We have four NBA player props for Tuesday's pair of Emirates Cup quarterfinal matchups, and our staff of basketball betting experts is focused on some key players who could be in line for noteworthy performances in tonight's critical games.
Read below for our NBA player prop picks for Tuesday, December 10.
NBA Cup Player Props: Tuesday, Dec. 10
- Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 29.5 Points (-125, DraftKings)
- Brook Lopez Under 9.5 Points (-113, Caesars)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 30.5 Points (-105, DraftKings)
- Jalen Williams Over 31.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-120, bet365)
Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 29.5 Points (-125)
Magic vs Bucks, 7 p.m. ET
By Joe Dellera
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been playing at an MVP-caliber level all season. He is averaging 32.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists and even though this is a tough matchup on paper, Giannis always seems to get into the teeth of Orlando's defense.
In the last two seasons, he has dominated against Orlando with 37, 35, 31, and 34 points in those games.
While this is not a true playoff game, it’s definitely a step up from the regular season.
I’d expect Giannis to be giving his max effort today. I will grab Giannis to score 30+ Points, a number he's exceeded in 67% of games this season.
Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 29.5 Points
Brook Lopez Under 9.5 Points (-113)
Magic vs Bucks, 7 p.m. ET
Brook Lopez' usage has fallen in each of the past three seasons. It's dropped to a career-low 14.3% this season. Lopez had the benefit of playing most of the year without Khris Middleton, but now the Bucks have all three of their high-usage players available. Lopez saw a 0.9% usage rate decrease when all of Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Damian Lillard played last season.
Lopez' career revival centered around 3-point shooting. He's leaned into that aspect of his game even more this season. Lopez is taking 57.3% of his shots from beyond the arc, which is the 2nd-highest mark of his career. He's scoring nearly half of his points (48.8%) from 3-pointers. Lopez is taking a career-low 1.5 free throws per game.
Orlando is one of the more difficult matchups for 3-point shooters in the league. They have allowed just 32.2 3-point attempts per game, which is more than two attempts lower than the next-closest team (Houston). They're tied with Houston in allowing the 2nd-fewest made 3-pointers per game, just 0.1 behind 1st place (Minnesota).
Orlando also excels at minimizing assists. They've allowed the 2nd-fewest assists per game and the 7th-lowest assisted field goal rate. For the 2nd straight season, 100% of Lopez' 3-pointers have been assisted. Overall, 87.5% of his buckets have been assisted, which is the highest rate of his career.
Pick: Brook Lopez Under 9.5 Points
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 30.5 Points (-105)
Mavericks vs Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been playing great basketball lately, hitting the over at this number in 7 of his last 10 games.
The big thing for him has been minutes, with him hitting the over at this number in all but one game during that span when he played 34+ minutes.
Two of the three games in which he failed to score 31 points were massive blowouts where he got zero minutes in the 4th quarter.
This is the NBA Cup quarterfinals, so SGA should get all the minutes and usage he can handle tonight. And with a 4.5-point spread, it should be a close game.
Pick: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 30.5 Points
Jalen Williams Over 31.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-120)
Mavericks vs Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET
Jalen Williams has been absolutely incredible this season, taking a huge leap, and he's been even better with Chet Holmgren out of the lineup.
Williams has owned a high 28.1% usage rate over the last 10 games and is averaging a stat line of 24.1/5.6/5.1 during that span.
Similarly to SGA, Williams should play all the minutes he can handle tonight, with this being the NBA Cup Quarterfinals and the game having a 4.5-point spread.
I have Williams projected for 3 PRA higher than this number and would bet this prop all the way up to 32.5.
Pick: Jalen Williams Over 31.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists
