NBA PrizePicks Predictions for October 29th: Ingram, Braun, Thomas Make Top Plays
In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into some of the top picks for the upcoming NBA slate on PrizePicks. Most predictions are heavily based on projections, but you can find an extra edge if you happen to know ball too.
PrizePicks – one of the most popular pick’em DFS sites – provides player projections for NBA matchups each day. The ball is then in our court to decide whether a player will ultimately exceed or fall short of those projections in the games. With a huge roster of players available from which to choose, we just need to make a minimum of two picks to build an entry. And if you haven’t signed up yet, you can grab a special offer with our PrizePicks promo code “GRINDERS” to get $50 on a $5 entry!
We’ll break down the board by looking at factors like usage rates, projected pace, lines in the sports betting market, and of course, our RotoGrinders projections to forecast how players might fare in categories like points, rebounds, and assists. For even more alternatives when making your PrizePicks picks, be sure to check out our fantasy pick’em tool.
Tuesday brings us a tidy little 4-game slate, but there’s still quite a bit to like from a fantasy standpoint. PrizePicks has a full docket of squares up and ready for your perusal. Shall we dive in and pick some winners? We shall.
PrizePicks Top NBA Plays for October 29
- Brandon Ingram More/Less Than 18.5 Points
- Christian Braun More/Less Than 11.5 Points + Assists
- Cam Thomas More/Less Than 7.5 Rebounds + Assists
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Pelicans vs. Warriors PrizePicks Predictions
Brandon Ingram More/Less Than 18.5 Points
The Pelicans will head to the Bay to take on a shorthanded version of the Warriors that will be without Steph Curry, De’Anthony Melton, and (possibly) Andrew Wiggins. New Orleans is still only favored by 1.5 points on the road, which is a surprisingly small number considering Golden State will be without its best player.
Ingram is off to a solid start for the Pels, averaging 22.7 points through the first 3 games. Ingram and Zion Williamson are essentially tied for the team lead in usage, with both players coming in just under 31%. I’m not sure how sustainable both players topping 30% usage is moving forward, but they’ve never been afraid to let it fly. Ingram has attempted at least 17 shots from the field in each game.
Curry’s absence is notable for the Warriors’ offense, while Melton and Wiggins potentially missing this game makes Golden State a bit more vulnerable defensively on the wings. Our projections have Ingram coming in closer to 24 points, which makes this a clear-cut play. I’ll side strongly with more than 18.5 points scored for Ingram tonight.
- PLAY: Ingram MORE Than 18.5 Points
Nuggets vs. Nets PrizePicks Predictions
Christian Braun More/Less Than 11.5 Points + Assists
The 2024-25 campaign is off to a rough start for the Nuggets, who narrowly avoided a calamitous 0-3 start with a narrow win in overtime in Toronto last night. Denver will play for the second time in as many nights, this time in Brooklyn against a rebuilding version of the Nets. The Nuggets are only favored by 4.5 points, with Brooklyn having a significant rest advantage after last playing on Sunday.
The Nuggets have leaked role players since winning the title 2 years ago. Bruce Brown was the big departure prior to last season, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left for greener pastures this summer. As a result, third-year guard Christian Braun has been thrust into a starting role. He hasn’t generated many headlines, but the Kansas product has impressed to start the season. Braun’s scoring average (14.7 PPG) is double what he was averaging a season ago, while he’s also contributing 6 rebounds and about an assist per game.
Braun has played at least 29 minutes in each game to this point, including 40 in last night’s OT triumph. He’s not a particularly high-usage player, sharing the floor with the likes of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but his role is significantly larger this season. I like him to comfortably top 11.5 combined points and assists against a middling Nets defense.
- PLAY: Braun MORE Than 11.5 Points + Assists
Nets vs. Nuggets PrizePicks Predictions
Cam Thomas More/Less Than 7.5 Rebounds + Assists
Thomas is one of the most divisive players in the league. He’s a scoring machine, but his style of play may not necessarily be conducive to winning. Thomas is averaging a whopping 30.7 points per game through Brooklyn’s first 3 games, with a sky-high 34% usage rate.
He’s out there to score though. He’s not doing a whole lot else. Thomas averaged just 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last season despite logging north of 31 minutes a night. His minutes are up a bit this season (34.7), and he’s up to averages of 5.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Thomas is probably running a bit hot in both departments, however. His assist rate and rebound rate have spiked by about 2% and 3%, respectively, early in the season compared to last season’s rates.
I’m certainly not sold that Denver is the same stout defensive team they’ve been in recent seasons, but this is more about Thomas’ lack of peripherals. Siding with him to finish with less than 7.5 combined rebounds and assists looks like the best route with this PrizePicks projections.
- PLAY: Thomas LESS Than 7.5 Rebounds + Assists
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