The sports weekend gets off to a strong start this evening with an 11-game slate scheduled in the NBA. With so many teams and players in action, bettors will have no shortage of props and betting picks to choose from. Basketball Insiders takes a look at the best NBA player props and free picks for the January 20th NBA betting slate. Odds for the picks can be found at BetOnline Sportsbook.
Best NBA Player Props and Free Picks for Tonight, 1/21
Jimmy Butler Under 8.5 Assists (-120)
With Kyle Lowry set to miss tonight’s game due to personal reasons, Jimmy Butler figures to take on increased ball-handling and point guard responsibilities in his absence. To his credit, Butler has also recorded a pair of 10-assist efforts and has finished with no fewer than nine helpers in three of the Heat’s last four games. All of this adds up to the NBA player props market listing his assist total nearly three full tallies higher than the 5.8 Butler has averaged per game this season. The discrepancy between his per-game average and this prop line is simply too great not to play under 8.5 total assists.
Another factor that could potentially impact Butler’s assist numbers tonight is the pace of the game. Coming into the day, both the Heat (98.0) and opposing Atlanta Hawks (99.8) have Pace Factors less than 100. Fewer offensive possessions will certainly prove detrimental to scoring and assist numbers for all players across the board. With Gabe Vincent in the mix, Butler also won’t be the only one orchestrating things on the offensive end.
Pascal Siakam Under 22.5 Points (-111)
A 20-point game on Wednesday marked the fifth time in the last six games that Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam reached that threshold. Although he has been hot scoring the basketball recently, there is reason to believe he stays under tonight’s NBA player props total. Even though he hit the 20-point mark two nights ago, Siakam still fell short of tonight’s prop total of 22.5 points. Furthermore, this is a line that sits 1.5 points higher than the 21.0 Siakam has averaged per game this season.
Tonight marks the fourth head-to-head matchup between the Raptors and Washington Wizards this season. Each of the first three was incredibly low-scoring, and it seems plausible to expect more of the same this evening. Both teams rank among the 11 slowest NBA clubs in terms of the Pace Factor statistic coming into the night. A slower tempo on both sides will presumably result in fewer possessions. In addition, Siakam will have to contend with a fully healthy Wizards frontcourt that now has Thomas Bryant back in the rotation. Such was not the case in any of the previous contests between the teams this season.
Kevin Porter Jr. Under 13.5 Points (-115)
After suffering a stunning upset loss last night, one has to believe that the Golden State Warriors will come to play in the second game of a back-to-back this evening. Considering that the Dubs lead the NBA in defensive efficiency allowing only 99.9 points per 100 possessions, tonight figures to be an uphill battle offensively for the Houston Rockets. This includes guard Kevin Porter Jr. While the 21-year-old has scored no fewer than 15 points in each of the last four games, he is still only averaging 13.0 on the season overall.
Against stout defensive teams like the Warriors, it makes sense to explore betting under on scoring NBA player props. In this case, we are also getting a line that is half a point higher than Porter’s average scoring output for the season. It’s a win-win as far as our NBA betting picks are concerned.
All betting lines were retrieved from BetOnline. Click below to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
