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Not to be overshadowed by the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend, the NBA is back with another strong slate of games for us to enjoy. You can find full previews of tonight’s games here, but in the meantime here is a selection of some of the player prop bets you should consider tonight.
Bojan Bogdanovic Under 15.5 points (-112)
Bojan Bogdanovic has been wildly inconsistent in scoring the ball this year. He is averaging 12.7 points on the year, down eight points from his averages last season. The big issue for him is that he cannot string together two games in a row in which he scores double digits. He scored 15 in the opener against the Blazers but followed it up with nine in the next game. He then had two games in which he scored over 20 points but followed both up by failing to surpass six points in either of his next two outings. In his last outing against the Bucks, Bogdanovic managed to score 20, so if history is to repeat itself, he is likely to struggle here tonight.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Utah Jazz vs. Detroit Pistons.
Elfrid Payton Over 13.5 points (-118)
Elfrid Payton is playing more aggressively on the offensive end now than he has ever done in his career. He is currently averaging 14.8 points per game which would be the highest scoring season of his career. On average, he is taking more than three shots per game more this year than he did last and Tom Thibodeau seems to have faith in his scoring abilities, often playing him more than 30 minutes a game. Since the opening two nights of the season, Payton has not failed to score fewer than 14 points in a game and with Denver allowing teams to score 115 points per game, he will have ample opportunities to keep that streak going tonight. Denver does not have a lock down perimeter defender or an established shot blocker on the interior which should really benefit Payton, who does most of his work inside the three-point line.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Denver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 33.5 points + rebounds + assists (-108)
As one of the rising stars of the league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has managed to put this young Thunder team on his back and keep them relevant this season, leading them to a .500 record so far. He has been able to do whatever is required to get his team over the line and averages a line of 20 points, five rebounds, and seven assists per game. He will certainly be asked to score more tonight against the Nets, especially if we see the return of Kyrie Irving. Gilgeous-Alexander has been in good scoring form though, dropping 21 and 25 in his last two outings against good defensive teams in the Pelicans and Knicks. In those games, he was also able to record nine assists in one and ten rebounds in the other. If he is able to recreate that here tonight, he will have no trouble surpassing this combined total.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Brooklyn Nets.
Keeping Up With The Canadians 🇨🇦
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | vs. Pelicans
21 POINTS
2 THREE POINTERS
9 ASSISTS
5 REBOUNDS
5 STEALS pic.twitter.com/08RfXWeWsC— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) January 7, 2021
Stephen Curry Over 35.5 points + assists (-115)
Stephen Curry is looking like an early-season MVP candidate. He is averaging 31 points on the season and 36 in the last seven days. Now he is also on pace to have his best passing season in the last five years, averaging close to seven assists per game. He had a 38-point and 11-assist outing against the Clippers who are a top ten defense in points allowed per game. Expect him to continue his great scoring streak against this Raptors team who have been giving away points to teams like it’s still Christmas.
The Raptors in the past have tried to run a box and one defense against Curry, sticking a defender to play man on him whilst the other four play zone. However, with the departure of Ibaka and Gasol in the summer, I do not think they will be able to execute it as effectively as they have in the past, and Curry has the handles to get to the rim and finish successfully. If the Raptors run the zone, expect him to be able to get to the middle of it and dish out to open teammates. Do not be surprised to see another Curry double-double.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors.
Pickswise is the home of free NBA picks and predictions. We will cover all the big offseason news before making picks for every game during the 2021 season.
