3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Wednesday 12/20/23

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

Jalen Brunson 4+ Made Threes (+240)

We're in for a cross-borough matchup with the New York Knicks taking on the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. The game environment and 1.5-point spread should make for a pretty exciting contest, and I think a big Jalen Brunson performance is on deck, particularly from downtown.

Brunson is in the midst of an All-Star season and has turned into one of the league's better three-point shooters. He enters tonight averaging 3.1 three-pointers made (3PM) per game off of a 46.0% three-point percentage (3P%; sixth-highest in NBA).

Tonight's battle against Brooklyn should constitute Brunson punching a bit above his weight from behind the line. The Nets allow more 3PM to point guards than any other team in the league does. And they've been letting up great looks as of late, allowing opponents to shoot the three-ball at a 44.0% clip (second-highest in NBA) over their last five games.

Brunson sees a majority of his three-point looks from the 25-29 foot range (5.0 field-goal attempts per game) -- Brooklyn is surrendering the sixth-most (tied) FGM from this range.

The Nets are most vulnerable above the break, sacrificing the fifth-most 3PM from this area. Brunson leads all Knicks players with 2.7 3PM per game above the break.

In his two most recent games against the Nets, Brunson drained five and six threes. I think this game will be close in the fourth quarter (1.0-point spread), so we could see these teams trading shots, particularly from downtown. The plus-odds here are quite kind.

Bam Adebayo Under 32.5 Pts + Reb (-113)

Bam Adebayo returned from an injury on Monday to the tune of a 22-point, 6-rebound outing for the Miami Heat. The 28.0 combined points and rebounds (PR) was a bit below what we've seen from Adebayo this season. If we took out a 12-minute game that he exited early due to injury, he's averaging 33.3 PR this year and has cleared this prop more times than not.

However, I think Adebayo will have a tough time getting going against the Orlando Magic tonight. The Magic are giving up the fourth-fewest points and fifth-fewest rebounds per game, and to centers per 36 minutes, they allow the fifth-fewest points and fewest rebounds in the NBA.

Orlando's interior defense is solid -- if there's a good team to compare them to, it would probably be the Minnesota Timberwolves, who allow the fewest points and fourth-fewest rebounds to centers per 36 minutes. Adebayo has gone up against the T'Wolves twice this season, averaging just 25.0 PR in that sample, all while playing 34.5 minutes.

Adebayo scores 56.1% of his points in the paint and is netting the 12th-most paint points in the NBA. The Magic, meanwhile, are sacrificing the 11th-fewest paint points per game.

Miami's big man also gets some work done off of pick-and-rolls, averaging the eighth-most points in this scenario. But Orlando is giving up the ninth-fewest points off of pick-and-rolls.

Jimmy Butler (calf) is out for the Heat tonight, but if we check out Adebayo's game log from last season, there is no notable difference in his PR numbers with Butler off the court.

Last season, Adebayo played three full games against Orlando and failed to surpass 32.5 PR in any of them, averaging just 25.7 PR in this sample -- and two of these games went into overtime.

The cherry on top when siding with the under is that the Magic are drawing the most fouls per game in the league, and Adebayo is fairly foul-prone, averaging the second-most fouls on Miami this season. We could see foul trouble become an issue for him, but even if Bam gets full minutes, I think this matchup will prove to be a difficult one.

Ivica Zubac to Record A Double-Double (+105)

Ivica Zubac is averaging 12.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, but a date with the Dallas Mavericks makes him an interesting double-double candidate tonight.

The Mavs cede the third-most points and seventh-most rebounds to centers. They have a weak paint defense, giving up the fifth-most points per game in this area. Zubac scores a towering 85.8% of his points in the paint and should have an easier time dominating the interior with starting center Dereck Lively out for Dallas.

Putback chances are massive when it comes to securing a double-double via points and rebounds. The Mavs allow the sixth-most putback points per game, and Zubac is seeing the seventh-most putback opportunities in the league -- this should be a great way for him to parlay offensive rebounds with points.

Zubac has gone up against Dallas twice this season. He netted 12 points and eight rebounds in the first contest, and 11 points and 14 rebounds in their most recent meeting. However, both of these games were blowouts, forcing Zubac to see just 22 and 23 minutes of court time. Today's 3.5-point spread and potential Paul George (illness) absence for LA could make this a close game.

numberFire is projecting Zubac to record a double-double and see 30 minutes on the floor -- he is averaging 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per 30 minutes this season. I'll take the plus-odds that Zubac can take advantage of this matchup and record his third straight double-double.

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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.