2022 NBA playoffs - Betting tips for Sunday's Game 1 matchups

Jump ahead: Game of the night | Picks and props | Analytics edge

Durant the distributor: Kevin Durant moved ahead of Ray Allen and Allen Iverson on the all-time scoring list in the past month, but betting on his passing prowess has also proved rewarding this season. Durant posted a career-high 6.4 dimes per game this season, and his assist prop for Sunday's matchup with Boston sits at 6.5. Since Durant returned to action in early March in the wake of losing elite assist creator James Harden, he has averaged 7.6 assists, and in two matchups with Boston this season averaged roughly 38 minutes and delivered eight dimes in both of them.

Jimmy Dimes: Passing prowess from All-Star wings might just be a theme for Sunday's prop market, as Jimmy Butler enters Miami's matchup with the Hawks with an assist line of 4.5. Like Durant, Butler is a wing with rare creation equity in his offense, with this assist line sitting below his season average (5.5) and well shy of the 6.3 he averaged in three meetings with the Hawks this season.

Cleaning the glass: Herbert Jones ranked 10th in defensive real plus-minus among small forwards in his first professional campaign, a reality that helps keep him on the floor for New Orleans even when his offensive production lags. Jones averaged 35 minutes across the team's two critical play-in victories, netting the rookie 12 total rebounds and 16 rebounding chances. Which brings us to his modest rebounding prop of just 3.5 for Sunday's matchup with the Suns. Likely tasked with chasing Devin Booker around screens and closing out on the Suns' bevy of catch-and-shoot threats, Jones is likely to play heavy minutes, fueling a batch of rebounding opportunities.

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