Best NBA prop bets Dec. 2: Back Jayson Tatum from deep, fade LeBron James’ assist total

NBA prop bets

I’ve got prop bets on two 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. With my second pick, I am fading LeBron James.

Check out the best NBA prop bets on Dec. 2.

NBA prop bets

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Best bet: Tatum over 3.5 threes (-134)

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

James under 9.5 assists (-120): 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.

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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.