Tyrese Haliburton Odds & Props - May 8, 2024

Tyrese Haliburton is struggling to find his footing in his first career playoff appearances. After he earned his second career All-Star appearance with a season of 20.1 points and 10.9 assists per game, the 24-year-old’s numbers have slipped in the postseason, as have Tyrese Haliburton props numbers, perhaps unsurprisingly.

The numbers matter less these days, obviously. The important thing was for Haliburton to get the Indiana Pacers past the Bucks in the first round. But still, averaging 14.6 points and 9.1 assists while shooting just 30.5% from deep doesn't create much hope for Haliburton to spur Indiana past the New York Knicks now.

Will he rally in Game 2? Let’s ponder some NBA picks for Haliburton props before Pacers vs. Knicks on May 8 tips at 8:00 ET.

Tyrese Haliburton prop picks for May 8

• Tyrese Haliburton Under 16.5 points (+100 at FanDuel)
• Under 16.5 points, Over 2.5 made threes, Under 9.5 assists (+791 at FanDuel)

Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Tyrese Haliburton best bet

Tyrese Haliburton pick: Under 16.5 points

Tyrese Haliburton should play better than he did in Game 1 of these Eastern Conference semifinals. Scoring just six points was a nadir, particularly when he then also handed out “only” eight assists and grabbed just two rebounds.

He had similar struggles in Game 1 of the first round, scoring nine points with eight assists and seven boards. The difference was he was at least aggressive then, going 4-of-7 from the field and 1-of-3 from 3. Compare those shooting splits to Monday’s 2-of-6 from the field and 2-of-5 from deep.

Haliburton taking merely a single 2-point field goal should cause the Pacers worry. For context, about 51% of his field-goal attempts came from deep this regular season, hitting 36.4% of them. Haliburton works well on the perimeter, in part because opponents also worry about him getting into the lane. Shifting that balance to almost entirely 3-point looks will not work out for Haliburton.

That balance has tilted in the postseason. In the six-game win against Milwaukee in the first round, Haliburton took 63.5% of his shots from deep. That's not how his game is designed, a reality compounded by hitting just 29.6% of those threes. Thus, Haliburton averaged 16 points in the first round.

The Knicks’ defense fared even better taking away those drives on Monday, and it took them away in a replicable fashion. The length and relentlessness of New York’s perimeter defenders — primarily Josh Hart and OG Anunoby — will continue to pester Haliburton’s attempts to penetrate.

His 3-point shooting has fallen in the postseason. It cannot be relied upon for all of the Pacers point guard’s scoring.

He should play better tonight than he did in Game 1, but that is a relatively low bar to clear. Until Haliburton regains a penchant for getting into the paint in these playoffs, fading his points prop makes too much sense.

Prop: Tyrese Haliburton Under 16.5 points (+100 at FanDuel)

Tyrese Haliburton same-game parlay

If Haliburton continues to settle for 3-pointers in the postseason, then it is only logical to bet on him to make a few more of them. Missing a few extra 3s right now is a matter of variance. If he had gone 21-of-59 instead of 18-of-59 in the last seven games, he would be in line with his regular-season shooting percentage from deep.

Missing those three added threes is not a minimal worry, but it is also not something to panic over.

Meanwhile, taking that many threes is a difference in approach. That is not variance. That is a mentality shift, be it intentional or subconscious or demanded by defensive coverages. It will almost certainly continue, even if it's a bad sign for Indiana as a whole. Combining that influx in attempts with an expected regression to the mean of Haliburton’s usual shooting percentage should yield confidence in him hitting at least three 3-pointers tonight.

The same thought process casts doubt on Haliburton’s assists prop. If he's not driving into the lane, he will not kick to as many open shooters. Little more analysis is needed than that.

Learn how to bet a same-Game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.