There's no better way to start the weekend than with some winning NBA player prop bets, and with 11 games on the board, there's no shortage of options for bettors to find value.
Today, we look at Joel Embiid’s hot streak — and if he can keep it going when the 76ers host the Clippers — as well as the crazy Kyrie Irving road trip making a stop in San Antonio.
Check out our NBA player prop picks for Friday, January 21, as we bank on some of the NBA's best to do their thing.
NBA player props for January 21
Picks made on 1/21/2022 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2022-22 NBA season, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:
USA: New users sign up with FanDuel and get up to $1,000 in risk-free bets! Claim Now
Canada: Bet $1, get $100 in free bets when you sign up with BetVictor! Sign Up Now
Today’s best NBA player props
Embiid's greed
Joel Embiid seems to keep climbing up the NBA MVP odds board with each passing game. The Philadelphia 76ers big man is on one hell of a roll and looking as dominant as ever. Embiid and the 76ers will look to continue that dominance when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night.
Embiid has been basically unstoppable since the middle of December. He has put up 31 or more points in 13 of his last 15 games and is averaging 33.1 points per game over that stretch while shooting 55 percent from the floor. That includes a monster 50-point performance last time out against the Orlando Magic.
Now, Embiid gets a juicy matchup against a Clippers team that really struggles to defend the paint. Los Angeles ranks 28th in the NBA when it comes to opponent points in the paint. On top of that, the Clippers are still working with a short rotation due to their many injuries.
But the real beauty of this bet is that Embiid is putting up these points no matter how the game has gone. He's done it in big wins, big losses, and everything in between. So, until sportsbooks adjust this number more, we’re going to keep riding with Embiid until he shows signs of slowing down.
Pick: Joel Embiid Over 30.5 points (+100 at FanDuel)
Road trippin'
The weird Kyrie Irving basketball tour continues in San Antonio tonight as the Brooklyn Nets visit the Spurs. And say what you want about Irving, you can’t deny he’s still one of the best at what he does on the basketball court.
Irving has looked like his old self during the first two games of the Nets' road trip, putting up 27 points and the Cavaliers and following that up with a 30-point performance against the Wizards.
Irving put up those numbers while shooting 54.3 % from the field, and now he gets a great matchup against a San Antonio team that has struggled to defend opposing guards.
The Spurs rank next-to-last in the NBA when it comes to points allowed per game to opposing guards while ranking 20th in opponent guard shooting percentage.
With a point total of 24.5 for a game and Irving being the second, or even first scoring option with the highest Over/Under on the board today of 232.5, this feels like a great number to back Kyrie at.
Pick: Kyrie Irving Over 24.5 points (-110 at DraftKings)
Looney Tunes
The Golden State Warriors have clearly missed Draymond Green on both ends of the floor since he went down with a calf injury. But it has created an opportunity for Kevon Looney and savvy NBA player prop bettors.
Looney has stepped up on the boards in Green’s absence. The Warriors center averages a modest 7.2 rebounds per game this season, but in the eight games Green has missed, that number has bumped up to 11.1.
Friday, Looney and the Warriors will face a Houston team that has a problem on the boards. The Rockets, who actually enter this matchup with some momentum, winning three of their last four games, rank 23rd in rebounding percentage and 21st in opponent rebounds per game.
Now, books have adjusted a bit, as Looney’s rebounding total was sitting at just 7.5 a couple of games ago, but getting plus money at 9.5 is still too good to pass up considering he has hauled down double-digit boards in five of the eight games without Green. We’re betting Looney keeps cleaning up the glass in this one.
Pick: Kevon Looney Over 9.5 rebounds (+110 at DraftKings)
Did you know that if you played today’s NBA props as a parlay, you could win $68.27 on a $10 bet?
Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
