NBA Player Props Today | Tuesday, Jan. 16
Tonight, there is just a three-game slate but it has the potential to be a great one. In Philadelphia, the defending NBA champion Nuggets will take on the 76ers. That means the two centers who have taken home the last three MVPs will be facing off.
The Kings have taken the first two games from the Suns, but the Suns did not have their Big 3 in the first two meetings. The Suns have won seven of their last 10 games, including the last two games. Tonight, it may be Bradley Beal leading the way.
Beal's former teammate, Russell Westbrook, will be taking on another of his former teams when the Thunder battle on the Clippers. The Thunder lost to the Lakers last night in a game that went down to the wire. As a result, matching Westbrook's energy may be difficult for them.
Injury Report heading into tomorrow's matchup against the 76ers.
Questionable:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – Right Cervicothoracic Strain
Aaron Gordon – Right Heel Strain
Nikola Jokić – Left Hip Strain
Jamal Murray – Bilateral Tibia Inflammation
Michael Porter Jr. – Left Knee… pic.twitter.com/JEbdkL6V1T— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 16, 2024
While the status of several key Nuggets is up in the air for tonight's game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has already said that Joel Embiid is expected to play. That is not a surprise given his matchup tonight. Embiid loves making his campaign for MVP and he will get a chance to further his case tonight against Nikola Jokic.
In seven career games against Jokic, Embiid is averaging 25.7 points per game. He has scored 34 and 47 points in his last two games against him. This battle of MVPs tonight comes with Embiid just returning to the lineup yesterday. He scored 41 points against the Rockets, getting to the free throw line often as usual as he finished 16-for-17 from the stripe.
He has now 15 straight games with 30 points and 10 rebounds and 16 straight games with 30 points. I'm focusing on the points here as this line is below his season average of 34.9 points per game. Embiid has now hit this line in seven of his last 10 games and he is averaging 37.6 points per game in that span.
Additionally, over the last two weeks, the Nuggets have allowed seven of the last eight centers listed to go over their points lines. None of them had a line as high as Embiid tonight, but as I have documented, he has had success against the Nuggets too. If Embiid shows up for this matchup as expected, I also like him to score 40 points again, which you can take at +290 on FanDuel.
Pick: Joel Embiid Over 32.5 Points
Last month, Bradley Beal sprained his ankle against the Knicks in the first quarter and left the game after scoring just six points. He returned two weeks later and scored six points again against the Hornets. Since then, Beal has began to look like more who was a walking bucket in Washington.
Over his past eight games, Beal is averaging 22.3 points per game. He has hit this line in six of his past eight games and he has been incredibly efficient as well. In this span, Beal is shooting 55.4% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc. He has knocked down 12 3s over his past two games.
Beal has taken advantage of the gravity that Kevin Durant and Devin Booker attract, which was the envision for the Suns when they acquired him last summer. The three of them have a great matchup tonight against the Kings, who are 21st in scoring defense and allowing 117.7 points per game.
The Suns may need 120 points themselves to pull out a victory tonight, which means they will need production from to get there. Beal has scored 25 points three times over his last eight games and finished with 23 in Portland on Sunday. You can take him for 25 points at +200 on FanDuel tonight.
Pick: Bradley Beal Over 20.5 Points
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Russell Westbrook has scored 12 points in each of his past two games. Still, he has hit this line in just four of his past 10 games. However, he has been close as he finished with at least eight points in three others. He also is averaging 10.9 points per game this season and has scored 10 in 22-of-39 games (56%) this season.
Against the Thunder, Russell has doubled this line recently. In his past four games against the Thunder, he is averaging 20.3 points per game. He has scored 15 points in all of those games, including the last meeting with James Harden in town. Kawhi Leonard did not play in that game, but Westbrook got 30 minutes off the bench. He also played 29 minutes in Minnesota on Sunday.
Additionally, there is narrative here as Westbrook is facing the Thunder team that he is most synonymous with. The Thunder have a top five defense this season, but they are also sixth in pace. Westbrook has always thrived in transition and he remains one of the fastest players in the league.
Oklahoma City is also on the second end of a back-to-back, in Los Angeles of all cities. While they are a young team, their legs may be a little heavy tonight. That may be all Westbrook needs to score 10 points tonight. Additionally, if his trend against Oklahoma City continues, he may score 15 points again. He is +500 on FanDuel to score 15 points.
