Merry Christmas! Today’s best NBA player props focus on each of the slate’s games:
- Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks: 12 p.m. ET on ESPN
- Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets: 3 p.m. ET on ABC
- Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics: 5:30 p.m. ET on ABC
- Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors: 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN
- Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz: 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
As a reminder, you can dig deeper on these and many other prop bets by using our FantasyLabs NBA Player Props Tool. It leverages our projections against five of the most popular online sportsbooks and grades each prop on a scale of one to 10.
Knicks PF Noah Vonleh
The Pick: Over 8.5 rebounds (-125)
Vonleh is on his fourth team in five years but appears to have found a home with the Knicks. The former lottery pick is in the midst of his best professional season, averaging career-highs in virtually every category across the board.
He’s played at least 31 minutes in four of his past five games and has pulled down at least 10 rebounds in all of them. This game vs. the Bucks should be played at a fast pace, which also bodes well for Vonleh’s rebounding prospects.
This line seems a little low, especially if you believe in betting unders on Christmas. I’d play this up to -150.
Thunder G Dennis Schroder
The Pick: Under 15.5 points (-125)
This line feels a bit high. The Thunder are not an ideal spot for scoring vs. the Houston Rockets, who have played at the third slowest pace this season. Schroder also plays limited minutes off the bench and has scored 11 points or less in four of his past five games.
The Thunders’ implied team total is slightly lower than their regular season average, and it still think it could be a little high. I like the under up to -140.
76ers PG T.J. McConnell
The Pick: Under seven points (-130)
Betting the under on such a small scoring prop is obviously scary, but there are reasons for pessimism with McConnell on today’s slate. For starters, the Celtics are one of the toughest matchups in the league, ranking third in defensive efficiency and 19th in pace.
The 76ers are also could also get Wilson Chandler back for this contest, which would likely mean a few less minutes for McConnell as well. He’s currently projected for just 21.6 minutes in the FantasyLabs NBA Models, and McConnell has averaged 6.2 points in 25.6 minutes per game over his past five contests.
I like betting unders against the Celtics, but we don’t have a ton of wiggle room here. I wouldn’t play it at higher than -130.
Lakers PG Lonzo Ball
The Pick: Under nine points (-115)
Lonzo had a nice little stretch recently, but the return of Rajon Rondo should put a major dent in his outlook. He’s played just 26.1 and 27.3 minutes over his past two games, and it’s hard to score the basketball when you’re not on the court. He’s far from a gifted scorer to begin with, so I like his chances of going under in reduced playing time.
This is another small line, but I think this prop offers a little more value than the McConnell one. I’d play the under up to -135.
