NBA Player Props Today: Best Bets & Picks for Thursday (12/19)

Barrett of the Raptors

What kind of performances can we expect on Thursday from Kyrie Irving, RJ Barrett, and Cade Cunningham? Follow along as our NBA betting expert, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NBA prop bets for today — Thursday, December 19, 2024. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more NBA player props, at ScoresAndOdds.

Following Tuesday’s exciting NBA Cup finale, the league is back to normal regular season business today with a 13-game slate, highlighted by a TNT doubleheader. As always, be sure to keep an eye on NBA injury reports ahead of tip-off, and take advantage of RotoGrinders tools like CourtIQ and the NBA Starting Lineups page to help aid your research process!

If looking to target the player prop market today, we have three player prop leans worth considering for Thursday, December 19th!

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NBA Player Props Today – Thursday, December 19, 2024

Kyrie Irving UNDER 7.5 Assists (-145, DraftKings)

The Clippers certainly lost a considerable amount of star power during this past offseason, but they are still far from a pushover opponent. Entering play, the Clippers rank 5th in the NBA in defensive rating and 21st in pace. Said another way, the Clippers are limiting possessions and making life difficult for their opponents on a near nightly basis. According to CourtIQ, Irving is averaging only 5.9 assists per 36 minutes this season with Luka Doncic (out tonight) off of the floor. In 6 games played with Doncic unavailable, Irving has only topped 6 assists one time. The math favors the under.

RJ Barrett UNDER 39.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-120, bet365)

Scottie Barnes has been upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against the Nets. This season, Barrett has only gone over this market number in 4 of 10 games with Barnes active – excluding the one game that Barnes exited early due to injury. According to CourtIQ, the absence of Jakob Poeltl tonight is a relative non-concern as well. Barrett is averaging only 36.8 points + rebounds + assists per 36 minutes this season with both Immanuel Quickley (also out) and Poeltl off of the court. This play has some inherent risk if locking in prior to confirming the status of Barnes, but if Barnes plays, this number is simply priced too high.

Cade Cunningham OVER 6.5 Rebounds (-104, FanDuel)

Jaden Ivey is officially listed as doubtful, which could open up some additional opportunities on the boards for Cunningham. According to CourtIQ, Cunningham is averaging 7.9 rebounds per 36 minutes this season with Ivey off of the floor. In 2 games with Ivey unavailable, Cunningham has posted 7 rebounds against the Bucks and 11 rebounds against the Heat. The Jazz have done a reasonably good job keeping opposing guards off of the glass in recent weeks, but this is still a low market number given what we have seen from Cunningham in these situations this season.

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