3 Best NBA Bets and Player Props for Friday 1/2/26

The 82-game NBA regular season offers us a wide variety of betting options, including point spreads, moneylines, and totals. The Association features 1,230 regular season games, which can make sifting through the odds an overwhelming task.

However, various advanced statistics can help narrow the choices. Our NBA player prop projections paired with advanced stats from the NBA can help give the inside track to quality bets.

While utilizing some of the mentioned tools, which NBA odds from FanDuel Sportsbook look like the best bets today?

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published. All injury news comes from the NBA's official injury report.

NBA Betting Picks for Today

San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers

Stephon Castle Over 19.5 Points (-125)

There's no Victor Wembanyama tonight for the San Antonio Spurs, and that should lead to big things for Stephon Castle.

With Wemby off the court this season, Castle sees a usage-rate bump of 6.0 percentage points -- up to a 32.5% clip, a team-high mark. In the split, Castle is scoring 24.9 points per 36 minutes.

While the Indiana Pacers have been fairly stingy against guards this season, the Pacers' defense overall isn't that good, with Indiana ranking 23rd in defensive rating across the last 10 games. Plus, the game environment should aid Castle as a 238.5-point total points to a track meet.

The last time Wemby sat, Castle poured in 30 points against a bad Los Angeles Lakers defense. This is a similarly good spot for him, and 19.5 points isn't a super high bar to clear.

Orlando Magic at Chicago Bulls

Bulls Moneyline (+166)

At first glance, I was interested in the Orlando Magic -5.5 against a shorthanded Chicago Bulls squad, but the more I dug into things, the more appealing the Bulls became.

Orlando just hasn't been that good lately. Over the past 10 games, the Magic are 25th in net rating (-4.5) -- including 24th in offensive rating and 18th in defensive rating.

They haven't quite been able to put the puzzle pieces together with Paolo Banchero on the floor this campaign, especially defensively. With Banchero on the court, Orlando is surrendering 117.0 points per 100 possessions. With Banchero off the floor, the Magic are giving up 111.4 points per 100 possessions.

Chicago is sans Coby White and Josh Giddey, two of their best players. But they had neither of them in a 16-point win over the New Orleans Pelicans last time out and have been playing good ball of late, winning six of their last eight games.

You could opt to play it safer and take Bulls +5.5, but I'm interested in Chicago's +166 moneyline.

Portland Trail Blazers at New Orleans Pelicans

Shaedon Sharpe 3+ Made Threes (+140)

The Pelicans allow the league's highest three-point attempt rate, and that puts Shaedon Sharpe in a good spot tonight.

New Orleans is giving up a 45.7% three-point attempt rate, the NBA's highest clip. Shooting guards have torched them from deep this season, with the Pels permitting the third-most made triples per night to SGs (3.6).

Sharpe is averaging 2.0 made threes per game, and he's proven he can take advantage of this superb matchup against New Orleans. In two games versus the Pelicans this season, Sharpe has gone 6 for 13 from beyond the arc.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.