The NBA contributes 10 games to a jam-packed Saturday night in sports.
The pregame narrative: Nikola Vucevic headlines today’s prop bets and I have additional recommendations on Franz Wagner and Anthony Davis.
Check out the best NBA prop bets for Oct. 26.
NBA prop bets
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Best Bet: Vucevic over 10.5 rebounds (-130)
A few days ago I backed Nikola Jokic to go over 12.5 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He fell just shy with 12 in a losing effort but I’ll go back to the well tonight … except with Vucevic. The logic for this pick is the same: The Thunder have a big rebounding problem.
Last year, OKC ranked inside the top four for offensive rating, defensive rating, and effective field goal percentage but was 28th in rebounding rate.
Sam Presti acquired Isiah Hartenstein in free agency to address that issue but he’s out for the foreseeable future with a hand injury.
That means Chet Holmgren will be Vucevic’s dance partner which should be a recipe for success (on the glass, at least). The 7-foot-1, 208-pound Holmgren has a unicorn skillset but is far from an imposing rebounder.
Vucevic has nearly 60 pounds on Holmgren and has recorded 11 and 10 rebounds in his two starts this year. He also cleared this mark in six of his last eight games to close out the 2023-24 season (play-in included).
Key stat: Last season, OKC allowed the fifth-most rebounds per game to centres (15.47), according to Fantasy Pros.
Quick picks
Wagner over 1.5 threes (-110): Wagner is coming off a solid season which ended on a bad note.
The German forward shot 1-for-15 from the field in Game 7 of the opening round and went 0-for-5 from deep. It exacerbated his 3-point struggles throughout the year and gave him something to focus on during the offseason.
We’re only two games into the season, but so far, so good.
Wagner has gone 3-for-6 from beyond the arc in both games and the Magic are 2-0.
Tonight he gets to play a Memphis Grizzlies team which had the fourth-highest opponent 3-point percentage last season.
Davis under 25.5 points (-115): Fading Davis after his red-hot start is a bold move but I’m here for it.
The Brow dropped 36 and 35 points through his first two games while making 13 free throws in each contest. Getting to the line is a skill but AD only averaged 6.8 free throw attempts per game last year so I’m banking on some regression.
However, this is more about Davis’ opponent than his success at the charity stripe.
He’s going up against the Sacramento Kings and that’s proven to be a tough matchup. Davis is 1-4 against this line since he joined the Lakers and Domantas Sabonis joined the Kings, averaging 19.8 points in those contests.
Sacramento allowed the 13th-fewest paint points per game last season.
Picks made at 12:23 p.m. on 10/26/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.