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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder goes to the basket as Naji Marshall of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during Game 4 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. We're backing Gilgeous-Alexander in our NBA Player Props & Expert Picks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder goes to the basket as Naji Marshall of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during Game 4 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images via AFP.

Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are prepped and ready for second round of the NBA playoffs, as we provide our top NBA player props and expert picks for Tuesday based on the best NBA odds

The final two second-round series begin on Tuesday evening, starting with the NBA Championship odds-favorite Boston Celtics (64-18) and the Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34). The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET (TNT) from TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Led by NBA Finals MVP odds front-runner Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are 11.5-point home favorites across our best sports betting sites.

The nightcap sees the Dallas Mavericks (50-32) travel to Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., to play the Oklahoma City Thunder (57-25) at 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT). The Thunder are 3.5-point favorites in the clash featuring two NBA MVP odds finalists, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Along with our Cavaliers vs. Celtics player props and our Mavericks vs. Thunder player props, here are our NBA player props and expert picks for Tuesday (NBA picks based on odds via our best NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Tuesday's NBA expert picks

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Tuesday's NBA schedule and odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

NBA player props

Jayson Tatum Over 14.5 rebounds + assists ⭐⭐⭐

It's been a quiet start to the playoffs for Jayson Tatum, at least when it comes to scoring. While Tatum wasn't lighting up the scoreboard in Round 1 against the Miami Heat, he was making an impact elsewhere.

The five-time All-Star did his best Larry Bird impression - without all the beer drinking and on-court cussing - and averaged 10.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists as an all-around threat. He topped 14.5 rebounds and assists in four of five games in the first round.

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Now he's poised to do it again against a Cavs team that allowed Paolo Banchero to average 15 rebounds and assists over the final five games of its opening series. The +105 odds only imply a 48.78% probability the prop hits, according to our odds calculator, but a $10 bet pays out $20.50.

Best odds: +105 via DraftKings

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Donovan Mitchell Under 28.5 points ⭐⭐⭐

On some nights against the Orlando Magic, the Cavaliers' offense looked like it had Bernie Kosar running around making magic, and other nights it was more like Johnny Manziel playing on a hangover after Googling if the Cleveland Browns' playbook is available on SparkNotes.

While the inconsistencies didn't end the Cavs' season against a subpar Orlando offense, the Celtics are like throwing Manziel in against the Steel Curtain.

With Mitchell scoring 89 in his last two games, he's due to come back down to Earth. He scored fewer than 28.5 points in five of seven games against Orlando, and Boston held shooting guards to the fourth-fewest points in the regular season (20.52).

The -125 odds at FanDuel imply a 55.56% probability of this prop cashing, and if it does, a $10 wager would lead to an $8 profit.

Best odds: -125 via FanDuel

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Luka Doncic to record a triple-double ⭐⭐

It really hammers home how unbelievably talented Doncic is that I can feel comfortable betting on him to finish with a triple-double against the top-seeded Thunder. In six games against the Clippers, Doncic managed to finish with one triple-double while averaging 29.8 points, 9.5 assists, and 8.8 rebounds in the series.

For as talented as the Thunder are, they ranked in the back half of the league in both rebounds and assists allowed per game, which opens the door for Doncic to stuff the boxscore. Against the Clippers, he finished with double-digit rebounds in three of six games and double-digit assists in each of his last three games.

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With this being such a swing, it may be worth putting just half a unit on this prop. These odds imply only a 32.26% probability it will happen, but a $5 bet would still pay $15.50.

Best odds: +210 via bet365

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 28.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's crazy that Oklahoma City became the first team to get a bye to the second round of the NBA playoffs. Oh wait, they just played a New Orleans Pelicans squad that looked like it would rather be on the golf course.

In that opening-round sweep of New Orleans, Gilgeous-Alexander's scoring prowess wasn't needed like it will be against Dallas. SGA was inconsistent shooting in the opening round but still averaged 27.3. That's why I'm expecting a big bounce-back game against this wonky Mavericks defense.

In the regular season, Dallas allowed the 11th-most points per game (115.6) and Gilgeous-Alexander finished third in the league in points per game (30.1). That's why I'm jumping at this price, which implies a 52.15% probability the prop cashes while paying out $19.17 on a $10 bet.

Best odds: -109 via Caesars

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NBA player props made Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET.

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