The NBA is back in full force and I have three prop bets to share.
The pregame narrative: Jayson Tatum has been on a roll for the Boston Celtics and I predict an efficient night from 3-point range. Elsewhere, I have picks on Goga Bitadze and Victor Wembanyama.
Check out the best NBA prop bets for Dec. 27.
NBA prop bets
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Best bet: Tatum over 3.5 threes (-105)
I was swaying between Tatum’s points prop and his threes total before I noticed something interesting.
Every time the Celtics’ superstar has gone over 28.5 points (his current prop) since Nov. 6 (11 times), he’s also had 4 or more threes.
Tatum is playing out of his mind and making a case for MVP. He’s averaging 29.0 points per game and makes 4.0 three-pointers on 10.6 attempts.
The forward cleared this total in the past three games, scoring 30-plus in every contest including a 43-point explosion against the Chicago Bulls.
Indiana offers up similarly bad defence, giving up second-most points to opposing power forwards per game (25.4), per Fantasy Pros.
Key stat: Tatum has scored 30-plus points in nine straight games against the Pacers.
Quick picks
Bitadze under 9.5 rebounds (-114): Bitadze has been a brute for the Orlando Magic during his tenure as starting centre this season.
But he has a tough matchup tonight against one of the NBA’s premium rebounders.
Karl-Anthony Towns leads the association in rebounds per game (13.7) and the New York Knicks allow the second-fewest boards to the position (13.1).
The first time these teams met, Bitadze had 11 rebounds compared to KAT’s 22 but I expect both players to see regression on Friday.
Orlando played yesterday and lost 89-88 to the Miami Heat. A back-to-back means a blowout could be in the works here, which would be great for this under.
Wembanyama over 24.5 points (-112): The second-year phenom is starting to light up the NBA and it’s a scary scene.
- Wembanyama scored 42 points on Christmas Day and has cleared this total in six of his last seven.
- Over that span, he is averaging 33.9 minutes and 28.5 points on 20.4 shot attempts.
Those are the stats of an elite scorer yet Wembanyana is still getting modest lines, why?
Well, the Brooklyn Nets beat the Milwaukee Bucks last night meaning the San Antonio Spurs are 6.5-point favourites.
However, in Thursday’s game, Brook Lopez scored 20 points against the Nets and he averages 11.9 points per game.
To put it simply — Wembanyama could smash this total — even in limited minutes.
Picks made at 8:54 a.m. ET on 12/27/2024.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.