NBA Player Props and Best Bets: Stephen Curry, Jamal Murray & More Picks for Friday, Jan. 2

The first weekend of 2026 has nearly arrived, and I’m back to share my best NBA player prop picks for the evening.

Tyrese Maxey dropped 34 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds to help the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks, while Kawhi Leonard continued his hot scoring streak with 45 points in a win against the Utah Jazz.

Friday’s schedule features a couple of standout matchups, like the Denver Nuggets against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Here are my best NBA player prop picks and bets for Friday, Jan. 2.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Friday, January 2

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Julian Champagnie Under 11.5 Points (-102) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Champagnie scored a career-high 36 points on New Year’s Eve, making 11 of 17 field goal attempts, all of those from three-point territory. However, he went under this line in six straight and eight of nine games immediately before that and still only averaged 10.0 points per game during December.

76.8 percent of Champagnie’s field goal attempts this year came from beyond the arc. The Indiana Pacers allowed the fewest made three-pointers per game (11.5) and the third-lowest three-point percentage (34.0), and they have the players needed to make it a long day for Champagnie.

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Jamal Murray Over 7.5 Assists (-114) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Denver Nuggets are going to be without Nikola Jokic for at least a month, following the knee injury he suffered. Without the big Serbian in the lineup, Murray should see an awful lot of the ball and handle the decision-making for his offense.

There isn’t a huge sample size for Murray playing without Jokic, but he went over this line in four of his last six games without his superstar teammate. He also went over this line in three of his last five games, while the Cavaliers ranked 18th in assists allowed per game.

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Stephen Curry Under 4.5 Assists (-125) at FanDuel Sportsbook

The Thunder have the best defense in the NBA and allowed the second-fewest assists per game, as well as the fewest points per game. Curry is a prolific scorer, but he doesn’t have any teammates who boast the same title - especially against a defense of this magnitude. 

The 37-year-old went under this line in three of his last four games and in four of his last five matchups with the Thunder, dating back to Nov. 2023 and including when he had zero assists during a matchup less than two months ago. OKC’s defense is reason enough to expect a limited output from the Warriors’ offense.

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Myles Turner Under 4.5 Rebounds (+122) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Turner averaged 5.5 rebounds per game, but only 4.1 per game during December. He also went over in six of his last seven games, but under in eight straight immediately before that, while the Charlotte Hornets allowed the third-fewest rebounds per game.

Turner went under in two of three matchups with the Hornets, grabbing three, three, and six rebounds. With Giannis Antetokounmpo getting ready to play at least 30 minutes and the other members of the Bucks’ lineup healthy, I really like the value on this line.

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Jalen Johnson Under 1.5 Threes (-136) at FanDuel Sportsbook

Johnson is having a terrific season and is in line to make the first All-Star Game of his career. But while he averaged 24.0 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists, he still only made 1.6 threes on 4.3 attempts per game, which doesn’t classify him as a high-volume shooter.

The 24-year-old went under in six of his last nine games and only shot 33.9 percent from range in December. He also went just 1-3 from beyond the arc when he played the Knicks on Saturday, while his teammate, Onyeka Okongwu, took 10, handling the spacing duties for the Hawks frontcourt.

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