3 NBA Star Player Prop Bets for Friday 2/9/24

Player props are a fun way to get involved with the NBA each night, especially when it comes to the game's elite players.

That's what we'll focus on here -- prop bets for the NBA's best players via FanDuel Sportsbook's NBA Star Player Props.

Using FanDuel Research's daily basketball projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- as a guide, 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 Picks

Anthony Davis Under 26.5 Points (-118)

The Los Angeles Lakers will play the second night of a back-to-back against the New Orleans Pelicans tonight, which might not constitute a big scoring performance from Anthony Davis.

On the season, Davis is averaging 24.8 points per game. He took a season-high 27 field goal attempts in last night's game and played 38 minutes, and a tired Davis is not a good Davis.

AD has participated in six back-to-backs this season. He is averaging just 22.2 points in the second leg and has exceeded 26.5 points in only two of these contests.

The Pelicans won't be an easy matchup, either. They are forcing centers to score the 12th-fewest points per 36 minutes. Across their last 30 games, they are letting up the eighth-fewest points to this position.

Plus, New Orleans is surrendering the 7th-fewest paint points and 10th-fewest free-throw attempts per game. Davis nets a combined 69.5% of his points from either the paint or foul line.

These teams have already gone up against each other on two occasions this season. The Pels held Davis to just 20 and 16 points, and I expect them to be fairly limiting once again.

LeBron James Under 8.5 Assists (-138)

LeBron James is an excellent playmaker, but asking him to record over 8.5 assists is a tall task.

LeBron is averaging 7.6 assists per game this season. The -138 odds suggest a 57.9% probability, but in reality, he is dishing out under 8.5 assists at a 65.9% rate.

Similar to how the nature of this back-to-back could affect Davis, I think LeBron could be a victim, too. He has played six back-to-backs this season, eclipsing 8.5 assists in just one of these contests.

The Pelicans limit opposing teams to the league's sixth-worst field goal percentage and worst three-point percentage. The Lakers seem primed to put up worse-than-normal shooting numbers, which obviously has an impact on assist production.

Not to mention that this is a pace-down game for Los Angeles, leaving this game's over/under at a somewhat modest 232.5 points.

LeBron failed to dish out more than 8.5 dimes in both games against the Pelicans earlier this season. For what it's worth, he has missed the over 8.5 assists mark in nine straight games against this team.

Jayson Tatum Over 2.5 Made Threes (-170)

Jayson Tatum has hit over 2.5 threes in just as many games as he has made under 2.5 threes, so my kneejerk reaction to this prop was to side with the plus-money odds (+132) on the under.

But, he and the Boston Celtics will be granted an ultra-friendly matchup against the Washington Wizards in a game where Boston is favored by a whopping 17.5 points.

Tatum has been a part of 17 Boston victories that were won by 12 points or more. In this split, he is hitting over 2.5 threes at an 82.4% clip (14 out of 17 games).

To me, this split speaks volumes. The correlation between Boston's blowout wins and Tatum's made threes is about as strong as it could get.

The Wizards are surrendering the seventh-most three-point makes (3PM) to small forwards. Tatum has gone up against the Wizards once this season. He nailed four three-pointers despite playing just 28 minutes. Boring odds notwithstanding, I'm too encouraged by Tatum's numbers against lowly teams to fade the over in this spot.

Dive into the NBA action on February 9th with FanDuel Sportsbook’s 25% Profit Boost to use on a NBA Same Game Parlay with 3+ legs. See the promotions page for more information.

Looking for the latest NBA odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NBA betting options.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

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.