Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: Thompson Gains Momentum From Long Range

It’s a light night in the NBA with just three games on the schedule but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t plenty of betting value to be found in the player prop market.

Today, we focus on a pair of made threes props and see what will Luka Doncic do for an encore after his massive performance last night when the Dallas Mavericks host the Phoenix Suns.

Check out our NBA player prop picks for Thursday, January 20, as we bank on some of the NBA's best to do their thing.

NBA player props for January 20

• Fournier Over 2.5 made threes (-145)
• Doncic Under 26.5 points (-110)
• Thompson Over 2.5 made threes (-105)

Picks made on 1/20/2022 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Today’s best NBA player props

Four-pointer

The New York Knicks are wildly inconsistent this season, to the chagrin of their fans and backers of course. But one thing that has been consistent has been their proclivity for shooting the 3-ball, and they’ll get a chance to keep jacking up threes when they host the New Orleans Pelicans tonight.

The Knicks shoot the 11th-most threes per game in the NBA and no one takes more shots from deep for them than Evan Fournier. The Knicks’ shooting guard launches 7.0 3-point attempts per game and is shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. 

Now, he’ll face a Pelicans team that has a real problem guarding the perimeter. New Orleans ranks next-to-last when it comes to opponent 3-point shooting percentage, allowing them to hit 37.3% of their attempts from downtown.

On top of that, Fournier has had a hot hand for more than a month now. He has upped his 3-point attempts to 7.6 per game while shooting 43.6% over his last 15 games. Fournier has also hit at least three threes 10 times over that 15-game stretch.

Bet on Fournier to make it 11 times in his last 16 in this matchup against the Pels.

Pick: Evan Fournier Over 2.5 made threes (-145 at DraftKings)

Doncic dilemma

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is coming off a massive game against the Toronto Raptors, where he put up 41 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists in a 102-98 victory. But he won’t have much time to relish that performance as he and the Mavs are back at it tonight when they host the NBA’s best team, the Phoenix Suns.

Despite the big game, this season has been a struggle for Doncic. The Mavs’ do-it-all point guard is having the worst shooting season of his career, with career lows in effective field goal percentage (49.1) and 3-point percentage (29.4).

Now, he faces one of the best defensive teams in the NBA in the Suns. Phoenix ranks second in the NBA in defensive rating, second in opponent field goal percentage, and third in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. 

The Suns have so many guys they can throw at Doncic like Cameron Payne, Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, and most importantly, the human black hole that is Mikal Bridges. 

Doncic’s point total is set at 26.5 for this game, and that’s a tough ask when you consider his tough shooting season, facing off against this elite Suns defense while playing in the second half of a back-to-back. On top of that, prior to his 41-point outburst yesterday Doncic had gone over 26 points just once in his previous eight games. Bet on the Suns to do a decent job of containing him.

Pick: Luka Doncic Under 26.5 points (-110 at DraftKings)

Klay Area

The Golden State Warriors are still easing Klay Thompson back into their rotation, as he has yet to play more than 22 minutes in a game since his return. But the "other Splash Brother" is making the most of his opportunities taking 7.2 3-point attempts in his limited minutes and don’t expect him to slow down when they host the Indiana Pacers.

Thompson is shooting 36.1% from 3-point range, which is down from his career average of 41.9%, so he is still trying to find his groove. Now, the Pacers don’t give up a ton of 3-balls, but they still rank 23rd in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. 

Thompson’s made threes prop for this matchup is set at 2.5, which is nice considering the number of shots he is taking, and you know eventually Steve Kerr will gradually start upping his minutes. Thompson has also hit three or more threes in three of his first five games and hasn’t hit fewer than two, so he’s already showing how consistent he can be. 

Back him to drain a few more from beyond the arc in this one.

Pick: Klay Thompson Over 2.5 made threes (-105 at FanDuel)

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