The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Devin Booker O/U 27.5 Points vs. Clippers
The masked man, Devin Booker, is struggling to find his shot, a normal occurrence for a player who broke their nose and is playing through it for the first time.
Booker played Game 3 with a mask and could not find his shot at all after breaking his nose in Game 2. As a result, I had to live bet Booker’s Under 31.5 Points and Rebounds in the second quarter of that matchup as he started 0-for-6 from the field with two rebounds.
Booker finished Game 2 with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes played. Booker has now played 40, 41 and 44 minutes in this series.
Against the Clippers in the regular season and postseason, Booker averages 24.2 points per game and hit the Under 5-of-6 times (83.3%) per props.cash.
When Booker plays 40-plus minutes in the playoffs, he has scored 28 or more points in 6-of-9 contests (66.7%). On the season at 40 or more minutes, Booker is 11-5 to the Over (68.8%).
Versus the Clippers, Booker is 1-3 to the Over (25%) this season at 40-plus minutes.
The lone Over was Booker’s Game 1 40-point triple-double. After that performance, Booker has shot 10-of-37 from the field (27.0%), 2-of-10 from three (20%), but a perfect 13-of-13 from the charity stripe (100%).
Booker’s poor shooting before and with the mask is concerning. I do not see a 30-plus point game, but more a 24-7-5 type of performance from the Suns’ guard.
NBC’s model projects Booker to record 26.9 points in 40 minutes, hitting the Under slightly.
Additionally, the model gives Booker 7.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists, more up his alley for this matchup, in my opinion.
[[ad:athena]]
Editor’s Note: Get an edge with our premium Betting Tools that are packed with live odds, betting trends, predictions, player prop projections, our extensive Edge Finder and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
Booker and the Suns’ scoring has declined on the road in the playoffs. At home, Phoenix averages 112.1 points per game and on the road, only 106.8. The Clippers are now 9-1 in Games 3-7 of the playoffs and 0-6 in Games 1 and 2.
Game 4 in Los Angeles favors the Clippers despite the Suns winning nine of the past 10 playoff games.
The Suns shot 38.9% from the field with Chris Paul back, 31.3% from three and attempted 13 free-throws. In the first two games without Paul, the Suns averaged 52.6% from the field, 32.7% from three and posted a combined 27 free-throw attempts.
The combination of Paul and Booker combined for 10-of-40 (25%) from the field, 3-of-14 from three (21.4%) and six turnovers for 30 points. I believe Paul will step up after knocking off some of the rust, while Booker will continue to struggle.
For Booker, I am not confident in him scoring 28 or more points with the facemask on and a broken nose. Playing 40-plus minutes will make this a nail-biter, but look for Booker to settle for jumpers and three-pointers instead of getting in the lane or being physical.
Booker is shooting below 30% from the field and three in the last two games. So I am going to keep riding his Under until he finds his shot or scores 25-plus points.
Pick: Devin Booker Under 27.5 Points (1u)
PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner, and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
