NBA Player Props Today: Best Bets & Predictions for Friday (3/21)

Harden of the Clippers

What kind of performances can we expect on Friday from “(player-popup #cj-mccollum)CJ McCollum”:/players/cj-mccollum-17121, “(player-popup #justin-edwards)Justin Edwards”:/players/justin-edwards-6448297, and “(player-popup #james-harden)James Harden”:/players/james-harden-1037? Follow along as our NBA betting expert, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NBA prop bets for today — Friday, March 21, 2025. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more NBA player props, at ScoresAndOdds.

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Friday’s NBA slate features 10 games, but bettors should proceed cautiously, with multiple teams around the league seemingly prioritizing their draft lottery odds over playing competitive basketball. “(player-popup #zion-williamson)Zion Williamson”:/players/zion-williamson-1115444, “(player-popup #paul-george)Paul George”:/players/paul-george-1245, “(player-popup #tyrese-maxey)Tyrese Maxey”:/players/tyrese-maxey-2439150, “(player-popup #lauri-markkanen)Lauri Markkanen”:/players/lauri-markkanen-37809, and “(player-popup #de-aaron-fox)DeAaron Fox”:/players/de-aaron-fox-37900 are just a few of the notable names who have already been ruled out for this evening’s action.

As always, be sure to monitor the NBA injury report throughout the day and utilize tools like CourtIQ and our NBA starting lineups page to help identify value opportunities in the betting and DFS markets!

If looking to target the player prop market today, we have three player prop leans worth considering for Friday, March 21st!

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NBA Player Props Today – Friday, March 21, 2025

“(player-popup #cj-mccollum)CJ McCollum”:/players/cj-mccollum-17121 OVER 21.5 Points (-105, BetMGM)

“(player-popup #zion-williamson)Zion Williamson”:/players/zion-williamson-1115444 has been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Timberwolves, leaving McCollum as the team’s primary offensive threat. This season, McCollum has cleared this number in 18 of 28 games with Williamson inactive, including 11 of the last 13 such games. McCollum should end up seeing close to 20 field goal attempts if the Pelicans can keep the game reasonably competitive.

“(player-popup #justin-edwards)Justin Edwards”:/players/justin-edwards-6448297 UNDER 4.5 Rebounds (-154, DraftKings)

Edwards enters play averaging 2.9 rebounds per game in March and has gone under this number in 9 of his last 10 games. During that stretch, he’s had 7 rebound chances or fewer in all but 2 games, indicating that he’s not been actively involved in the team’s efforts on the glass.

The Spurs have been allowing a lot of rebounds since “(player-popup #victor-wembanyama)Victor Wembanyama”:/players/victor-wembanyama-4874559 went down with a season-ending injury, but the books have been more than adjusting for matchup effects with their lines. According to props.cash, 9 of the last 10 small forwards have gone under their market number for rebounds against the Spurs. Each of the last 9 power forwards to have a rebounding prop released against the Spurs have gone under. Edwards could be the latest casualty of that trend this evening.

“(player-popup #james-harden)James Harden”:/players/james-harden-1037 UNDER 22.5 Points (-115, bet365)

The Clippers have been off each of the last two nights, which means there shouldn’t be any surprises on the injury report, especially with them still fighting for a top-6 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture.

This season, Harden has gone under this number in 12 of 17 games in which “(player-popup #kawhi-leonard)Kawhi Leonard”:/players/kawhi-leonard-13310, “(player-popup #norman-powell)Norman Powell”:/players/norman-powell-18908, and “(player-popup #ivica-zubac)Ivica Zubac”:/players/ivica-zubac-35226 have been active, including 8 of 12 home games. Harden would likely need to make double-digit free throws to have a chance to get near 25 points in this matchup. The math favors the under here.

Image Credit: Getty Images

About the Author

nickgalaida
Nick Galaida (nickgalaida)

A failed high school pitcher, Nick Galaida discovered that he has a higher aptitude for analyzing and writing about sports than he does playing them. To his friends, he is better known as “The Commish.” When he’s not organizing a fantasy league, placing a bet, or writing an article, he’s probably nose-deep in a book—further illustrating the point that his niche in this world is as a nerd rather than an athlete. Follow Nick on Twitter – @CommishFilmRoom