NBA Player Props and Best Bets: Austin Reaves & More Picks for Thursday, Dec. 4

We’re halfway through the week, and I’ve got my best NBA player prop picks for the Thursday slate.

Jamal Murray outshone everyone else last night, dropping 52 points and six boards as the Denver Nuggets took down the Indiana Pacers. Karl-Anthony Towns also poured in 35 points and 18 rebounds to lift the New York Knicks past the Charlotte Hornets.

Tonight’s schedule features a matchup between two of the top teams in each conference, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors, before the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans close out the evening.

Here are my best NBA player prop picks and bets for Thursday, Dec. 4.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, December 4

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Austin Reaves Under 29.5 Points (-136) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Reaves is having a stellar season, averaging 28.1 points per game on nearly 52 percent shooting. He only scored 16 points his last time on the floor, but he went over 30 points in three straight games before that.

I’m looking at Reaves’ under tonight largely because Luka Doncic has already been ruled out for personal reasons—not that Reaves can’t still score the ball without him, but it’s much different as the primary option instead of the secondary option in the offense. The Raptors also rank second in defensive rating and third in points allowed per game over their last 10 outings.

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Brandin Podziemski Under 15.5 Points (-104) at FanDuel Sportsbook

“Podz,” now in his third year, averaged 12.5 points per game on 44.2 percent shooting. He had an efficient 17-point outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, but he went under in three straight games just before that.

Stephen Curry is out for Thursday’s  matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers, which means that Podziemski can expect to receive more minutes on the court. That still isn’t enough for me to expect a sharp uptick in production against a league-average defense.

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Lauri Markkanen Over 6.5 Rebounds (-140) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Tonight’s matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Utah Jazz represents a complete mismatch in styles and philosophies. The Nets want to slow the game down and play in the half-court, while the Jazz want the pedal on the metal and don’t mind giving up points to score some of their own.

Markkanen is one of the few established players on the Jazz, having averaged 28 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He went over this line in four straight games and will play lots of minutes, giving him ample opportunity to beat this number.

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Derik Queen Under 15.5 Points (-118) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Queen, an impressive rookie for the Pelicans, put up 21 points in 39 minutes of a double-overtime loss against the Timberwolves two nights ago. That was his first time beating this line in four games, although he also scored 20+ in three straight games before that.

The Timberwolves have great defenders, and in Queen’s case, primarily Rudy Gobert, who just got a great look at the talented rookie. That, combined with the likelihood he plays far fewer minutes than he did during a double-OT thriller, is enough reason for me to fade him tonight.

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CJ McCollum Under 3.5 Assists (+100) at FanDuel Sportsbook

McCollum and the Washington Wizards are preparing to face the Boston Celtics, who have continued to win games without Jayson Tatum and rank eighth in assists allowed per game. The Wizards’ PG went over in three of his last four games, but he also averaged just 3.4 assists per game. 

The Celtics play teams straight-up and don’t have a player on the Wizards they’ll need to consider doubling or tilting toward. McCollum has had a few explosive nights as a scorer, and I think that’s much more likely than him consistently setting up his teammates.

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