Ahaan Rungta
Show Bio
The holidays are near and the NBA is set for a stacked few days of action, but before we get there, we have a standard six-game slate to handle on Friday. It’s time to get our holiday earnings up with some winning bets. Let’s dive into my favorite NBA player prop bets for Friday, December 22. Make sure you also read our NBA picks for today’s action.
Scottie Barnes (TOR) over 1.5 threes made (-105)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Recommended 1u wager.
The Philadelphia 76ers have been rolling this season and are rightfully huge home favorites against the Toronto Raptors on Friday. However, even in the case of a beatdown, this is a friendly line for Toronto’s franchise cornerstone Scottie Barnes. Philadelphia’s defensive rotations run through the drop coverage of Joel Embiid and his solid rim protection, which often leads to open jumpers for wings and bigs.
On the season, Barnes is averaging 1.7 made threes on 4.6 attempts per 30 minutes in games alongside OG Anunoby and it is no coincidence that this includes a 2-for-7 performance against the 76ers. The youngster has made it an emphasis in his game this season to be aggressive as a scorer and should be in line for high volume again in this matchup. Even if the game gets out of hand late, Barnes projects to go above this line, which we are getting at a generous price.
Kyle Lowry (MIA) over 1.5 threes made (-113)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Recommended 1u wager.
The Miami Heat rarely seem to have their full squad healthy in the regular season and that is the case again on Friday as they will be without Jimmy Butler. They recently welcomed the return of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, and with those two as the top options on Miami, the Atlanta Hawks’ defensive priorities will not be on Kyle Lowry. That makes this a great spot for the veteran to take advantage.
On the season, the Hawks have allowed the 10th-most threes made per game and on Friday, they will be without key defensive weapon Jalen Johnson. Since last year’s regular season, Lowry has averaged 1.8 made threes on 6.2 attempts per 33 minutes in games without Jimmy Butler and in a game with a close spread and high total, Lowry’s minutes and opportunities to score the ball should be high, making this bet a steal at the odds.
Start the weekend right with tonight’s NBA mega parlay at +793 odds
