Ahaan Rungta
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We have a loaded 11-game NBA slate on our hands tonight with plenty of injury news in fluid motion, but it is our job to sift through uncertain situations and find betting value in the player prop market. We have gotten a head start on that work. These are my favorite NBA player prop bets for Monday, December 17, and make sure you also check out our NBA picks for tonight’s games.
Nikola Vucevic (CHI) over 1.5 threes made (+135)
Line available at BetMGM at time of publishing. Recommended 1u wager.
The Chicago Bulls’ starting center has always been one of the best shooting centers in the NBA; this season, without Zach LaVine in the lineup, he is averaging 1.55 makes on 7.03 attempts per 33 minutes from deep. Now, he gets a great matchup against the drop coverage of Joel Embiid. Starting centers with a consistent jumper have had their way in the volume department against the 76ers from deep — Al Horford went 2-4 and 4-8, Chet Holmgren went 5-11, Myles Turner went 1-4 (in just 19 minutes) and 4-9, Kristaps Porzingis went 2-6, Jusuf Nurkić went 1-6 and Brook Lopez went 3-4. Foul trouble for Vucevic keeping him off the floor would be the most likely route of keeping him away from chucking shots but at this price, we will pay to find out.
Read our Chicago Bulls vs Philadelphia 76ers predictions
Cade Cunningham (DET) 8+ assists (-105)
Line available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing. Recommended 1u wager.
The Detroit Pistons have gotten off to one of the worst starts in American professional sports history. They are 11-point underdogs today again but this time in a high Vegas total, unsurprising given that their opponents, the Atlanta Hawks, rank #4 in the NBA in pace and already have allowed the 2nd-most assists per game this season. This, coupled with the fact that Atlanta has listed Jalen Johnson as out and De’Andre Hunter as questionable, should hurt defense in this game and increase scoring opportunities for Detroit.
The former #1 overall pick Cunningham has failed to clear this line in 5 straight games but we’re interested in a bigger sample of data to guide us. He has averaged 7.2 assists per 35 minutes this season overall and 6.8 assists per 35 minutes playing alongside Bojan Bogdanovic. The Pistons are extremely short-handed today, most notably missing their top two big men, so the minutes and usage for Cunningham should be the proof and in this spot, my fair projection for his assists is 8.5; that makes this prop a solid buy at -105 odds.
Julius Randle (NYK) over 1.5 threes made (-110)
Line available at BetMGM at time of publishing. Recommended 1u wager.
The Los Angeles Lakers have listed multiple premium defenders as questionable for tonight’s contest. If Anthony Davis and/or Jarred Vanderbilt were unavailable, it would soften up the Lakers’ perimeter defense further; however, Julius Randle should get plenty of opportunities either way. This season, the Lakers have already allowed the 3rd-most above-the-break three-pointers and the former Laker has a history of firing from three against his former team. This season, Randle is averaging 1.68 makes on 5.03 attempts per 35 minutes from deep when Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett are both active, and in his Knicks career, he has splashed at least 2 threes in 4 of 6 games getting 32+ minutes against Anthony Davis, attempting at least 4 in each game. This pick ‘em price is great value.
Find out our LA Clippers vs Indiana Pacers best bet
