Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: Taking Stock in Towns

We're almost two weeks into the NBA's 2021-22 regular season, inching towards that abstract checkpoint where early-season trends start to grow teeth. 

For now, there's still a lot of variance to reckon with, but we're here to help you navigate the uncertainty with our best NBA prop picks for Saturday, October 30. 

Read on to help avoid spooky surprises and ensure your weekend bets are more treat than trick. 

NBA player props for October 30

• Anthony Over 16.5 points (+100)
• Gobert Over 27.5 pts+rebs (-115)
• Towns Over 1.5 steals+blocks (-135)

Picks made on 10/30/2021 at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.    

Cole Hard Cash

In one of the season's more surprising early developments, Cole Anthony is suddenly scoring a lot.

Instead of starting rookie Jalen Suggs at the point, the Magic have decided to let last year's first-round pick feel himself out a bit, and the early results haven't been awful. 

Anthony's averaging 18.2 ppg so far, and while his .432 shooting percentage isn't a stellar mark, he'll have ample opportunity to continue hoisting on a Magic squad bereft of consistent scoring. 

His points total for tonight sits at 16.5, an easy Over bet, especially at even money. Anthony's topped this number in three of his past four games, averaging 25.6 ppg in those contests. The lone Under was against Miami, who starts savvy fire hydrant Kyle Lowry at PG and currently allows the NBA's fewest points per game. 

Playing against an inexperienced Detroit squad that runs at a neutral pace, count on Anthony to keep gunning enough to hit this Over. 

Pick: Cole Anthony Over 16.5 points (+100 at FanDuel)

How rude

Rudy Gobert isn't getting enough respect from the books based on his early-season run. 

Gobert's cranked out double-doubles like Drake's cranked out charting singles for years now, and this season, he's gotten off to his best start ever, averaging 18 ppg and 17.8 RPG, both noticeable career highs. 

Now, obviously, this comes over a minuscule four-game sample, and Gobert's rebound numbers are sure to start to lag off, but tonight is not a likely time for that to happen. 

Utah – the NBA's only remaining undefeated team – visits Chicago, another hot-starting squad that hasn't exactly faced the toughest schedule so far. 

The Jazz will look to assert themselves, and Gobert will likely play a huge role, as the Bulls are ranked 24th in opponent points in the paint, and own the league's second-worst rebounding rate, making this a dream matchup for Gobert on paper. 

Averaging almost 36 combined pts+rebs and facing a 27.5 total without much juice, the Over is a must-bet.

Pick: Rudy Gobert Over 27.5 pts+rebs (-115 at BetMGM)

Talk of the Towns

Maybe it's something in the water. Maybe it's Patrick Beverley osmosis. But there's a shift afoot in Minnesota, where the T-Wolves suddenly give a shit about defense. 

The Wolves have the NBA's... *checks notes*... *checks notes again*... fourth-ranked defense, after ranking 28th in the same metric last season. Even given early-season variance, that huge of a leap is notable, especially given Minny's personnel and recent culture. 

The Wolves are forcing turnovers on 19.6 percent of opponent possessions, currently leading the league. Chief among the disruption is – gasp! – Karl-Anthony Towns, who is posting ridiculous defensive stats: 1.3 steals and 2.5 blocks per game. 

The Wolves still play at a Top-10 pace, so lots of reps are likely tonight for Towns, who will be routinely targeted on defense by the Denver Nuggets, matching up with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. 

Tonight's game will likely be a valid test of the Wolves' voracity on D, but either way, with Towns averaging a combined 3.8 in this market thus far, and plenty of opportunity, we like him to rack up at least two "stocks".

Pick: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 1.5 steals+blocks (-135 at William Hill)

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