Julius Randle's Struggles Make for Interesting Game 5 Prop Plays

It’s no secret that Julius Randle has been awful these playoffs. In his first taste of postseason action, Randle is averaging just under 17 points per game on 27 percent shooting from the field. The NBA's Most Improved Player has shown regression this entire series, which makes his player prop bets an interesting play. 

WynnBET set his point total line at 23.5, and the over (-112) is being slightly favored against the under (-108), which means that there is essentially a 50/50 chance he scores 24 points or more. The risk for this play is that what he normally averages for points is the outlier performance in this series. 

The Atlanta Hawks have done an excellent job of making that the case. Atlanta has sent a double team towards Randle nearly every time he touches the ball. When he gets the ball in isolation, the help — led by Clint Capela —  is always waiting for him in the paint. He’s had a hard time getting into a rhythm making his offensive game a wild card. 

Randle’s struggles are a stark contrast from the season series between these two teams. Randle tore the Hawks defense apart, averaging over 37 points per game and scoring 40-plus points twice. In Games 3 and 4 of this series, Randle scored 37 points combined. For his and the New York Knicks’ sake, Madison Square Garden and the pressure of elimination will hopefully bring him out of his slump. However, his scoring performance feels like a known commodity in this series. 

Aside from scoring, Randle’s rebounding has been consistent with his normal production. WynnBET set the odds of him securing over 10.5 rebounds at -116, which is higher than the under at -112. Randle is averaging over 11 rebounds a game this series, making this play closer to a sure thing than his point total.

It’s win or go home for Randle and the Knicks, and the odds are saying he and the Knicks will deliver tonight.