Bucks vs. Suns: The best Devin Booker prop bets for Game 2

Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals was dominated by headlines about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return and Chris Paul finally reaching the Association's title series after 16 years in the league. Amidst all the hype it was easy to forget that the Suns' recent success started with Devin Booker.

Booker has long been a player's player. LeBron James even dubbed him the most underrated player in the NBA when he wasn’t initially selected to the All-Star team earlier in the season. And while he didn’t have an exceptional Game 1, Phoenix can’t win without "Book" putting his mark on this series.

Game 2 tips at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC, and we have the three best Devin Booker prop picks below.

OVER/UNDER 28.5 POINTS

If Chris Paul is the old, steady hand that guides the Suns through their moments of uncertainty and inexperience, Devin Booker is the knight errant, always moving, searching, and pushing them to new heights. Booker is coming off a down series against the Clippers, but is otherwise having an outstanding playoffs, posting averages of 27 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. 

And after getting eviscerated by Chris Paul in Game 1, it seems that when the Bucks pick their poison they’re prepared to err on the side of letting Booker get his. Jrue Holiday will likely be matched minute-for-minute on "CP3", leaving Booker to exploit either the slower P.J. Tucker or Khris Middleton.

One of the biggest factors in Booker’s scoring has been his ability to get to the foul line, where he’s shooting 92%. He’s essentially automatic when he gets there, and he’s averaging more than seven trips per game (in Game 1, he was 10-10).

Time will tell if that’s the right move by Milwaukee to focus their defense on Paul, but Booker is positioned to capitalize when they do.

PICK: OVER 28.5 Points

OVER/UNDER 2.5 3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE

One area that Booker has not excelled in, however, is from distance. While he’s had his moments, 3-point shooting has not been a strength during his first playoff run. He’s shooting just 32.7% from deep, and most of those are of the easier catch and shoot variety. When asked to isolate as he is against switching defenses, he much prefers to make his way inside and pull up closer to the basket.

The Bucks are still going to switch in Game 2 and even when they drop, that just makes it even more likely that Booker will be shooting from 2, not 3. The Under is the play here.

PICK: UNDER 2.5 3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE

OVER/UNDER 4.5 ASSISTS

A thing that all score-first stars in the NBA eventually learn is that just because a play is called for you doesn’t mean the goal of the possession is for you to score. The goal of every possession is for the team to score, and oftentimes that means leveraging the advantages that only star-level players can create in order to manufacture easier looks for everyone else.

Devin Booker was pilloried earlier in his young career for hunting baskets, even at the detriment to team success. Even his 70 point game - a staggering achievement for any player - was met with a mixture of praise and mocking disdain.

But Booker has steadily grown as a playmaker and continues to do so in these playoffs. Even though his raw assists fell in the regular season, that’s just a product of his playing alongside Paul. Booker is better than ever at attacking and drawing help and dishing off to the open man. In Game 1 he did a little bit of everything. He lobbed it over the top to Ayton, he crashed the paint and kicked to the corner, he threw a wraparound near the basket for an easy two.

The Bucks are not at full strength, and their guard and wing defenders are going to struggle to guard their own man from scoring, leaving Booker plenty of room to further flash his playmaking skills.

PICK: OVER 4.5 ASSISTS