With Thursday Night Football on schedule tonight, there are just a couple of NBA matchups on deck. In terms of NBA player props, the main game bettors are going to want to attack is between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Pelicans. Below, check out some of the best props and bets to make over on PrizePicks, along with some analysis for each pick.
NBA Player Props for Dec. 22 PrizePicks
Jonas Valanciunas over 27.5 Points + Rebounds
It’s been a strange season for Jonas Valanciunas, as his minutes and role for the Pelicans have consistently fluctuated. However, he has seen an uptick in minutes over his last two games, averaging 29.6 minutes per game. He even recorded a 37 minute outing his last time out. Compare those minutes to the 18.5 minutes per game he averaged in the prior two games and the Valanciunas props start to really stand out. Last game when he got those extended minutes, he recorded 55 points/rebounds and had a great night overall.
Larry Nance Jr. missed that game which certainly boosted Valanciunas’s opportunity, and Nance is questionable to play tonight while star power forward Zion Williamson has already been ruled out. When Nance hasn’t played this season (three games) Valanciunas has averaged 35.7 points/rebounds per game on 29 minutes per game — six more minutes per game than his 23 MPG average with Nance in the lineup. In a matchup against a Spurs team that allows over 40 points/rebounds per game to opposing centers, look for Valanciunas to play a major role in this one.
Jakob Poeltl over 1.5 Turnovers
Jakob Poeltl returned from injury a couple of games ago and has been solid in terms of not turning the ball over as he’s had just one turnover in each game. Because of those first couple of games back, his line is sitting at over/under 1.5 turnovers which is a good spot to attack this prop. Poeltl is averaging 2.2 turnovers per game on the season, and in the ten games before his injury he averaged 2.6 turnovers per game. He recorded 2 or more turnovers in eight of those ten outings. In October, Poeltl played in seven games and had 2 or more turnovers in six times.
The Spurs will likely be without Keldon Johnson tonight and in three games without him this year, Poeltl’s turnover per game average has jumped from 2.2 per game to 2.7 per game. The San Antonio center had 5 turnovers in a game against New Orleans just last month, which makes sense considering the Pelicans force the 5th-most turnovers per game in the NBA this season.
