{"id":39017,"date":"2026-05-21T13:48:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=39017"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:48:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T17:48:49","slug":"best-nba-player-props-today-may-21-2026-thursday-prop-predictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/nba\/best-nba-player-props-today-may-21-2026-thursday-prop-predictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Best NBA Player Props Today May 21, 2026 &#8211; Thursday Prop Predictions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best NBA Player Props For May 21, 2026!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out the best <strong>NBA player props today on May 21, 2026<\/strong>! <a href=\"https:\/\/picksandparlays.net\/profile\/steve-seagrave\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/picksandparlays.net\/profile\/steve-seagrave\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Picks &amp; Parlays handicapper Steve Seagrave<\/a> drops the best picks for <strong>NBA player <strong>props<\/strong><\/strong> <strong>today <\/strong>with a stellar suggestions to check out for Thursday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WagerTalk, the largest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\">picks<\/a> site online, offers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\">NBA FREE PICKS<\/a> every day, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/picks\/nba\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/picks\/nba\">cheap premium paid NBA picks<\/a> from expert professional handicappers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NBA Player Props for Thursday: Sam Merrill Cleveland Cavaliers OVER 8.5 Points (-105)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sam Merrill has now scored double digits in three straight games after finishing with 23 points in Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons and 12 points on a 4-9 shooting effort across 28 minutes in Game 1 against the New York Knicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Merrill has played 18+ minutes and seen 5 field goal attempts, he&#8217;s covered this line in 83% of his games while averaging 12.7 points per game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The New York Knicks defense are the 7th worst defense catch-&amp;-shoot defense and the 12th worst at-the-break three defense and those areas account for 61% of his attempts and 62% of his scoring respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Merrill is a very consistent shooter from long distance as he posted a 42% mark from long distance during the regular season and a 40% mark in the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The books are fully expecting for Merrill to hit 2+ three-pointers as his over 1.5 line is juiced well over -225. If Merrill buries two shots from beyond the arc, I&#8217;ll bank on him scoring 9+ points.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NBA Player Props for Thursday: Jalen Brunson New York Knicks OVER 6.5 Assists (+110)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to a historic comeback victory in Game 1 with 38 points including a staggering 19 points in the 4th quarter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brunson targeted James Harden on every single possession down the stretch and almost every action led to an easy bucket or an assist to an open shooter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dean Wade did a solid job defending Brunson, but the Knicks just set screens to hunt Harden.\u00a0The Cleveland Cavaliers simply cannot allow that to happen again and that means they are going to blitz Brunson with double teams while leaving an open shooter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brunson still finished with 6 assists in Game 1and he could have eclipsed this line as he recorded 12 potential assists. New York is favored by -7 again and we should see another hard-fought game as Cleveland looks to avoid an 0-2 hole.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\">NBA Free Picks and Predictions Today<\/a> at WagerTalk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_76684\"  width=\"870\" height=\"489\"  data-origwidth=\"870\" data-origheight=\"489\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/?enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com&#038;list=PLhz4vN97Edviict2e3LR4gbmFCCRRjrgq&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=1&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;hl=en_US&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\"><img data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\"  alt=\"\ud83c\udfc0 WagerTalk NBA Free Picks: Your Ultimate Betting Playlist\"  data-facadeoembed=\"playlist?list=PLhz4vN97Edviict2e3LR4gbmFCCRRjrgq\"  \/><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WagerTalk Live Odds Screen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WagerTalk\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/odds?sport=L5&amp;type=4&amp;cb=0.041518762314237456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live odds screen<\/a> features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track moneylines, runlines, totals and betting percentages for a variety of domestic and international leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>**************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?<\/span> Go beyond the anytime touchdown scorer picks!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><strong>Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wt.buzz\/odds\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vegas lines<\/a> updated in real time, including who the public is betting on<\/span> and anytime touchdown scorer odds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Last Minute Handicapping Advice<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">: Check out our extensive library of <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/sports-betting-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">handicapping tips<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our <\/span><a style=\"font-size: 12pt;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/videos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sports betting tips video library<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Want an expert opinion?