 16 helpers against the Cavs on May 4.

Expect that trend to continue tonight against the Blazers, who rank 17th in opponent assists.

Pick: Over 9.5 (-113)