NBA Player Props Today: DeRozan Must Step Up Sans Sabonis vs Cavaliers

Yesterday's NBA expert player prop picks were a sign of the lows of betting, as two of our scoring props fell short by two points or less. Here's hoping the four selections we have for Wednesday's slate send us back on an upward trajectory, including a PRA wager for Sacramento Kings wing DeMar DeRozan against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Golden 1 Center on March 19, 2025.

DeMar DeRozan OVER 32.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists vs. Cavaliers (-106 at Sportsbook)

Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m. ET

The return of Domantas Sabonis to the Kings' lineup from a strained hamstring lasted all of 42 minutes across two games, as he's since suffered a sprained ankle which will keep sidelined for at least the next 10 days. That puts Sacramento in more of a bind than it already was, as the team holds a three-game lead over the Phoenix Suns to remain in the play-in tournament and is just 3-6 overall when Sabonis doesn't play.

Much will be asked of the veteran DeRozan during these trying times to get some wins on the board, and while Cleveland has dropped consecutive games for the first time since late January, it's still tied for the best record in basketball at 56-12 and could end that cold streak quickly and effectively. 

With a PRA (points + rebounds + assists) of 32.5, DeRozan has at least toppled that mark in two of his last three games for the Kings and five of his last seven. He averaged 23.7 points, five rebounds, and 6.3 assists in the six games Sabonis recently missed, as well, ranking either first or second on the Kings in those categories while also taking the most shots on the team.

Austin Reaves OVER 36.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists vs. Nuggets (-114 at Sportsbook)

Preview: Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET

If it's not broken, don't fix it. This is a prop that's worked well for us in the past, and one that's helped keep the Los Angeles Lakers afloat during these LeBron James-less times, with Austin Reaves excelling in a grander role behind superstar teammate Luka Doncic.

Reaves has exceeded a PRA of 36.5 in each of his last four outings with no fewer than 38 each time, averaging 30.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from 3-point range. The Lakers' offense boils down to whatever he and Doncic can produce, both as scorers and facilitators, what with the options surrounding them being few and far between.

Los Angeles battled its Achilles heel in the fully-healthy Denver Nuggets less than a week ago on March 14, and without both James and Doncic, Reaves contributed one of his better lines of the campaign with 37 points, eight boards, and 13 dimes in what ended up being a competitive matchup. Doncic will cut into some of that production, but not too much, and those aforementioned numbers came in the altitude of the Mile High City, with this rematch emanating in Reaves' backyard of Crypto.com Arena.

Wendell Carter Jr. To Record A Double-Double vs. Rockets (+320 at Sportsbook)

Preview: Houston Rockets vs. Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. ET

Betting on double-doubles are forever a gamble unless you're looking at players such as Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, or Ivica Zubac who actually draw attention when they don't register one. Wendell Carter Jr. of the Orlando Magic only has nine in 2024-25, which ranks 61st across the Association and is fewer than the likes of Jaden McDaniels, Deni Avdija, and Keegan Murray, yet a tenth could still be in store here against the Houston Rockets.

Carter Jr. achieved a double-double in his most recent appearance against the Cavaliers on March 16, finishing with 16 points and 14 rebounds on 6-of-13 shooting in 35 minutes of action. It was actually his first double-double since Feb. 21, although he's fallen short by a few points or boards a couple of times since then. 

One of those games, conveniently enough, came versus Houston on March 10 when Carter Jr. had eight points and 12 rebounds on the road at the Toyota Center. Orlando only had 84 points that evening, so an uptick in scoring being back at home should be expected, as should a double-double with over 3-to-1 odds as a result. 

Kyle Filipowski OVER 23.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Wizards (-120 at Sportsbook)

Preview: Washington Wizards vs. Utah Jazz, 9 p.m. ET

The Utah Jazz are in a similar boat to a number of other bottom-feeders looking to rack up losses with just weeks to spare as every ping-pong ball goes a long way. This means a number of players will be "resting" from time to time due to various "ailments," and that will be the case here with starting center Walker Kessler being held out against the Washington Wizards, who are a full game ahead of Utah for the worst overall win-loss record.

With Kessler out, rookie Kyle Filipowski will likely be reinserted into the starting lineup which therefore boosts his ceiling exponentially. He was a starter when the Jazz fell to the Wizards on March 5, achieving a double-double of 23 points and 13 rebounds in fewer than 30 minutes. 

Now he's only gone OVER 23.5 combined points and rebounds once in his last five games, but lo and behold, the one instance in which he did came when he was a part of the starting lineup.  

NBA Best Player Prop Trends Today

OG Anunoby OVER 18.5 Points vs SAS (-102 at Sportsbook)

Anunoby is the pinnacle of consistency as far as quietly productive forwards go. The 27-year-old is always a force on the defensive side, but we've seen him crank up the offense lately. As Outlier notes, OG has gone OVER 18.5 points in 7 of his last 9 games, averaging 20.1 PPG per game during that span. The Spurs make for an excellent matchup on Wednesday.

First, the Spurs have a very leaky defense, yielding 116.5 PPG as a team, ranking 23rd in the NBA. San Antonio also allows nearly 14 3PT makes per game, which opens up a big part of OG's game.

Annunoby has been a much larger focal point in the Knicks offense lately. I'll bet the train keeps rolling Wednesday at the AT&T Center.

- Ethan Diamandas