Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant Predicted for Scoring Battle in Game 4
By Peter Dewey
Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo have put together some fun head-to-head matchups this season, and Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals brings a chance for another.
Antetokounmpo (33 points) got the best of Durant (30 points) in Game 3, but WynnBET expects them to battle it out again in Game 4.
Durant has a player prop projection of 32.5 points on Sunday with the over (-104) as a slight underdog to the under (-120). Antetokounmpo has the same point total set as Durant, as he also has a 32.5-point projection, but the over/under is a pick’em at -110 odds.
Durant is as great of a scorer as they come, but he’s only gone over 32 points twice this postseason, which makes him a tough bet on Sunday. On one hand, he’s due for a bounce-back shooting performance after a 11-for-28 showing in Game 3, but Brooklyn’s ability to get up big could be a factor if he plays fewer minutes (like in Game 2).
However, Brooklyn is desperate to fix its offense after a poor Game 3 showing, and I think Durant will get the ball early and often in this one. It’s not the greatest value at -104 odds, but I like Durant’s over in this one purely for the volume of shots he’s taken (23.7 a game) since James Harden went down with a hamstring injury.
As for Antetokounmpo, it’s been an up-and-down postseason shooting the ball. Like Durant, he’s only gone over 32.5 points twice this postseason, but Giannis is shooting a dreadful 12.5 percent from 3 and 51.9 percent from the line.
His field goal percentage is also way down (49.3 percent this postseason) from his regular season mark of 56.9 percent. Teams have done this to Antetokounmpo in the past, as they’ve forced him to beat them with jump shots in the playoffs rather than letting him get a head of steam to the rim.
Giannis scored 33 points on 31 shots in Game 3, and I simply don’t see him getting that same volume in Game 4 considering he’s taken 21.4 shots per game this postseason.
I like the Brooklyn Nets to rebound after their worst offensive game of the postseason, and I expect Durant to lead the way. Until Antetokounmpo starts making more shots from the line or from 3, he’s going to be hard to trust with any scoring prop.