We have a total of three NBA player props for this Wednesday, and our staff of basketball betting experts is focused on some key players who could be in line for noteworthy performances in tonight’s contests.
Read below for our NBA player prop picks for Wednesday, January 8.
NBA Player Props for Wednesday, January 8
- Tyrese Maxey
- Kelly Oubre
- Norman Powell
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Tyrese Maxey Under 4.5 Rebounds (-140) ” subtext=”Wizards vs. 76ers, 7:00 p.m. ET” center=”false” logo1url=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/philadelphia-76ers-logo-updated-2023.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/philadelphia-76ers” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
This prop line seems like an overreaction to the matchup. Washington is one of the weakest rebounding teams in the league, ranking 26th in rebounding rate and dead last in rebounds allowed per game. They typically get beat up by front court players, though.
The Wizards are allowing the 6th-most rebounds per game to centers and the most per game to power forwards. They’re closer to middling against point guards.
Philadelphia will be without Joel Embiid and Paul George tonight. Maxey gets a bump in usage rate, assist rate, and shot attempts with those two off the floor. His rebound rate hardly budges, though (+0.1%).
Maxey is averaging 3.3 rebounds per game on the season. He’s at 3.37 per 36 minutes with Embiid and George on the bench.
Maxey will be surrounded by low-usage players tonight, but Philly still has several competent rebounders. Kelly Oubre, Caleb Martin, and Guershon Yabusele have all been productive on the glass.
Andre Drummond is questionable, but 3rd-string center Adem Bona has a healthy 15.9% rebound rate with Embiid and George off the floor.
Maxey might score 50 points tonight, but he shouldn’t need to do much on the glass. Maxey has 5+ rebounds in just 4 of 28 games this season.
Pick: Tyrese Maxey Under 4.5 Rebounds (-140)
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[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Kelly Oubre Over 16.5 Points (-130)” subtext=”Wizards vs. 76ers, 7:00 p.m. ET” center=”false” logo1url=”https://images.actionnetwork.com/blog/2023/07/philadelphia-76ers-logo-updated-2023.png” link1=”https://www.actionnetwork.com/nba/odds/philadelphia-76ers” link1follow=”true” logo2url=”” link2=”” link2follow=”true” trailinglogourl=”” trailinglink=”” trailinglinkfollow=”true”][/subheader]
This line is 17.5 at most places, but ESPN BET and Fanatics both have reasonably-priced 16.5s up right now. I’m going to grab them before they’re gone.
Philadelphia will be without Joel Embiid and Paul George. Jared McCain remains sidelined with a long-term injury. Kelly Oubre leads the regulars with a 5.5% usage rate boost when all of Embiid, George, and McCain off the floor. He’s averaging 19.6 points per 36 minutes in those situations.
McCain, Embiid, and George haven’t all missed a game yet, but we did get nine games without both Embiid and George. Oubre only averaged 16.11 points, as this was the stretch where McCain was breaking out. The rookie was 2nd on the team in scoring and usage in those games. Embiid and George are the headliners, but McCain’s absence is also plenty notable for Oubre.
Washington remains an elite matchup. They’re 29th in defensive rating on the season and 27th over the last 10 games. Washington has allowed the most points per game.
Oubre missed the first three games of January, but returned on Monday and played 38 minutes. He should be in for a hefty workload given the injuries for Philly. The thin depth chart could also help Washington keep this game competitive.
Pick: Kelly Oubre Over 16.5 Points (-130)
[subheader sizedown=”false” text=”Norman Powell Over 21.5 Points (-120)” subtext=”Clippers vs. Nuggets, 9:00 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]
This is a good spot for Norman Powell going up against the Nuggets tonight, who have been a top-8 team in pace and a below-average defensive team this season.
We don’t know if Nikola Jokic is going to play tonight, but regardless, I think this game stays close.
Kawhi Leonard has been heavily limited since coming back from injury, playing around 20 minutes in each game, so Powell should continue to see his normal usage and minutes here, which have been great.
Powell is playing close to 40 minutes in any game that stays close, averaging 23.5 points per game on 33.4 minutes per game. And with a 2-point spread tonight, he should see a full complement of minutes.
RotoGrinders has Powell projected for nearly 5 points over this number, making this a great EV bet.
Pick: Norman Powell Over 21.5 Points (-120)
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