Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: Simons Continues Stuffing Stat Sheet Against Cavs

We've got nine games on the NBA betting board this Friday, which means plenty of player props to wager on as we head into the weekend. 

Tonight we're looking to fade one of the league's best players on a lofty number, expecting a bounce-back performance from Minnesota's D'Angelo Russell, and riding a young player with a hot hand in Portland.

Here are our best free NBA player prop picks for Friday, January 7.

NBA player props for January 7     

• Durant Under 2.5 made 3-pointers (-135)
• Russell Over 5.5 assists (-110)
• Simons Over 25.5 points and assists (-105)

Picks made on 1/7/2022 at 11 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Today’s best NBA player props   

The reaper, up close

The biggest game of the night is an Eastern Conference clash between the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks and the current title favorites the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets will be led by the league's leading scorer in Kevin Durant and while the future Hall of Famer is averaging 30 points per game, he has been doing most of his work closer to the basket.

Durant can still snipe from the perimeter when he wants to but he isn't overly reliant on his outside shot, averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers per game on 5.1 attempts from deep while taking 15.9 field goal attempts per game from inside the arc.

The Over/Under on Durant's 3-pointers made tonight is set at 2.5, a number he has eclipsed in just three of his last 18 games. The Under is juiced anywhere from -135 to -155 but considering that he has gone above that number on just 22.6 percent of his games this season, that's great value. 

Pick: Kevin Durant Under 2.5 made 3-pointers (-135 at Caesars)

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We've got a rematch in Oklahoma City where the Timberwolves face off against the Thunder just two days after hosting them in Minny. The T-Wolves took Wednesday's contest by a score of 98-90 as they welcomed back guard D'Angelo Russell and center Karl Anthony-Towns following extensive COVID-19 absences. 

Russell looked rusty in his return to Minnesota's lineup, scoring just six points on 3-of-12 shooting while adding three assists in 30 minutes. However, Russell was struggling with his shot even before his trip to the health and safety protocols list, shooting just 33.8 percent from the field in December. 

He was doing a much better job as a facilitator, totaling 26 assists in his last two games before entering the protocols and averaging 8.6 assists per game in his previous 10 contests. With D'Lo's assists total for tonight set at 5.5, a number he had surpassed in 10 of his previous 13 games before the new year, take the Over. 

Pick: D'Angelo Russell Over 5.5 assists (-110 at Caesars)

Simons says step up

The Cleveland Cavaliers might finally be getting some love from oddsmakers as they head to Portland as 5.5-point favorites. Part of the reason for that line, however, is that the Blazers are missing All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard, along with his dynamic sidekick C.J. McCollum. That backcourt duo combines for 44.6 ppg and nearly 38 field goal attempts per game and in their absence, someone else has needed to step up. 

That someone has been Anfernee Simons, who erupted for 43 points on 13-of-21 shooting against the Hawks on January 3 and followed up on that with a 28-point performance versus Miami on Wednesday. The 22-year-old has also been Portland's best passer in those games, dropping seven dimes in each of those contests and turning the ball over a total of just three times.

Cleveland has played well this season but is starting to look thin in the backcourt after Ricky Rubio joined Collin Sexton with a season-ending injury. The Cavs went with a big lineup in their most recent game, playing seven-footers Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley for a combined 72 minutes, while usual power forwards Lauri Markannen and Kevin Love logged 65.

That size advantage will help Cleveland in certain areas of the floor but it will also create mismatches on the perimeter for guys like Simons. Take the Over on Simons' points and assists total.  

Pick: Anfernee Simons Over 25.5 points and assists (-105 at DraftKings)

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