<\/strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Check out the latest <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Free Sports Picks<\/a> <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/picks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Best Bets<\/a><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"> from our team of expert sports handicappers.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Make sure to bookmark all the above!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Best NBA Player Props For May 21, 2026! Check out the best NBA player props today on May 21, 2026! Picks &amp; Parlays handicapper Steve Seagrave drops the best picks for NBA player props today with a stellar suggestions to check out for Thursday! WagerTalk, the largest picks site online, offers NBA FREE PICKS every [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":35079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[7588,7461,1739,546,2361,16107],"class_list":["post-39017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-best-nba-player-props","tag-best-nba-player-props-today","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-nba-player-props","tag-nba-player-props-today","tag-sam-merrill"],"basic_html":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Best NBA Player Props For May 21, 2026!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the best <strong>NBA player props today on May 21, 2026<\/strong>! <a href=\"https:\/\/picksandparlays.net\/profile\/steve-seagrave\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/picksandparlays.net\/profile\/steve-seagrave\">Picks &amp; Parlays handicapper Steve Seagrave<\/a> drops the best picks for <strong>NBA player <strong>props<\/strong><\/strong> <strong>today <\/strong>with a stellar suggestions to check out for Thursday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>WagerTalk, the largest <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\">picks<\/a> site online, offers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\">NBA FREE PICKS<\/a> every day, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/picks\/nba\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/picks\/nba\">cheap premium paid NBA picks<\/a> from expert professional handicappers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NBA Player Props for Thursday: Sam Merrill Cleveland Cavaliers OVER 8.5 Points (-105)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Sam Merrill has now scored double digits in three straight games after finishing with 23 points in Game 7 against the Detroit Pistons and 12 points on a 4-9 shooting effort across 28 minutes in Game 1 against the New York Knicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>When Merrill has played 18+ minutes and seen 5 field goal attempts, he's covered this line in 83% of his games while averaging 12.7 points per game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The New York Knicks defense are the 7th worst defense catch-&amp;-shoot defense and the 12th worst at-the-break three defense and those areas account for 61% of his attempts and 62% of his scoring respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Merrill is a very consistent shooter from long distance as he posted a 42% mark from long distance during the regular season and a 40% mark in the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The books are fully expecting for Merrill to hit 2+ three-pointers as his over 1.5 line is juiced well over -225. If Merrill buries two shots from beyond the arc, I'll bank on him scoring 9+ points.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NBA Player Props for Thursday: Jalen Brunson New York Knicks OVER 6.5 Assists (+110)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to a historic comeback victory in Game 1 with 38 points including a staggering 19 points in the 4th quarter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Brunson targeted James Harden on every single possession down the stretch and almost every action led to an easy bucket or an assist to an open shooter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Dean Wade did a solid job defending Brunson, but the Knicks just set screens to hunt Harden.\u00a0The Cleveland Cavaliers simply cannot allow that to happen again and that means they are going to blitz Brunson with double teams while leaving an open shooter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Brunson still finished with 6 assists in Game 1and he could have eclipsed this line as he recorded 12 potential assists. New York is favored by -7 again and we should see another hard-fought game as Cleveland looks to avoid an 0-2 hole.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/free-sports-picks\/nba\">NBA Free Picks and Predictions Today<\/a> at WagerTalk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">WagerTalk Live Odds Screen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>WagerTalk\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/odds?sport=L5&amp;type=4&amp;cb=0.041518762314237456\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live odds screen<\/a> features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track moneylines, runlines, totals and betting percentages for a variety of domestic and international leagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>**************************************************<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?<\/span> Go beyond the anytime touchdown scorer picks!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Make sure to bookmark all the above!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39017"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39018,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39017\/revisions\/39018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}