I’ve got prop bets on three of Monday’s four NBA games.
The pregame narrative: Jayson Tatum is having an MVP-calibre season and should take charge on an injured Boston Celtics team tonight. I’m also backing Nix Claxton and fading LeBron James’
Check out the best NBA prop bets on Dec. 2.
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Best bet: Tatum over 3.5 threes (-130)
Tatum has been on a scoring binge this season. Check out his numbers through 20 games (NBA ranks in parenthesis):
- 29.0 PPG (fifth)
- 4.0 threes/game (fifth)
- 10.5 threes attempted/game (fourth)
The five-time All-Star is shooting with frequency and accuracy from deep, boasting a respectable 38.1% 3-point percentage.
Last night, Tatum put up 33 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers while making 4-of-9 threes. He dropped 35 with four triples against the Chicago Bulls the game before that.
Boston is on a back-to-back and will potentially be without Derrick White (foot) and Jaylen Brown (illness), neither of whom played yesterday.
On top of that, it’s expected Boston will rest 38-year-old Al Horford alongside Kristaps Porzingis, who just returned from a lengthy injury stint.
That means Tatum and Jrue Holiday could be the only members of Boston’s starting five in the mix.
The Celtics are still heavily favoured against a mediocre Miami Heat team which allows opponents to shoot a middling 36.1% from deep.
Key stat: Tatum has cleared this mark in 10 of his last 13 games.
Quick picks
Claxton over 22.5 points and rebounds (-120): The Brooklyn Nets are also banged up with Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney out.
Dorian Finney-Smith didn’t play last night and Ben Simmons (shocker) left the game early with a knee contusion.
Someone is going to have to pick up the slack and I think it’s Claxton.
The 6-foot-11 centre is only averaging 8.5 points and 7.6 boards but he’s going to have an outsized opportunity against an awful defensive team.
The Nets take on a Chicago Bulls squad sitting 29th in defensive rating and allowing the third-most points per game to opposing centres, according to Fantasy Pros.
James under 9.5 assists (-129): LeBron hasn’t skipped a beat in season 22 and is currently dishing out the third-most assists per game (9.4).
He’s cleared this mark in three of his last four and is exactly 50% against this line on the season. Paying -129 juice to take the under might seem like a bad bet then, but I disagree.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have done well to keep LeBron in check as a facilitator.
He only had four assists against them earlier this season and has gone under this mark in nine straight games against the T-Wolves dating back to 2021.
In that span, LeBron has only logged more than six assists once.
Picks made at 12:09 p.m. ET on 12/02/2024.
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.