Two nights before Christmas, the NBA is stocked with a 14-game slate.
Tonight’s NBA props narrative: On Tuesday, Trae Young should have a field day against the Chicago Bulls in a matchup between two teams ranked in the top five in pace. Later on, Devin Vassell has plus-money value from 3-point land against the defending champs.
Check out my top NBA prop picks for Dec. 23, featuring a prediction on Austin Reaves.
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NBA prop picks Dec. 23
Best bet: Reaves over 28.5 points (-106)
Reaves has missed the Los Angeles Lakers’ past three games with a calf strain, and he’s questionable to play tonight. Obviously, that’s a situation to monitor.
But if Reaves does return tonight, he’s well worth a play at this number because his backcourt mate, Luka Doncic, is sidelined with an injury of his own.
So far, Reaves has played five games without Doncic this season. And his scoring numbers are off the charts:
- 40.0 PPG
- 52.3 FG%
- 41.7 3PT%
- 28+ points in 5 of 5
On the season, Reaves’ 27.8 PPG scoring average ranks 11th in the NBA. Doncic (34.1 PPG) is the league’s top scorer).
Only one other team has multiple players averaging 25-plus points each, but no one has a tandem that’s putting up more than 60 combined.
-> See full props for Lakers vs. Suns!
The point is, Reaves and Doncic score in bunches together … and Reaves should be even more emboldened to get buckets without the NBA’s top scorer.
On Tuesday, Reaves will face the Phoenix Suns for the second time this month. He had a quiet showing in their Dec. 1 matchup (16 points on 6-of-12 shooting), but that was a Doncic takeover game (38 points on 15-of-26 shooting).
Hopefully, Reaves is the one taking over tonight.
Key stat: Reaves is 4-1 vs. this points prop without Doncic this season, landing on exactly 28 points in the outlier.
Best NBA picks
Vassell over 2.5 threes (+125): Vassell is in a groove from beyond the arc, cashing this bet in nine of his past 14 games while shooting 44.9% from deep. This is an excellent time to buy in.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has the No. 1 defence in the NBA, so tonight’s matchup might not seem like a good one for Vassell. But OKC’s 3-point defence isn’t as daunting.
The Thunder allow the ninth-most 3s on the seventh-most attempts per game. Vassell went 4-for-9 from deep against OKC just 10 days ago.
-> Full betting markets for Tuesday’s NBA slate
Victor Wembanyama has been coming off the bench for the Spurs since returning from injury, and his 3-point volume has taken a hit during that time. He has only attempted 11 threes in four games as a reserve.
The runway is clear for Vassell to put up a bunch of 3s and cash a few of them.
NBA player prop predictions
Young over 33.5 points/rebounds/assists (-120): Tonight’s projected total for the Bulls vs. Hawks matchup is a league-high 252 points.
This should be a track meet, with Young running wild.
The Bulls and Hawks just played two nights ago in Atlanta, and the visitors came away with a 152-150 win. In only 26 minutes, Young had 35 points, nine assists and a rebound.
Back in October, Young also cashed this bet in a 128-123 loss to Chicago (21 points, 17 assists, three rebounds).
-> Bet on Trae Young in a fast-paced Bulls vs. Hawks matchup!
In five matchups against Chicago since the start of last season, Young is averaging 40.0 PRA. This is a smash play as far as I’m concerned.
NBA prop picks made at 9:30 a.m. ET on Dec. 23, 2025.
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Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.