Each week, Props.com selects five intriguing player and/or team NBA betting props from a busy night of action. Then, we do what we do best: Provide in-depth analysis that you can choose to use (or not use!) for wagering purposes.
Here are our five favorite NBA betting props from Wednesday’s slate of 13 games.
Odds via DraftKings and updated as of 4 p.m. ET on Dec. 8.
Chicago Bulls At Cleveland Cavaliers
The Prop: 215 combined points (alternate total)
The Odds: Over +120/Under -150
This alternate tally is four points higher than the actual 211-point total, and it’s worth considering playing the Over for a couple of reasons.
First, the Bulls and their opponents have averaged 227.5 combined points during Chicago’s ongoing four-game winning streak, clearing this prop number three times (252, 234, 218).
Also, the Cavaliers have cracked the 100-point mark in eight consecutive outings, the club’s longest such streak since March 2021. During this stretch, Cleveland and its opponents cumulatively eclipsed Wednesday’s alternate total five times (229, 235, 217, 217, 216).
Despite its recent scoring uptick, though, Cleveland still rates 24th in scoring offense (104.6 points per contest); the Bulls are 10th (109.6 points per game). Another reason to perhaps lean to the Under here: Both the Cavaliers (second overall) and Bulls (seventh) rank in the top-10 in scoring defense, allowing 102.4 and 104.8 points per game, respectively.
Rest-wise, the Bulls and Cavaliers last played Monday, with Chicago beating Denver at home (109-97) and Cleveland falling to Milwaukee on the road, 112-104.
Related: New to NBA betting props? Check out our complete NBA Prop Betting Guide.
Washington Wizards: SG Bradley Beal
The Prop: 33.5 points/rebounds/assists (at Detroit)
The Odds: Over -125/Under -105
Forget about Beal’s season averages of 22.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game (a combined tally that falls a hair under this particular NBA prop number).
The main reason to take a long look at playing the Over is Beal’s opponent. In lock-step with their NBA-worst 4-19 record, the Pistons rank dead last in opponents’ field-goal shooting (48.0 percent) and second-to-last in opponents’ three-point proficiency (38.1 percent). Those numbers should perk up Beal, whose field-goal (43.7) and three-point (26.6) shooting percentages are well below his career averages.
What’s more, charting Detroit’s last five games (all losses), the opposing team’s star guard enjoyed combined points/rebounds/assists averages of 35.4 (four of the five combined for at least 29). And keep in mind: Devin Booker (Suns) and Damian Lillard (Blazers) both sat out last week’s matchups with the Pistons.
Back to Beal: The last four times he sank 10-plus shots from the field, he did so on the road: 11 of 18 at Miami (30 points), 11 of 20 at New Orleans (23 points), 10 of 14 at Dallas (26 points), and 12 of 19 at Indiana (34 points). Beal also averaged 38.3 points/rebounds/assists in his last three trips to Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena (including two 48 PRA efforts), while converting 27 of 60 field goals (45 percent).
The Wizards, who were idle Tuesday, conclude a three-game Eastern Conference road swing in this one.
Milwaukee Bucks: SF Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Prop: 26.5 points (vs. Miami)
The Odds: Over -105/Under -120
Antetokounmpo has eclipsed this prop only five times in his last 10 games, although he landed right on 26 points twice. During this 10-game stretch, the Bucks’ superstar cumulatively shot 57.4 percent from the field and attempted double-digit free throws seven times.
Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, the Heat have contained him recently — at least in the regular season. In his last four non-playoff games against Miami, Giannis has put up 15, 26, 15, and nine points. (He didn’t play in Saturday’s 124-102 victory over the Heat.)
The two-time NBA MVP will play tonight on sufficient rest, as Monday’s home win over the Cavaliers marked his first game since Dec. 2.
Portland Trail Blazers At Golden State Warriors
The Prop: Blazers +8.5, first half
The Odds: Blazers -110/Warriors -110
The Trail Blazers are virtually dead even in the first half this season, going 12-11-2 ATS. That includes a subpar 3-6-2 ATS mark on the road in the opening 24 minutes.
So you’d think laying these big points with the Warriors — who are an NBA-best 20-4 this season — would be the way to go with this prop. Eh, not so fast. Despite Golden State’s phenomenal SU record, Steph Curry and Co. are merely 11-13 ATS in the first half, including just 8-7 ATS at home.
However, in their last six home games, the Warriors have enjoyed three double-digit halftime leads of 21, 14, and 14 points. The latter came in a Nov. 26 blowout home victory over Portland.
There’s a good reason to expect another convincing Warriors’ victory Wednesday, because Portland’s three primary guards — Damian Lillard (abdominal strain), C.J. McCollum (lung discomfort), and Anfernee Simons (ankle) — are all dealing with injuries. Lillard is expected to be out till next week, McCollum has been ruled out for this one, and Simons is questionable.
Orlando Magic: PG Cole Anthony
The Prop: 2.5 made three-pointers (at Sacramento)
The Odds: Over +105/Under -135
Welcome to the boom-or-bust portion of this exercise.
Anthony has buried two or fewer three-pointers in half of his 16 games. And in his last two outings (at Nets, at Knicks), the North Carolina product is a ghastly 2 of 14 from beyond the arc.
On Wednesday, Anthony faces an opponent that’s surrendering a ton of points per game but ranks in the top third in the league in three-point field-goal defense (33.9 percent, 12th).
Now for the good news: When Anthony does get rolling from long range, his three-pointers tend to come in bunches. In the eight games he’s beaten Wednesday’s prop number, the second-year guard collectively shot 52.2 percent from downtown (35 of 67 attempts).
Bottom line: Whether hot or cold, Anthony is an unrepentant volume shooter. In his last nine games, he’s averaging 8.2 three-point tries. (The makes: 6, 2, 4, 5, 0, 3, 4, 1, and 1.)
The Magic are in the middle of a five-game/nine-day West Coast swing. They enjoyed an off day Tuesday after Monday’s 126-95 loss at Golden State — a game in which Anthony missed all five of his three-point tries.
