We have a total of three NBA props for this Thursday, and our staff of basketball betting experts is focused on some key players or teams who could be in line for noteworthy performances in tonight’s matchups.
Read below for our NBA prop picks for Thursday, January 2.
NBA Props for Thursday, Jan. 2
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Brook Lopez
- James Harden
- Cason Wallace
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Kristaps Porzingis Over 5.5 Rebounds (+100)” subtext=”Celtics vs. Timberwolves, 7:30 p.m. ET” center=”false” logo1url=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/boston-celtics-logo-updated-2023.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/boston-celtics” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
By Nick Galaida
Kristaps Porzingis played only 13 minutes on Christmas Day, exiting at the half due to an ankle injury. He’s officially listed as questionable against the Timberwolves tonight, but seems to be trending towards playing for the first time in a week.
Assuming he faces no workload restrictions, this is a great spot for Porzingis on the glass.
Porzingis has grabbed 7+ rebounds in 7 of 8 games this season in which he’s played at least 25 minutes, and he now gets a favorable matchup against Minnesota, a team that has allowed the 2nd-most rebounds per game to centers since the middle of December.
Porzingis hasn’t had fewer than 10 rebound chances in any game this season in which he’s played at least 25 minutes. This gives us great value backing him to have a moderately productive night on the boards tonight.
Pick: Kristaps Porzingis Over 5.5 Rebounds (+100)
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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Brook Lopez Over 10.5 Points (-115)” subtext=”Nets vs. Bucks, 8 p.m. ET” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/mil.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/milwaukee-bucks” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
Brook Lopez has been great recently, putting up 10+ points in each of the last 8 games and averaging 16.5 points per game during that span.
The blowout is a bit of a concern, but if this game does stays close, he should play a boatload of minutes.
The matchup isn’t a bad one, with the Nets being horrible defensively and average versus versatile bigs. I even like the alternate lines for Lopez here.
While a lot of his production in this stretch has come without Giannis Antetokounmpo, there is an outside chance that the Bucks decide to sit Giannis (officially listed as probable) in this easy matchup, which would mean more usage for Lopez.
Pick: Brook Lopez Over 10.5 Points (-115)
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”James Harden Under 22.5 Points (-120)” subtext=”Clippers vs. Thunder, 8 p.m. ET” center=”false” logo1url=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/los-angeles-clippers-logo-updated-2023.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/los-angeles-clippers” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
By Nick Galaida
James Harden enters tonight averaging 21.9 points per game this season, but this is simply a nightmare matchup for him. He scored only 12 points on 4-for-13 shooting the first time he played the Thunder this season, and followed that up with 17 points on 5-for-15 shooting in the rematch later that month.
Dating back to last season, Harden has scored 17 points or fewer in 4 consecutive games against Oklahoma City.
The Thunder lead the entire NBA in defensive rating since the beginning of December, while playing at a league-average pace. Guards are shooting a league-worst 42.9% from the field against them during that stretch.
The only vulnerability here is that Oklahoma City struggles to defend without fouling, which can potentially be problematic against a player like Harden, who is adept at getting to the free throw line.
Still, the under makes a lot of sense. Harden would need to be unusually efficient from the floor or attempt double-digit free throws to have a chance to score in the mid-20s.
Pick: James Harden Under 22.5 Points (-120)
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Cason Wallace Under 7.5 Points (-120)” subtext=”Clippers vs. Thunder, 8 p.m. ET” center=”false” logo1url=”https://static.sprtactn.co/teamlogos/nba/100/okc.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/oklahoma-city-thunder” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
By Jim Turvey
Cason Wallace is still holding onto steady minutes, but as more and more Thunder players return, Wallace’s scoring and usage have slowly been trending down.
Even considering the season as a whole, he has reached 8 points in only 11 of 31 games, and that includes only 1 of his last 6 games.
His opponent, the Clippers, are also a top-tier defensive team, making this a tough matchup to boot.
Pick: Cason Wallace Under 7.5 Points (-120)
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