Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself

It’s a solid night of NBA action with seven games on the board for hungry basketball bettors to dig into. That means there are plenty of options in the player prop market.

Tonight I take a look at a pair of rebounding props for a couple of big men with sizeable edges on the glass.

The Bulls' Nikola Vucevic should be able to bully the Pacers, while Daniel Gafford could have an added role with Rui Hachimura now a member of the Lakers.

Speaking of the Lakers, do they have any hope of slowing down a rejuvenated Kawhi Leonard?

Here are my best NBA player prop bets for Tuesday, January 24.

NBA player props for January 24

• Vucevic Over 12.5 rebs
• Gafford Over 7.5 rebs
• Leonard Over 26.5 pts

Picks made on 1/24/2023 at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Today’s best NBA player props

The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.

Nik at Nite

Tonight, we get a Central Division matchup between the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers. It’s an interesting matchup for several reasons. Both teams are hovering around the bottom of the play-in standings and both could buy or sell at the trade deadline.

So, it’s not shocking to see that oddsmakers have this game as basically a coin flip with the Bulls laying one point on the road. One of the reasons the Bulls are chalk in this matchup is because the Pacers are really bad when it comes to cleaning the glass.

Indiana ranks 24^th in the NBA when it comes to rebounding rate and 27^th in opponent rebounds per game. That means we are in store for a big game on the boards for Bulls center Nikola Vucevic.

Vucevic is obviously a solid rebounder, averaging 11.2 boards per game this season but he has been putting even more work in on the glass of late. The Bulls' big man has upped that average to 13.5 rebounds per game over his last 13 games and he has hauled down 13 or more boards 10 times over that 10-game stretch.

Additionally, Indiana is a sub-par shooting team overall, ranking 19^th in effective field goal percentage. So, there should be plenty of rebounds up for grabs. Getting plus money on the Over 12.5 is the cherry on top.

Nikola Vucevic prop: Over 12.5 rebounds (+105)

Dan's the man

The Washington Wizards made headlines yesterday by trading former first-round pick Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kendrick Nunn and a handful of second-round picks. Life without Hachimura goes on as the Wizards visit the Dallas Mavericks tonight.

With Kristaps Porzingis already sidelined for the Wiz, there's an opportunity on the boards for center Daniel Gafford. Gafford is averaging 4.9 rebounds per game for the season, so seeing a total of 7.5 for this game may be a little jarring, but let’s look past that number.

Gafford became a regular starter for the Wizards in late December and is averaging 6.1 rebounds per game over the last 14 games and his 10.3 rebounds per 36 minutes lead all Washington players.

Then there is the matchup with the Mavs. While Luka Doncic is great and grabs a lot of boards, it seems like he’s the only one on the Mavs doing that. And when your point guard is your best rebounder, you may have a problem.

Dallas ranks dead last in the NBA in rebounding rate and 20th in opponent rebounds per game. Those struggles have been compounded with Christian Wood being sidelined with a thumb injury, making a small Mavs team that much smaller. 

Gafford has logged 23 or more minutes 11 times this season. He has grabbed eight or more rebounds eight times in those games, that includes a Nov. 10 meeting against this same Mavs team where he hauled down 10 boards. 

With Hachimura gone, expect even more time on the floor for Gafford in this one and take the Over on his 7.5 rebounds at even money.

Daniel Gafford prop: Over 7.5 rebounds (+100)

Leonard prints

The NBA is better when Kawhi Leonard is Kawhi Leonard. And luckily for basketball fans everywhere the former two-time Finals MVP is looking like his old self and will be a handful for their in-house rivals when the Clippers take on the Lakers on Tuesday night.

Leonard has reminded us just how good he can be. The Clippers’ forward is putting up a stat line of 29.9 points on 54.1% shooting (including 53.1% from 3-point range), 6.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.9 steals per game over his last seven games. But maybe most importantly of all, he is averaging 36.8 minutes per contest in that span.

Meanwhile, the Lakers' defense doesn’t exactly strike fear into the hearts of its opponents with Anthony Davis sidelined. The team ranks 20th in defensive rating and 15th in opponent field goal percentage and they could be shorthanded for this matchup.

In addition to AD being out, so too are Austin Reaves and Lonnie Walker. While Rui Hachimura needs another game to get acclimatized to his new team. And of course, LeBron James is questionable with an ankle injury.

Leonard has put up 27 or more points in six of his last seven games and in the last four overall. The Lakers don’t have the horses to slow Leonard down when he’s rolling. I’m betting the Over on his point total tonight.

Kawhi Leonard prop: Over 26.5 points (-120)

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