Best player prop bets to consider for Saturday's NBA playoff slate

The NBA postseason tips off this weekend with four games on both Saturday and Sunday. Instead of diving into standard spreads or total bets, we dig into some individual player props for the opening slate on Saturday.

JJ Redick Over/Under 17.5 points

Redick has made his living as a sharpshooter, hitting better than 42 percent of his field goals from downtown in four of the previous five seasons. This year he's down to 39.7 percent but still gives the Philadelphia 76ers another dimension alongside a bevy of slashers and inside-post players. Come Saturday, he doesn't have a great matchup on his hands when the Sixers square off against the Brooklyn Nets.

Brooklyn's pretty average in basic defensive metrics, but one area the Nets have flourished in is guarding the perimeter. They rank No. 3 in the NBA in opponent 3-point percentage at 34.1. Brooklyn also held Redick to point totals of 18, 11, 15, and 15 during the regular season.

Steph Curry Over/Under 37.5 points + rebounds + assists

Curry is always a threat to stuff the stat sheet. He should again have his way against the Los Angeles Clippers, just as he did during the regular season.

In three meetings against L.A., Curry averaged 32.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds in just over 32 minutes. The Clippers have struggled against opposing point guards this season, allowing 24.9 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per contest.

With the Warriors at home in a playoff atmosphere, don't be surprised if Curry takes over Game 1.

Kawhi Leonard Over/Under 37.5 points + rebounds + assists

The Orlando Magic did a nice job of keeping Leonard in check during the regular season. Leonard was held to 18 points per game in three meetings against Orlando, well short of his season average of 26.6. Throw in the rebound and assist totals and Leonard didn't top 37 combined in any of the regular-season matchups.

Orlando has defended opposing small forwards well this season, allowing only 19.2 points per game to that position, which ranks fifth in the NBA. That spells trouble for Leonard in the opener.

Derrick White Over/Under 9.5 points

The San Antonio Spurs are tasked with scoring on one of the NBA's top defenses. Don't count on White to be at the forefront of any of it.

For starters, White isn't much of a scorer. The point guard averages just shy of 10 points per game but has only scored in double figures in three of his previous nine contests. He's only seeing about 26 minutes of court time per game as he splits reps with Patty Mills.

To top it off, the Denver Nuggets are one of the NBA's best in limiting scoring from the point guard position, ranking No. 3 in points allowed.

D'Angelo Russell Over/Under 3.5 3-pointers made

Russell is one of the league's most improved players. Following a 2017-18 campaign in which he averaged 15.5 points and 5.2 assists per game, the Nets point guard saw a bump up to 21.1 and 7.1 this season, respectively. One overlooked facet of Russell's game has been his 3-point shooting, which is up to a career-high 36.9 percent.

Asking him to drill more than three against the 76ers might be a tall task, however.

Just as Redick might find it difficult to generate points from downtown against Brooklyn's perimeter defense, the Sixers have been just as good in their own right in that department. They're allowing only 2.3 made buckets from deep against opposing point guards, which gives them a matchup edge over Russell's outside shooting.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.