A four-game Monday slate feels like a brief lull after a packed weekend and waves of NBA Cup action, but some highlights from Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum could flip that script in a hurry.
Tonight’s contests provide tasty NBA player props and storylines to match, from a strong Team USA vibe in the Timberwolves-Lakers clash to Dejounte Murray’s first showdown with the Hawks since being traded in the summer.
Best NBA player props today
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Johnson Over 28.5 points + rebounds (-115 at bet365) -
Schroder Over 22.5 points (-115 at bet365) -
James Under 22.5 points (-105 at bet365)
Picks made on 12-2 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
NBA player props for December 2
Prop bet #1: Jalen Johnson Over 28.5 points + rebounds
The Murray storyline is going to get a chunk of the airtime as he returns to State Farm Arena with the New Orleans Pelicans, but don’t expect any regrets from the Atlanta Hawks, who’ve been able to free up more touches for Jalen Johnson to soar into a bigger role this year.
Sure, it’s been a typical Atlanta season, with the hosts bobbing around the .500 mark as an annual tradition, but the arrow is pointing up for Johnson in a big way. He’s a nightly threat for 20 points and 10 rebounds — his season averages — and the Over on his points + rebounds combo prop has become one of my favorite NBA picks.
Johnson had a quieter outing on the boards against the Hornets on Saturday, but prior to that, he had gone past this 28.5 O/U number in eight straight games.
Sharing the offensive load with Trae Young and seeing 36.5 minutes of action per night, he’s scored 20+ points in each of his last five contests. Against a reeling Pelicans team that’s dropped eight in a row, I see Johnson putting together a monster stat line again tonight.
Prop bet #2: Dennis Schroder Over 22.5 points
With Cam Thomas sidelined by a hamstring injury, it’s all change for the Brooklyn Nets as they try to pivot their offense on the fly. There are 17 extra shots per game up for grabs — and, so far, Dennis Schroder has needed no persuasion to snatch them.
Schroder had been cruising through a largely pedestrian November as a scorer, posting 16 points or fewer in eight out of his first 11 games last month before taking off last week with 31 points against the Warriors and 29 points against the Suns.
He fell just short of this 22.5 line yesterday in a loss to the Magic, but he still fired up 19 shots while logging 37 minutes. Volume shouldn’t be an issue for this Over, especially in Brooklyn lineups with reluctant shooters like Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons.
Of course, it helps that the Nets are walking into a friendly matchup with a Chicago Bulls team that’s allowing a league-worst 124.2 points per game, and that should pave the way for Schroder to get to his spots.
Prop bet #3: LeBron James Under 22.5 points
The Los Angeles Lakers ended November on a 1-4 skid. They needed to dig deep to escape with a victory in Utah yesterday, so it’s hardly ideal to be facing a motivated Minnesota Timberwolves team on the second night of a back-to-back set.
This just adds to the mileage for LeBron James, in particular, and I’m fading his points prop tonight for a battle against Minnesota’s long-armed perimeter defense, led by Edwards and Jaden McDaniels.
I’m also factoring in LeBron’s struggles from downtown. He missed all nine of his 3-pointers against the Jazz and he’s 0-for-15 from beyond the arc across his last three outings.
With Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid lurking in the paint, I don’t expect a lot of easy buckets for James, and he could spend more time in set-up mode, feeding Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves.
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NBA odds today
Here are the full NBA odds for all of today’s matchups.
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