SportsLine Backs 3 NBA Game 5 Props, Led by Wembanyama Under 26.5 Points

6 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · May 12

Three SportsLine prop picks for Tuesday's Spurs-Timberwolves Game 5 center on Victor Wembanyama under 26.5 points, Julius Randle over 26.5 points-rebounds-assists, and Dylan Harper over 11.5 points.
Wembanyama's under is driven by Minnesota's defense and his series trend: he is averaging 18.3 points, scored 19 or fewer in both home games, and was ejected in Game 4 after finishing with four points.
SportsLine's model projects Wembanyama at 25 points, while analyst Alex Selesnick says Randle's 26.5 PRA line looks discounted despite his 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the series.
Harper's over gets added support from De'Aaron Fox's questionable ankle status; Harper is averaging 13.8 playoff points and has scored at least 11 in three of four games against Minnesota.
The picks lean on a model that simulates each NBA game 10,000 times and entered the second week of the second round on a 26-9 run on top-rated spread picks this postseason.

Did Wembanyama's fiery Game 5 prove that prediction models can't truly capture the psychology of a superstar athlete?

After another inconsistent playoff performance, is it time for the Timberwolves to finally move on from the Julius Randle experiment?

What did the Spurs-Timberwolves showdown reveal about the future balance of power in the NBA's Western Conference?