NBA Player Props Today: Best Bets & Predictions for Thursday (2/20)
What kind of performances can we expect on Thursday from Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, and Miles Bridges? Follow along as our NBA betting expert, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NBA prop bets for today — Thursday, February 20, 2025. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more NBA player props, at ScoresAndOdds.
The NBA returned with a single-game slate on Wednesday, but the league has its first full slate of the second half of the season this evening, with 9 games on tap. Tonight’s action will be highlighted by a TNT doubleheader, beginning with the Celtics against the 76ers at 7:00 p.m. ET, followed by the Suns against the Spurs, which is scheduled for a 9:30 p.m. ET tip-off.
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 Thursday, February 20th!
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NBA Player Props Today – Thursday, February 20, 2025
- Jayson Tatum Over/Under 26.5 Points
- Joel Embiid Over/Under 25.5 Points
- Miles Bridges Over/Under 25.5 Points
Jayson Tatum OVER 26.5 Points (-102, FanDuel)
Tatum has been a road warrior this season, averaging 28.8 points per game, and this is a great matchup for him in his first contest following the All-Star Break. Tatum has scored 35 points and 32 points, respectively, in his 2 games against Philadelphia this year, the latter of which saw Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, and Paul George all on the floor.
The 76ers have continued to struggle to defend forwards of late, ranking 24th in opponent field goal percentage while allowing the 5th-most attempts to the position across their last 8 games. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Tatum have another strong showing in this spot.
Joel Embiid UNDER 25.5 Points (+108, Bally)
Embiid has scored 27+ points in 10 of 13 games this season, in which Tyrese Maxey and Paul George have been available. That being said, this is a good example of a situation in which hit-rate charts don’t tell the full story.
Boston has been a nightmare matchup for opposing centers of late. In February alone, they have held Victor Wembanyama to 17 points and Karl-Anthony Towns to 9 points – two of the most offensively capable players at that position in the entire NBA. Across their last 8 games, the Celtics are holding opposing centers to the 5th-lowest field goal percentage in the league.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Boston defense turn Embiid into more of a facilitator this evening, forcing someone else on the Philadelphia roster to beat them offensively.
Miles Bridges UNDER 25.5 Points (-105, DraftKings)
Bridges scored 29 points last night against the Lakers, but he was extremely efficient from 3-point territory (5-of-11) in addition to shooting his most free throw attempts in a single game since January 3rd. Suffice it to say, yesterday was an outlier performance for Bridges in a few different ways.
Tonight, the Hornets have the unenviable task of facing the Nuggets, in Denver, on the second night of a back-to-back set. Bridges has been considerably less efficient on the road this season, shooting only 41.6% from the field. There is legitimate blowout potential in this matchup as well, which could lead to Bridges playing slightly fewer minutes than we saw last night. The math favors the under here.
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