3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Friday 12/8/23

Player props can be useful in a variety of ways -- from taking advantage of them straight up to measuring a player's potential to produce in daily fantasy basketball on FanDuel. Here, we're going to focus on the former.

Using a wealth of statistical data, including numberFire's daily basketball projections, here are some NBA player prop bets that look appealing via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

NBA Prop Bets

Mikal Bridges Over 7.5 1st Quarter Points (-102)

Mikal Bridges is averaging 8.1 points in the first quarter (fifth-most in the NBA) on 9.5 minutes of play.

Tonight, he'll get a shot at the Washington Wizards, a team that gives up the fifth-most points in the first quarter, so I think we should target the over here accordingly.

Bridges has cleared the over on this prop in his last four games, averaging 13.0 first-quarter points in that span.

He scores 39.8% of his first-quarter points in the paint, while the Wizards give up the third-most paint points in this quarter. Bridges is also scoring 29.8% of his points from behind the arc to start games, and Washington allows the ninth-most three-point attempts (3PA) to forwards in the first quarter.

This allowed Bridges to score 12 first-quarter points in a November matchup against Washington and makes him a great candidate to score eight-plus points tonight.

For minute-safety concerns, it doesn't hurt that Bridges is averaging just 1.8 fouls per game, making it unlikely that he would dip below his typical minutes average.

James Harden Over 24.5 Pts + Ast (-104)

Since the Los Angeles Clippers made a key change to their starting lineup -- having Russell Westbrook come into the game off the bench -- James Harden has been averaging 24.5 combined points and assists (PA), and tonight's matchup against the Utah Jazz should allow the scales to tip in Harden's favor.

Across his last four games, Harden has been averaging 29.5 PA.

Though that's not as high as his 31.7 PA average from last season, it does show that his numbers are starting to regress in the right direction.

The Jazz allow the sixth-most points and the fourth-most assists per game. Harden scores 45.0% of his points from behind the arc and 22.5% in the paint. Utah allows the sixth-most points per game from both of these areas.

It might not mean much to check out an example from last season. After all, Harden is on a new team with a new role. But he did record 42 PA in one game played against Utah last season, so the evidence, albeit small, shows us a successful history.

numberFire is projecting 26.1 PA from Harden off of 36.96 minutes tonight.

Isaiah Stewart Over 9.5 Points (-124)

Isaiah Stewart has scored double-digit points in 15 of his 21 games this season, so despite the boring odds on this one, the 71.4% hit rate is notably higher than the 55.4% implied probability.

But there's a great case, beyond the hit rate, to prove why Stewart is primed for 10-plus points tonight. Jalen Duren (ankle) is out for the Detroit Pistons, which increases usage and scoring chances for Stewart.

In 14 games with Duren this season, Stewart is averaging 10.4 points. But in seven games without Duren, his average spikes to 12.3 points per game, and he scored double-digits in six of these games. The aforementioned Duren-less split includes an abridged 19-minute game that Stewart exited early due to injury.

He'll go up against the Orlando Magic, a team that allows the seventh-fewest points per game. However, Detroit's implied team total sits at 108.5, and Stewart is still averaging 11.6 points in games where the Pistons have scored 109 points or fewer.

In three games against the Magic last season, Stewart scored 10-plus points in each one. I'd be interested in the over here even with Duren on the court, but his absence makes the case for Stewart that much stronger.

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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.