2022 NBA playoffs -- Betting tips for Thursday's Game 6 matchups

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All odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook.

It's A Numbers Game: CJ McCollum is important to the Pelicans and capable of scoring in bunches. But the Suns have proven to be a difficult matchup for New Orleans, and that figures to continue in Game 6 tonight. When trying to project big scoring nights, pace and efficiency come into play and McCollum does not benefit from either. The pace of this series has been 4.7% below what the Pelicans have played at over the final month of the regular season. McCollum has shot under 39% from the field in four of his past five games. However, he did make six free throws in Game 5, but didn't get to the stripe a single time in 36 minutes the last time these two teams played in New Orleans.

Volume Over Everything: The best way to pay off in DFS or cash overs in the prop market is to be on the court, and the Raptors tend to ride with their core rotation. Four players logged at least 39 minutes in Game 5, consistent with how Toronto operated during the regular season. Given Fred VanVleet's status, there's no reason to think the Raptors will pivot from that strategy. Gary Trent Jr. was more involved in Game 5 with VanVleet sidelined. He led the Raptors with six shots in the first quarter, and it's reasonable to assume more of the same tonight. While Matisse Thybulle's role has declined this postseason, him being off the court only helps Toronto.

Close Out Chris: Chris Paul has shown a killer instinct as of late, and the Suns will count on Paul to help them close out the series with the Pelicans tonight. Paul has averaged 33.3 PPG on 61.3% shooting over the past three games to go along with 7.7 APG. Nothing CP3 does jumps off