The NBA has a 9-game slate for us on Thursday that includes international action. The Orlando Magic are taking on the Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin in the day’s early tipoff at 2:00 pm ET. That will be followed by both the Eastern and Western Conference leaders in action, so expect a night of high-level basketball.
You can find all of our NBA picks for each of tonight’s 9 matchups, but for now let’s break down my best NBA player prop bets for Thursday, January 15.
Best NBA player prop bet: Luka Doncic (LAL) Over 33.5 points (-104)
Luka Doncic has been putting the Lakers on his back in January, averaging 33 points per game this month while hitting the over on this line in 4 of 7 games. Against a team like the Charlotte Hornets, who lack a lock-down defender at point, he should thrive. In their last game the Hornets allowed James Harden to easily exceed his season average and drop 32 points. Doncic is more than capable of exceeding that, and I do not think LaMelo Ball has the capabilities to stop him.
Doncic has been doing his scoring despite modest shooting from beyond the arc, making 33% of his 3-point attempts in 2026. Over the last 10 games the Hornets have been middle of the pack defending the perimeter, so do not be surprised to see an uptick in production from him in that category. Doncic already had a 38-point performance against the Hornets this season and should build on that playing at home tonight.
Find out our 5-star Hornets vs Lakers best bet
NBA player prop pick: Cade Cunningham (DET) Over 9.5 assists (-102)
Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham has been a steady source of assists this season. He has hit double-digit dimes in 7 of his last 11 games, coming just 1 shy on 3 other occasions. While tonight’s opponents are the Phoenix Suns, who have given up the fewest assists per game over the last 10, do not be discouraged. During that stretch of games, Cunningham managed a 14-assist game against a Sacramento Kings team that ranked sixth in that category too. In tight games he consistently sees between 37 and 40 minutes of playing time and — with the ball always in his hands — expect him to continue racking up assists.
The Suns have a great deterrent at the rim in Mark Williams, which will encourage Cunningham to kick the ball out when he gets to the paint. That should help lead to another double-digit assist performance.
Read our full Suns vs Pistons prediction
NBA player prop bet: Jalen Johnson (ATL) over 1.5 steals (+148)
Over the last 10 games, no team has given up more steals to opponents than the Portland Trail Blazers. That should make the steals market on Hawks players lucrative — and the one person I have picked out in particular is Jalen Johnson. This season he is already averaging 1.3 steals per game, so — against a favorable opponent — it’s not hard to expect an uptick from him in that category.
The Trail Blazers run a lot of their offense through Deni Advija, but with the forward likely remaining out due to injury, others will have to step up. Naturally, that could lead to more errors as players are forced into roles in which they are not comfortable. That was evident in their last game without the Israeli star, as the team had 22 turnovers against the Golden State Warriors. I fancy Johnson to convert a few of these into steals if we see similar struggles from the Blazers tonight.
Read our full Hawks vs Trail Blazers prediction
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