The 3 Best NBA Player Prop Bets for Thursday 12/26/24

The beauty of the NBA is that you will never be short of prop betting options for a particular team.

From points to steals to three-pointers, FanDuel Sportsbook’s NBA odds are full of possibilities. We’re here to help you go through it all.

Using FanDuel Research’s daily NBA predictions as your guide, here are some NBA player bets that look attractive on FanDuel.

Please note: Lines and forecasts may change throughout the day after this article is published. All NBA odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Today’s top NBA player prop picks

Utah Jazz at Portland Trail Blazers

Anfernee Simons over 24.5 points + branch (+100)

Anfernee Simons has a great chance to punch above his weight class in tonight’s soft match against the Utah Jazz.

Simons has a combined average of 22.2 points and assists (PA) and has posted 24.5 PA at a rate of 50.0% this season – right in line with the implied probability of 50% thanks to those + odds 100.

The kicker? Utah has the worst defensive rating in the league. Against the ten worst defenses in the NBA, Simons averages a massive 28.3 PA. In this split, he averaged 24.5 PA (85.7%) in six of seven games. The single miss cut Simons’ minutes to 28 minutes, resulting in a 42-point blowout.

In addition, the Jazz play at the 12th fastest pace in the league. They also allow the second-most three-point attempts (3PA) and three-point attempts (3PM) per game. Simons is scoring 42.5% of his points from behind the arc and should see positive three-point regression based on his long-term averages. With Utah scoring the third-most points and sixth-most assists per 36 minutes to guards, it’s easy to like Simons at this point.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Indiana Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton over 25.5 points + branch (-122)

Tyrese Haliburton is starting to put his early season woes behind him, and I want to follow his success while the market still has his back.

The Indiana Pacers are on a five-game winning streak. Haliburton is averaging 29.4 PA during this period, up from 26.6 PA on the season.

Tonight, Indy will fight to keep that winning streak going against a tough Oklahoma City Thunder group. The Pacers (6th) and Thunder (11th) each play at an accelerated pace, which should help Haliburton’s scoring stats. Against other top-14 speed teams, he averages 29.4 PA and managed 25.5 PA in six of eight (75.0%) of those contests.

It doesn’t hurt that the Pacers will be playing this game on their home court. Haliburton’s home and away stats are drastic – he only accumulates 23.9 PA away from home, but manages a whopping 30.4 PA at home. He has averaged over 25.5 PA (66.7%) in 8 of 12 games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

OKC has the league’s best defense but will be sidelined by Alex Caruso (hip). Caruso leads the entire NBA in defensive rating and would have been given a key assignment against Haliburton.

Our NBA predictions have Haliburton posting an impressive 29.5 PA in this game.

Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks

Coby White over 25.5 points + Reb + Ast (+100)

From a game environment perspective, the showdown between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks is the best thing for Thursday’s standings. The Hawks (2nd) and Bulls (3rd) have two of the fastest paces in the league, giving us a high over/under ratio of 242.5.

The starting guards of both clubs have ideal prospects. Let’s start with Coby White.

White has an average of 25.3 combined points, rebounds and assists (PRA). Today’s date with an Atlanta group that ranks second in pace and 18th in defensive rating could do wonders for his stats.

Here’s a look at White’s PRA results in games against teams ranked in the top 10 on pace And the bottom 25 in defensive rating: 32, 31, 35, 33, 33, 14 and 27 PRA.

Coby averaged a PRA of 29.3 in this split. He posted a PRA above 26 in all but one game and a PRA above 31 in five of seven contests. The only miss came against the Dallas Mavericks, who rank 11th in defense. White went an uncharacteristic 3-for-13 from the field in that game.

It’s hard to deny White in a match like this. Our forecasts predict a PRA value of 28.3.

Trae Young scores more than 25 points (+110)

Let’s focus on Trae Young, who scored 29.0 points per game in his last three games.

Young’s hot and cold nature was clearly on display this season. He has scored more than 24 points (11) in as many games as he has scored 18 or fewer points (11). The Bulls, ranked third in pace and 25th in defense, could bring out their hot team tonight.

Trae is averaging 24.5 points against the league’s 12 worst defenses. In that 13-game split, he scored 25 points at 53.8% odds, but those +110 odds only imply a 47.6% probability.

In eight games against clubs ranked in the bottom 12 in defense and top 20 in pace, Young scored 25.1 points and reached the quarter mark at a rate of 62.5%.

Chicago gives up the fifth-most 3PA per game and the seventh-most points to opposing guards. Conversely, our predictions have Young at 25.9 points tonight.

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The above author is an employee of FanDuel and is not authorized to participate in public daily fantasy contests or place sports bets on FanDuel. The author’s advice does not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. Following the author’s advice is not a guarantee of a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports bets.