It’s been a fun first three games in the NBA career of Zion Williamson. We’ve see some peaks and valleys — mostly peaks — culminating in his last performance against the Celtics on Sunday. Zion posted his first career double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds in 27 minutes. The minutes are key here, though the fact the Pelicans are playing exciting basketball and winning games is also notable. New Orleans heads to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers in what should be, well, a less-than-exciting game of basketball overall. The treat is getting to watch Williamson play for (hopefully) another 25 minutes or so. Let’s take a look at his player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook tonight:
Zion Williamson player prop bets for Pelicans vs. Cavaliers
Point Total: Over 17.5 (-121)
Rebounds: Over 7.5 (-110)
To Record a Double-Double: Yes (+200), No (-250)
Point, Rebounds, Assists Total: Over 27.5 (-110)
So, not much to unpack here tonight. In tracking his prop totals over the first couple games, we see that the rebounds are now up 2.0 since the previous games. The point total is also higher accounting for the increase in playing time. We’re also getting plus-money on a potential double-double, which appears favorable at first glance.
I think the big question here is: Will Zion play around 27 minutes again? I honestly don’t know and I wouldn’t bank on it necessarily. Just because Williamson played that much Sunday, doesn’t mean it will continue or increase. If anything, I could see Alvin Gentry holding Zion back a bit tonight if the game gets out of hand — the spread has already jumped up to -8.5. There may not be much incentive to play Zion more minutes.
You’re probably saying: “Wait, the Pels blew out the Celts on Sunday and Zion hung in there!” Hold on a sec. The Celtics are a different animal from the Cavs. Boston is a playoff team and we know in the NBA that big leads can easily be erased. So with that in mind, if Cleveland lays down, I’m interested in some of these UNDER totals. Or I’d just stay off of Zion completely to play it safe. The under on that last prop at 27.5 may make some sense. Overall, I’d be cautious in my approach.
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