Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

NBA Player Props: Our 3 Best Bets for Thursday, January 1

Our best NBA bets for Thursday, January 1

Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The NBA features a five-game slate on January 1, spotlighting interesting cross-conference and divisional battles. The day features Jaylen Brown leading the Boston Celtics squad as they visit the Sacramento Kings, Alperen Sengun and the Houston Rockets squad taking on the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Clippers locking horns with the Utah Jazz in the last match-up of the day. Given below are the NBA player props shining with elevated usage of players and exploitable defenses.

Check out all of our NBA Picks and Predictions for Tonight’s slate as well.

Best NBA Player Props for Today

Player	Market and Line	Odds and Book	Matchup
Jaylen Brown	Over 31.5 Points	-120 on FanDuel	Celtics at Kings
Alperen Sengun	Over 9.5 Rebounds	-102 on FanDuel	Rockets at Nets
James Harden	Over 8.5 Assists	-102 on FanDuel	Jazz at Clippers

Odds from FanDuel, correct as of December 31, 11:06 pm EST. Shop around before you bet- line tend to move quickly.

Prop#1- Jaylen Brown Over 31.5 Points

Over 31.5 Points -120 at FanDuel

With Jayson Tatum sidelined with an Achilles injury, all scoring responsibility fell upon Jalyen Brown, and he stepped up for the role perfectly and how. Brown has been the Celtics’ primary offensive engine since the beginning, and while there were a few initial hiccups, things have started to fall into place now. The sixth-leading scorer in the league, Brown maintains an average of 29.5 points, converting 50.5% of his field goals.

The Celtics don’t maintain a decent pace, but given the struggles of the Kings and the visitors’ offensive rating, we can expect it to be a fairly-well scoring game. In addition to it, the Kings not only maintain a poor defensive rating, but also are one of the worst-performing teams in transition and isolation. On the other hand, Brown has emerged as a highly improved shooter this season.

He has scored 30 points or more in nine of the last ten games, thriving with increased volume. Considering that he is heading into the New Year’s clash off a poor performance after a day’s rest and motivated, we can expect another explosive performance from him on Thursday.

Prop#2- Alperen Sengun Over 9.5 Rebounds

Over 9.5 rebounds (-102) at FanDuel

Alperen Sengun has been dominating boards for the Houston Rockets this season, consistently averaging almost double-digit rebounds at 9.4 rpg. This shows his elite positioning and relentless opportunities that he and the team creates in 35+ minutes. The Nets, on the other hand, possess the worst defensive rebounding in the league at 29.6.

If we talk about the upcoming game, we can expect a decent pace and a competitive total, which would open more chances for possessions and rebound chances.

Coming back to Sengun, he has recorded double-digit rebounds in six of his last nine games, and now that he is expected to come back after a few days of rest and recovery, he is primed for another double-double.

Given his dominance and the Nets’ weakness on the glass, we feel Sengun grabbing 9.5 rebounds is a safe bet.

Prop #3- James Harden Over 8.5 Assists

Over 8.5 Assists (-102) at FanDuel

James Harden is one of the most elite playmakers currently in the league. A masterful facilitator, Harden generates 7.9 assists per game through 30 appearances this season. In the last 11 games, he has recorded six or more assists on nine occasions, signifying creating opportunities for his teammates.

The Jazz, on the other hand, have been struggling heavily, with the second-worst defensive rating in the league. They allow high assist totals to opposing guards through poor rotation. Now, considering that the Clippers have an intact rotation, Harden’s is expected to have prominent playmaking in the forthcoming contest.

This season, Harden has recorded double-digit assists in nine games, and has been consistent against leaky perimeters. Given Harden’s playmaking and Utah’s vulnerabilities in coverage, we expect Harden to record 9+ assists on Thursday.

In case you are building an SGP, combining Brown’s points with over on the Celtics-Kings total could correlate well. It is because of how the Celtics lean heavily on his scoring.

NBA Player Props Betting Card for January 1

Jaylen Brown Over 31.5 Points
Alperen Sengun 9.5 Rebounds
James Harden 8.5 Assists

Alperen Sengun

James Harden

Jaylen Brown

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.