NBA

3 NBA Player Prop Bets to Target on Wednesday 1/29/20

Vaughn Dalzell  —  @VaughnDalzell Jan 29th, 2020
Will Victor Oladipo hit double-figures in his first game back for the Pacers? What other prop bets do our models like for tonight's slate?

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways, from taking advantage of them straight up (to the tune of cold hard cash), to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy basketball.

While you can use those odds in fantasy, you can also utilize our fantasy projections and a variety of other tools to help make money on betting everyday player props.

For the purposes of this article, we are using the odds provided at FanDuel Sportsbook to pinpoint three spots where value can be had on a player's stat line, scoring, or even shot type.

Please note that betting lines and our game projections may change throughout the day after this article is published.

Damian Lillard, Over 31.5 Points

Damian Lillard has been torching defenses, scoring 34 or more points in five straight. The last time he didn't reach 34 points was against the Houston Rockets on January 15. Lillard scored 25 points on 8 of 20 shooting (40%) and a woeful 1 for 8 (12.5%) from three. We all remember the main take away as the beef he had with Rockets' guard Russell Westbrook. They chirped away as Russ said, "no one can guard me," and Lillard replied, "I'm the last person you want to see in the playoffs."

Since then, Lillard's averaged 45.2 points over his last five games with games of 34, 34, 61, 47, and 50 points, in that order. He's been scoring from everywhere, with 35 total three-pointers and 51 free-throws in those five games. The Rockets defense ranks 15th in net rating (109.3), 21st in opponent three-pointers made (12.3), and 27th in opponent three-point percentage (35.7). These numbers spell success for Dame D.O.L.L.A., as he's the hottest player in the league right now facing one of the weakest defenses. Both teams rank bottom-seven in points allowed, so this game should feature a lot of scoring. numberFire's model projects Lillard to score 28.6 points tonight versus the Rockets, but I like him to continue his recent scoring success.

Kyrie Irving, Over 24.5 Points

Kyrie Irving left prior to the Brooklyn Nets scheduled game with the New York Knicks on Sunday after hearing the heartbreaking news of Kobe Bryant. Irving is questionable tonight versus the Detroit Pistons. If he's good to go, this could be one of those classic Kyrie games to remember. Irving's last game played was against the Pistons on Saturday, a game where he totaled 45 points on 15 of 30 shooting, 5 for 12 from deep, and 10 for 10 from the free-throw line.

Heading into tonight's matchup in Brooklyn, numberFire pegs Irving's scoring total hitting the over at 26.4 points, only trailing James Harden and Lillard's point-projections. Irving has surpassed 24 twice in his last six games. Off three days of rest or more, Irving has averaged 31 points on 52.5% shooting in four games this season. Tonight will be dedicated to the Mamba, and Irving could give us a show if he's able to play.

Victor Oladipo, Over 9.5 Points

Victor Oladipo is making his long-awaited return to the Indiana Pacers tonight to take on the Chicago Bulls in Indiana. He's spent the last 12 months rehabbing from surgery and watching the Pacers make trades to improve their roster. Now that he's back, the Pacers could become even more dangerous than the team that scored 129 in each of their last two games. Coach Nate McMillan told reporters that Oladipo's minutes would be limited until after the All-Star break, and it's unknown whether not he will start or come off the bench tonight. What we do know is he will take the shots handed to him, and the Pacers have plenty of talent for him to succeed.

numberFire's model projects Oladipo to record 12 points on 4.4 made field goals on 20.2 minutes versus Chicago. We saw a glimpse of Zion Williamson's debut and his minute restriction last week, and his total was 14.5 points. Oladipo is an All-Star, and the Bulls are down three starters, so this is a perfect tune-up game for the former Indiana Hoosier. He averaged 18.8 points for the Pacers last season and 23.1 in 2017-18. He posted 30.5 points in two games versus Chicago last season -- his most points per game versus any opponent. I'll take the over in his first game back.