NBA Player Props for Friday, 12/19: Best Bets & Predictions Today
What kind of performances can we expect from V.J. Edgecombe, Jared McCain, and Rudy Gobert? Follow along as our NBA betting analyst, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NBA prop bets for Friday, December 19th. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more NBA plays, by subscribing to the RotoGrinders Props & Pick’em package.
Friday’s NBA slate features 5 games, headlined by a Prime Video doubleheader beginning with the 76ers against the Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by the Thunder against the Timberwolves.
It’s a day of the week ending in “Y,” so it’s no surprise to see a number of notable names on the NBA injury report ahead of tip-off. Trae Young, Joel Embiid, and Tyler Herro are among the biggest stars who have been ruled out. Donovan Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins are listed as questionable as of this writing.
As usual, keep an eye on the status of key players as we get closer to game time, and be sure to use tools like CourtIQ and our NBA starting lineups page to search for inefficiencies in the player prop and DFS markets.
Below, you can find 3 of my favorite picks for Friday, December 19th!
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Best NBA Player Props for Friday, December 19th
Here are my top player prop bets for today, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 PM ET on Friday, December 19th:
- V.J. Edgecombe Over/Under 22.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
- Jared McCain Over/Under 7.5 Points
- Rudy Gobert Over/Under 9.5 Points
V.J. Edgecombe OVER 22.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-120, BetMGM)
BETMGMEdgecombe has quietly been blossoming for the 76ers during December. In his last 3 games, he’s played 38, 39, and 39 minutes – filling up every part of the stat sheet in those efforts. Edgecombe hasn’t had fewer than 4 rebounds in a game this month. He’s posted 5+ assists in 3 of his last 6 contests.
Edgecombe, this past summer’s No. 3 overall selection, is clearly an organizational priority for Philadelphia. Expect them to continue to nourish his mini-breakout as long as he continues to play well.
Jared McCain UNDER 7.5 Points (-102, DraftKings)
DRAFTKINGSMcCain has gone over this number in 6 consecutive games in which Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre Jr. have been out of the lineup, but he will have a particularly difficult matchup tonight against a New York team that ranks 7th in defensive rating across their last 8 contests.
New York has been particularly good of late defending above-the-break 3-point attempts, holding teams to the 3rd-lowest success rate on such shots. McCain has been attempting the majority of his shots from long range in December, which could make it difficult for him to generate offense this evening.
It’s also no guarantee that McCain will see his usual 25 minutes given how poorly he’s played in a reduced role across his last 3 games. The market might be giving out a discount on his points prop here for a reason.
Rudy Gobert OVER 9.5 Points (+100, BetMGM)
BETMGMThis season, Gobert is averaging 11.6 points per game. In December, Gobert is averaging 15.3 points despite playing 24 minutes or fewer in 3 of the 7 games in which he was active.
Gobert is averaging 6.4 field goal attempts this year, 5.3 of which are coming in the restricted area. Oklahoma City defends this area of the floor well, which is the reason we are getting a deflated price on Gobert this evening. Still, this feels like too much of a market overcorrection for a player who has scored 10+ points in 16 of 27 games to begin the new campaign.
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