3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Tuesday 1/16/24

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy basketball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Using a wealth of statistical data, including numberFire's daily basketball projections, here are some NBA player prop bets that look appealing via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

NBA Prop Bets

Joel Embiid to Score 35+ Points (+110)

We've got a pair of NBA on TNT games tonight, with the first matchup granting us a showdown between the league's two most recent MVP winners, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.

Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers played an early afternoon game yesterday, so tonight's game is a milder version of a typical back-to-back. Plus, the Sixers are at home, and Embiid -- who just returned from injury -- seems up for the challenge against the Denver Nuggets.

Embiid is averaging 34.9 points per game this season. He has scored at least 35 points in eight of his last 12 contests, averaging 38.7 points in that 12-game span.

The Nuggets allow the 11th-most free-throw attempts (FTA) to centers per 36 minutes. Embiid leads the league in FTA (11.8 per game) and scores 30.0% of his points from the foul line. With Denver seemingly banged up, we should expect Embiid to make plenty of visits to the free-throw line tonight.

Although Denver touts the 11th-best defensive rating in the league, they are allowing the 14th-most paint points per game, and they've yet to face a player this season who is as dominant in the interior as Embiid is.

Since Jokic began to rack up MVPs, he and Embiid have gone up against each other just twice. Embiid led the way in both of these matchups, scoring 34 and 47 points opposite the Joker. It seems Embiid has a chip on his shoulder when going up against the league's best, so I'll take the plus odds that he can continue his dominant scoring streak.

Kevin Durant Under 39.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (-120)

The Phoenix Suns are finally featuring their Big 3 -- Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal -- on a consistent basis. The full health of Phoenix's stars has lifted the team from a losing record, but it's hard to ask Durant to put up the same numbers that he did when he was the main guy on the court.

On the season, KD is averaging a towering 41.1 combined points, rebounds, and assists (PRA). But in eight games where he has shared the court with Beal and Booker, he is averaging just 36.1 PRA. He surpassed 39.5 PRA in only one of these eight contests.

Durant will go up against the Sacramento Kings, a team that limited him to 37.0 PRA last month despite Beal not playing in that one. Beal has been averaging 16.4 field-goal attempts (FGA) per night in January, so it's clear that Durant will need to continue to carve out space for the other stars on this team to shine.

The good news is, Durant doesn't seem to mind taking a backseat. Following a 28.0-PRA performance from Durant last week, Booker mentioned that, prior to the game, KD insisted that it was not necessary to get him involved on offense. This isn't to say that Durant is incapable of putting up his typical Durant-esque numbers, but it does mean we should expect his recent lower-than-normal shot volume to stick as the season goes on.

numberFire is projecting just 36.6 PRA from Durant tonight, so I'll be siding with the under.

James Harden Over 31.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (-102)

The second NBA on TNT game comes between two Western Conference powerhouses -- the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder. There is plenty of star power featured in this matchup, but I'm most interested in targeting James Harden to exceed 31.5 PRA.

Tonight will present an excellent matchup for Harden. The Thunder are surrendering the ninth-most points and second-most three-point makes (3PM) to shooting guards. Harden is scoring 47.3% of his points from behind the arc and is shooting the three-ball at a career-high 41.9% clip.

Further, OKC is giving up the fourth-most FTA, and Harden leads all Clippers in FTA per game and nets 25.0% of his points from the foul line.

It seems Harden is primed to shine as a scorer, and he's no stranger to throwing dimes or grabbing boards, either. Over his last 16 games, Harden is averaging 14.8 combined rebounds and assists. Add in that the Thunder give up the fifth-most rebounds and 12th-most assists to guards per 36 minutes, and it's hard to consider anything but the over here.

Harden has exceeded 31.5 PRA in six straight games against Oklahoma City, including a 38.0-PRA performance just last month. I should note that Kawhi Leonard did not suit up in that aforementioned matchup, but over 31.5 PRA still seems quite obtainable for The Beard tonight.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.