Devin Booker is trying to shoot the Suns into playing better basketball, Jalen Duren will continue to be a problem for the Pacers, and Fred VanVleet will try to lead the Rockets to a sixth win a row.
These guys will highlight the action on the hardcourt tonight, and I’ve got NBA player props for all three. Here are my NBA picks for Thursday, January 16.
Best NBA player props today
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Duren dbl dbl (+170 at bet365) -
Booker o3.5 threes (+140 at bet365) -
VanVleet o14.5 pts (-110 at bet365)
Picks made on 1-16 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
NBA player props for January 16
Prop bet #1: Jalen Duren Double Double
The Detroit Pistons are one of the better stories in the NBA as we hit the midway point of the season.
The Pistons enters tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers with a 21-19 record, having won 10 of their last 12 ball games and sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Cade Cunningham is starting to look like the star Detroit thought he could be when he was selected first overall.
But it’s not just Cunningham. This Pistons team has an exciting young core that includes center Jalen Duren.
The 21-year-old is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign where he averaged 13.8 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. But he, kind of like the Pistons as a whole, got off to a slow start, averaging 8.8 points and 9.1 rebounds over his first 25 games, recording just eight double-doubles over that stretch.
However, Duren has upped his game since the middle of December, and is much more reminiscent of the guy he was last season. The Pistons big man is at 10.9 points and 9.9 rebounds over his last 12 games with five double-doubles, and I like him to keep putting in work tonight against the Pacers.
Indiana struggles with opposing bigs, ranking 22nd in rebounding rate, 17th in opponent rebounds per game, and 24th in opponent points in the paint per game. That includes Duren.
In two matchups against the Pacers this season, Duren has put up 13 points and 13 rebounds and then 14 and 12. Give me Duren to record his 14th double-double of the season and his sixth in his last 13 games at solid plus money.
Prop bet #2: Devin Booker Over 3.5 made 3-pointers
It’s fair to say things have not gone as planned for the Phoenix Suns so far this season. Phoenix heads into tonight’s action with a 19-20 straight-up record, which has them in 11th place in the Western Conference standings.
Devin Booker’s solution seems to be to shoot his team out of this mess.
The Suns guard is absolutely cooking right now. Booker has put up 30-plus points in each of the last three games, shooting a ridiculous 48.6% from 3-point range on 11.7 attempts from distance over that stretch. I like him to keep shooting in tonight’s matchup against the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards would love to show the Suns what true misery looks like, entering this game with an NBA-worst six wins. Washington’s biggest problem is stopping opponents from getting buckets. The Wiz rank dead-last in the NBA in defensive rating and they really struggle on the perimeter.
Washington allows the most opponent 3-point attempts per game in the NBA while ranking 20th in opponent 3-point shooting percentage. So, Book is going to have a great opportunity to get some more shots up.
While shooting like this is never sustainable, I’m going to keep backing Booker until he cools off, particularly at plus money in a plus matchup. Give me the Over 3.5 made threes for Book tonight against the Wizards at +140, a number he has eclipsed in three straight games.
Prop bet #3: Fred VanVleet Over 14.5 points
The nightcap of Thursday's NBA schedule features a fun matchup with the Sacramento Kings hosting the Houston Rockets. Both teams enter this game playing well, with the Rockets winners of five in a row while the Kings just had a seven-game winning streak snapped their last time out.
There is plenty of star power in this matchup, but there is one player prop in particular that stands out, and that’s the point total for Fred VanVleet.
The veteran point guard’s play is one of the reasons the Rockets are lifting off right now. Steady Freddy is definitely in a shooting groove at the moment. He is averaging 15.7 points which includes draining 41% of his 7.5 3-point attempts over the last 11 games, and I like him to stay hot in this matchup against the Kings.
Sacramento has improved defensively this season, but they have had trouble containing opposing guards, particularly on the perimeter.
The Kings enter this matchup allowing the seventh-most 3-point attempts to opposing guards while allowing them to shoot the fourth-highest percentage (37.9%) from beyond the arc. As a result, the Kings rank 23rd in points allowed to opposing guards.
VanVleet’s point total is set at a modest 14.5, a number he has gone Over eight times during this 11-game period. Expect him to knock down a handful of triples in this matchup and eclipse this number once again.
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NBA odds today
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