Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: The Joker Starts Year Off Right in Houston

There is no better way to kick off 2022 with some winning NBA player prop bets and with six games on the board, there is plenty of basketball betting value to be found on New Year’s Day.

We focus on a pair of props for a couple of big men sharing a first name as Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls visit the Washington Wizards while Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host the Houston Rockets.

Check out our NBA player prop picks for Saturday, January 1, as we bank on some of the NBA's best to do their thing.

NBA player props for January 1

• Grayson Allen Over 2.5 Made Threes (+145)
• Nikola Vucevic Over 18.5 Points (-104)
• Nikola Jokic Over 45.5 Points + Rebounds (-105)

Picks made on 01/01/2022 at 1:30 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Today’s best NBA player props

Downtown fireworks

Fireworks are usually part of New Year’s Eve celebrations but Grayson Allen will try to keep them going when the Milwaukee Bucks host the New Orleans Pelicans a day later.

The Bucks enter as winners of five in a row to climb within a half-game of the Chicago Bulls in the Central Division. While the Pels have also played well of late, winning five of six, they enter this one dealing with a multitude of injuries and COVID issues.

That won’t help a New Orleans team that ranks 24th in defensive rating. The Pels also really struggle when it comes to defending the perimeter, ranking 25th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. 

That could mean a nice day for Allen. The Bucks shooting guard is having another great season from beyond the arc, hitting 40.9% of his 6.9 attempts from deep per game. 

But Allen is in a bit of a slump after missing two games with a non-COVID illness, shooting just 3-15 from 3-point range over his last four. But that just gives us a little value going into this matchup against the Pels.

Allen hit fewer than two threes just three times over his first 30 games this season. He looks like a good bet to go Over 2.5 in this one.

Pick: Grayson Allen Over 2.5 Made Threes (+145 at DraftKings)

No bull, Vucevic goes off

Thanks to a game-winning three from DeMar DeRozan on New Year’s Eve, the Chicago Bulls closed 2021 on a high note. The win was the Bulls' sixth win in a row, but they won’t have much time to think about it as they play the second half of a back-to-back on New Year’s Day when they visit the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards are coming off a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, but it was just their fourth in their last 13 games thanks to a defense that has fallen off after a hot start. Washington now ranks 22nd in the NBA when it comes to defensive rating.

One area where the Wiz have had no magic has been on the interior. Washington allows the 23rd most points in the paint to opposing teams and it certainly won’t help that the Wizards will be without big men Rui Hachimura, Montrezl Harrell, and Thomas Bryant while going against the Bulls’ Nikola Vucevic.

The Bulls big man was in a groove throughout December, averaging 17.9 points over 10 games. With Washington struggling to defend the paint, Vucevic is a good bet to go Over his point total in this one.

Pick: Nikola Vucevic Over 18.5 Points (-104 at FanDuel)

New year, same Joker

This just in, the Denver Nuggets are much better with defending MVP Nikola Jokic on the court than when he's off it. The Nuggets have obviously been riddled with injuries this season but luckily The Joker is still standing and has picked up the slack.

Jokic will try to lead the Nuggets to their first win in the New Year when they host the Houston Rockets on Saturday. The Rockets will be playing their second game in as many nights following a loss to the Miami Heat on New Year’s Eve.

The Rockets continue to have trouble lifting off as the loss was their sixth in a row and eighth in their last nine games overall, and now they'll have their hands full with Jokic. Houston ranks 21st in rebounding percentage and 26th in opponent points in the paint.

The Joker is having another great season averaging 25.8 points, 14 rebounds, and 7.1 assists, but he has taken his game to the next level with the Nuggets dealing a ton of injuries and COVID issues. Jokic is averaging 25.7 points and a massive 20.7 rebounds over his last three games.

Jokic is a good bet to open the New Year with a bang and go Over his points + rebounding total against a Rockets team that could be running on some heavy legs.

Pick: Nikola Jokic Over 45.5 Points + Rebounds (-105 at DraftKings)

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