NBA Player Props Today: Best Bets & Predictions for Thursday (1/2)
What kind of performances can we expect on Thursday from Kristaps Porzingis, Naz Reid, and Joel Embiid? Follow along as our NBA betting expert, Nick Galaida, breaks down three of his favorite NBA prop bets for today — Thursday, January 2, 2025. Get all of Nick’s picks, including more NBA player props, at ScoresAndOdds.
Thursday’s 6-game NBA slate will begin at 7:30 PM ET. The night’s action will be highlighted by a TNT doubleheader, beginning with the Celtics against the Timberwolves, followed by the 76ers against the Warriors at 10:00 PM ET. Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and LeBron James are also scheduled to play, giving the betting community plenty of exciting opportunities to evaluate ahead of tip-off.
As always, be sure to monitor the league’s injury reports 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, January 2nd!
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NBA Player Props Today – Thursday, January 2, 2025
- Kristaps Porzingis Over/Under 5.5 Rebounds
- Naz Reid Over/Under 5.5 Rebounds
- Joel Embiid Over/Under 32.5 Points + Assists
Kristaps Porzingis OVER 5.5 Rebounds (-130, DraftKings)
Porzingis played only 13 minutes on Christmas, exiting at the half due to an ankle injury. He’s officially listed as questionable against the Timberwolves but seems to be trending towards playing for the first time in a week.
Assuming he faces no workload restrictions, this is a great spot for Porzingis on the glass. He’s grabbed 7+ rebounds in 7 of 8 games this season in which he’s played at least 25 minutes, and he now gets a favorable matchup against Minnesota, a team that has allowed the 2nd-most rebounds per game to centers since the middle of December.
Porzingis hasn’t had fewer than 10 rebound chances in a game this season in which he’s played at least 25 minutes. This is great value for him to have a moderately productive night on the boards.
Naz Reid UNDER 5.5 Rebounds (-140, DraftKings)
The Celtics have allowed the 5th-most rebounds per game to centers across their last 10 games, but this market number is still likely to be too high for Reid. He enters play having posted 4 rebounds or fewer in 6 of his last 7 games, with 10 rebound chances or fewer in each of those games. In all likelihood, Reid would need to convert an unusually high number of rebound chances to actual rebounds to get to 6 boards in this game.
Joel Embiid OVER 32.5 Points + Assists (-115, FanDuel)
Embiid undeniably had some conditioning issues upon his return to the floor in mid-November, but he seems to be rounding into form of late. Embiid has played 35+ minutes in each of his last 2 games, scoring 32 points and 37 points. He’s also been active as a facilitator, with 7+ potential assists in each of those games.
The Warriors do not have anyone who is capable of slowing down a motivated Embiid. Trayce Jackson-Davis is 6’9’’, 245 pounds and is, by far, the biggest body they have to offer on the defensive end of the floor. Embiid has 3 inches and 35 pounds on Jackson-Davis and should be able to score at will.
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