3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Tuesday 12/19/23

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

C.J. McCollum Over 18.5 Points (-104)

To put it simply, C.J. McCollum is too undervalued by the market tonight.

He's averaging 20.6 points per game this season and has seen an uptick in his scoring numbers as of late, clearing this prop in four straight games and averaging 23.3 points over that span.

I'm keen on siding with McCollum since he is a consistent scoring threat. He has netted 19-plus points in 10 out of his 14 games this season, so he's hit this over in 71.4% of his outings.

He'll go up against the Memphis Grizzlies, a team that allows the 13th-most points per game to point guards. Memphis also cedes the fifth-most three-point makes (3PM) to point guards, and McCollum has been hot from downtown this season, shooting the three-ball at a 42.3% clip and scoring 45.8% of his points from behind the arc.

This is a great matchup, especially since the Grizzlies are without Marcus Smart, their best defender in the backcourt. Plus, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more encouraging player-vs.-team history than McCollum against Memphis. He has cleared 18.5 points in 17 of his last 20 games against the Grizzlies, averaging a towering 26.5 points across that sample. This includes a 24-point performance in this year's season-opener.

We are granted even more encouragement with the New Orleans Pelicans' 119.5 implied team total. McCollum has participated in seven games this season that ended with the Pels scoring 120-plus points -- he averaged 23.3 points in that split and cleared this prop in all but one of those contests.

Based on all this, I am very bullish on McCollum today. I'm also taking C.J. McCollum to Score 20+ Points at +115 and will even check out C.J. McCollum to Score 25+ Points at +350.

Klay Thompson To Score 20+ Points (+105)

Tonight, we'll get a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics making the trek to the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors.

Klay Thompson and the non-Stephen Curry Golden State vets have been making a mockery out of this former dynasty team. Steve Kerr was even forced to bench some of the starting unit during crunch-time in a recent game.

But in the three games since Thompson received fourth-quarter bench treatment, he's been fighting the washed allegations, putting up 20-plus points in each game and averaging 27.3 points over that span.

Thompson is a streaky shooter, and we should trail him when he has a hot hand, especially with this matchup against Boston. Last season, there were four occurrences where Thompson went on a four-to-six-game streak of games of 20-plus points, all of which were preceded by sub-18-point outings.

The Celtics give up the seventh-most three-point attempts (3PA) per game. Since the start of December, they've allowed opponents to shoot the three-ball at a 40.2% clip (sixth-highest), which should pair well with Thompson, who has drained 17 threes over his last three games off of a 54.8% three-point percentage (3P%).

The Celtics also let up the seventh-most FGA from mid-range, and Thompson leads all Warriors in FGA from this area.

In two regular-season matchups with Boston last year, Thompson put up 24- and 34-point performances. I'll take plus odds that he can net at least 20 points.

Stephen Curry 6+ Made Threes (+160)

I think we'll see glimpses of a vintage Splash Brothers performance tonight.

Steph Curry is averaging 4.8 3PM per game, but I think this matchup could get him to 6.0 3PM.

The Celtics fire off more 3PA than any other team in the league, and in turn, they allow their opponents to play at a similar style. Curry is, for good reason, the least shy three-point shooter in the league (averaging a league-high 11.7 3PA), so I think this matchup will be quite inviting for him.

Boston gives up the most shot attempts in the NBA from the 25-to-29 foot range, and Curry shoots a league-high number of shots from this range. The Celtics are also allowing point guards to drain the second-most three-pointers per game.

Curry has made at least six threes in four of his last five regular-season games against Boston, averaging 7.0 3PM in that time.

And while Boston is a much better team than Golden State, I do think the Warriors will be in this game once the fourth quarter arrives, meaning there's less risk for Steve Kerr to impose minute restrictions on his starters, which he is all too accustomed to doing. Plus, the best way for the Warriors to stay in this game during crunch time is to allow Curry to get going from downtown.

If you're as high as I am on any of the aforementioned props, you may want to take advantage of FanDuel Sportsbook's No Sweat Same Game Parlay for tonight's NBA on TNT games. The Pelicans-Grizzlies and Celtics-Warriors games are both featured and provide us with a pair of enticing matchups.

Looking for the latest NBA odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NBA betting options.

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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.