Thursday’s NBA slate features just two games, including an NBA Finals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers.
The latest: Indiana is a hefty home underdog with Tyrese Haliburton, who tore his Achillies in Game 7 of the finals, sidelined. I expect Andrew Nembhard to step up in his absence, with Cason Wallace doing damage for the visitors.
Check out the best NBA prop bets for Oct. 23, featuring a pick on three-time MVP Nikola Jokic when the Golden State Warriors host the Denver Nuggets.
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NBA prop bets
Best bet: Nembhard over 20.5 points and assists (-121)
Oklahoma City is the league’s best defensive team, so this isn’t exactly a good matchup for Nembhard.
But I’m keen to back the Canadian in this spot. Nembhard has improved his game year-over-year and has an opportunity to take a huge leap with Haliburton out.
Nembhard averaged career highs in points (10.0) and assists (5.0) last season. Thats well under this number, but his numbers without Haliburton are much better (43 games played):
- 13.0 PPG
- 6.8 APG
- 12.1 FGA/game
-> Bet on Andrew Nembhard against the defending champs
Nembhard only shot 42.7% from the field in those non-Haliburton contests, so there’s certainly room to grow from an offensive standpoint.
As a passer, I’m hoping he can supplant some of Haliburton’s 9.2 assists per game, which ranked third in the NBA.
Key stat: Nembhard cleared this line in consecutive games to close out the finals against OKC.
Best NBA picks
Wallace over 1.5 threes (+148): This seems like solid value for Wallace, a member of OKC’s bench mob who should get staters’ minutes on Thursday.
- Isiah Joe and Jalen Williams are out. They ranked first and fourth, respectively, in 3-point attempts per game for OKC last season.
- Lu Dort, who ranked second in 3s attempted per game, is listed as questionable with an ankle sprain.
Wallace is a career 38.9% three-point shooter. He went 3-for-8 from deep on opening night while playing a career-high 42 minutes.
That game did go into double overtime, but he was one of the players Mark Daigneault leaned on down the stretch.
Jokic over 11.5 rebounds (-110): The only question with Jokic at this point is how long he will want to play in the NBA. Because if he’s on the court, good luck stopping him.
-> Bet on Nikola Jokic at NorthStar Bets
Jokic has averaged north of 11.5 rebounds in four straight seasons and ranked third in rebounds per game (12.7) last year.
He’s going to play huge minutes on a nightly basis and has a great matchup against the Warriors.
The tallest player in Golden State’s starting lineup is 6-foot-7 power forward Jonathan Kuminga.
Jokic only played this iteration of the Warriors once — that’s to say, with Jimmy Butler — and cleared this line.
NBA prop picks made at 9:30 a.m. ET on 10/23/2025.
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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.