Prime-Time Props — Thursday Night Football, Week 1
Prop God
This is a great time to be a sports bettor. As sports betting becomes legal in more and more locations, the various sportsbooks are all vying for your business.
Targeting daily odds boosts bets can be one of the best ways to take advantage.
Four days a week, I’ll be highlighting some of the best odds boosts and where you can find them.
Today’s odds boost piece will be centered around the NBA. There are six games available, starting with the Raptors vs. the Heat at 1:30 p.m. ET and concluding with the Jazz vs. the Lakers at 9 p.m. ET. We’ll also take a look at an MLB odds boost for a red-hot slugger.
If you’re looking for more value, make sure to subscribe for our platinum FTN Bets packages for the NFL, NBA, MLB and whatever other sports you’re interested in betting on.
Let’s dive in.
NBA Odds Boost
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies (6:30 p.m. ET)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. San Antonio Spurs (8 p.m. ET)
Utah Jazz vs. Los Angeles Lakers (9 p.m. ET)
Boosted bet: Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid and LeBron James all over 0.5 dunks — +200 on FoxBet (was +125)
This bet should be a pretty easy way to win a 2:1 wager. These guys are all huge threats in the paint. Embiid does the majority of his damage there — and he’s coming off 41 points in his last game — while LeBron and Zion are both huge threats in transition.
The biggest concern here is that Zion is still playing limited minutes, but he should still be able to find a dunk in this contest. The Pelicans and the Grizzlies is expected to be a fast-paced, high-scoring affair, with the total currently sitting at 237.0 points.
Boosted bet: Embiid to score 30 points & 76ers to win — +330 on FanDuel (was +270)
The jury is still out on the “Ben Simmons at PF” experiment, but the early results are promising for Embiid. He absolutely dominated in his last game, finishing with 41 points and 21 rebounds. He did virtually all his scoring in the paint and at the free throw line, so he appeared to benefit from all the extra space.
Of course, the 76ers didn’t actually win that contest, but that will happen when you let an opposing player go off for 53 points. They’re listed as seven-point favorites for Monday’s matchup against the Spurs, so this could be an opportunity for them to right the ship.
Boosted bet: LeBron James to record a triple-double and Lakers to win — +900 on BetMGM
LeBron has struggled inside the bubble, averaging just 18.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. That said, those numbers are still pretty darn close to a triple double.
The only category he needs some improvement in is the assist category, which should be very doable. LeBron has averaged 10.5 assists per game this season, which is the top mark in the league.
The Lakers are also pretty significant favorites to secure the win Monday night. The Jazz have struggled without Bojan Bogdanovic, so the Lakers are -235 on the moneyline.
Make sure to check out all of our great NBA coverage prior to tip off, including our staff’s best bets and Zachary Cohen’s full betting breakdown.
MLB Odds Boost
New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies (7:05 p.m. ET)
Boosted bet: Aaron Judge to hit a HR — +400 on DraftKings (was +270)
The Yankees have been red hot to start the season, posting a 7-1 record through their first eight games, and Judge has been a huge reason for their success. He’s hit a HR in five straight games, so he’s tearing the cover off the ball at the moment.
He’s in a tough spot Monday against Jake Arrieta, who has been at his best facing right-handed batters. Still, Judge has also been at his best against righties, so this is a matchup of strength vs. strength. Judge posted a hard-hit rate of 50.9% and an average exit velocity above 100 miles per hour vs. right-handers in 2019, so he definitely has the potential to go yard in this matchup.
