The NBA Finals heads to Indiana for Game 3 and what should be a raucous crowd.
The Pacers have demonstrated they are a tough team and won’t bow down to the heavily favored Thunder.
Indy is a 5.5-point home underdog with a total of 228.5.
Personally, I think it is a tough handicap as I expect the Pacers to respond to a convincing loss and OKC tends to be a mixed bag on the road. I am unsure which version we will get.
However, I do think the proposition betting market offers a few good opportunities.
Chet Holmgren has cashed the Under for his rebounds prop in seven straight games, dating back to the Western Conference finals, and I was close to going back to the well again for Game 3.
However, OKC has adjusted its starting lineup in this series and I am a bit reluctant.
Isaiah Hartenstein normally starts but has been relegated to a bench role so far against Indiana. Nonetheless, he has cashed the Over for his rebounding prop in both games and I was close to making that another play.
Then again, the game script does not necessarily favor OKC and his reduced minutes give me pause. Thus, I am holding my powder.
But I do think we have value with Hartenstein’s points. His prop sits at 7.5 and the Under feels like a strong play. He scored nine points in the opener and then three points in Game 2.
In my eyes, the Game 1 output was a total outlier.
Hartenstein’s natural behavior is to set perimeter screens or feed teammates with his strong passing ability. And sometimes he combines those two actions with a handoff to a curling teammate, as he sets a screen around the 3-point line. This is not a guy who looks much for his shot unless the shot clock is winding down or he has putback opportunities.
I have a 49-40-1 ATS record in this Post sports section.
My next play is Hartenstein Under 7.5 points (-110, FanDuel Sportsbook) in Game 3.
Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.