3 NBA Player Prop Bets for Tuesday 12/5/23

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

Josh Hart Over 17.5 Pts + Reb + Ast (+100)

The Knockout Rounds of the NBA In-Season Tournament continue tonight with the New York Knicks visiting the Milwaukee Bucks. Josh Hart is the player to target in this game, specifically to record 18-plus combined points, rebounds, and assists (PRA).

Hart is averaging 17.0 PRA per game, but he's seen an uptick in usage as of late. Over his last three games, Hart has played 30-plus minutes in each and is averaging 22.7 PRA over that span.

But more encouraging than Hart's recent play is his matchup for tonight.

The Bucks let up the seventh-most points, seventh-most rebounds, and 12th-most assists to guards per 36 minutes.

Hart scores 38.7% of his points from behind the arc, and Milwaukee cedes the 10th-most three-point attempts (3PA) to guards per 36 minutes. The Bucks also allow the 13th-most points in the paint to guards per 36 minutes -- Hart scores 51.6% of his points from this area.

Milwaukee's below-average defense and sacrificial tendencies on the stat sheet favor opposing guards and allowed Hart to record 21 PRA in a Knicks-Bucks November matchup.

Hart's stellar history against Milwaukee is nothing new. Last season, he averaged 25 PRA in two games against the Bucks. The year before, he aggregated 35.6 PRA per three games. He's not only cleared this prop in his last six matchups against the Bucks but he's done so with flying colors.

While he's by no means the main guy on the Knicks, he's seeing enough time on the court (28.7 minutes per game) to get the job done tonight. The matchup couldn't be more intriguing, and I can't overlook the plus odds here, either.

Kevin Durant Over 36.5 Pts + Reb (-104)

The second In-Season Tournament matchup for tonight belongs to the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Prepare for a big Kevin Durant game.

Durant is averaging 37.4 combined points and rebounds (PR) per game this season and should be in a spot to, at the very least, reach his averages. No player is more undervalued by the market tonight.

We've already seen this Lakers-Suns matchup twice this season. The results? 50 and 47 PR performances from Durant. Not only is Durant averaging 48.5 PR against the Lakers this season, but he also recorded 40 PR in one game against them last season.

It's not particularly difficult to find out why Durant is having such success against this team. The Lakers let up the sixth-most rebounds and 13th-most points per game. They surrender the fourth-most 3PA per game, and Durant scores 21.5% of his points from behind the arc and is rocking with a stellar 49.4 three-point percentage this season.

Durant scores the fifth-most isolation points per game in the NBA, and the Lakers give up the sixth-most points per possession in isolation. KD also scores the sixth-most points off of handoffs in the league, and the Lakers aren't well-equipped to defend this, either, sacrificing the second-most handoff points per game.

I think this matchup, and the fact that we saw heavier workloads from starters in last night's quarterfinal games, should constitute Durant at least reaching his PR average tonight.

D'Angelo Russell Over 14.5 Points (-102)

D'Angelo Russell is averaging 17.1 points per game, but the market still isn't budging on setting his points line any higher than 15-plus.

Phoenix isn't necessarily the breeziest of matchups, as they allow the ninth-fewest points to guards per 36 minutes. But the Lakers do have a 115.5 implied team total tonight. In games where Los Angeles has scored 116 points or more, Russell is averaging 20.4 points (20.0 points in regulation).

And even though Phoenix tends to limit guards more than other teams, Russell cleared this prop in four out of five matchups last season, averaging 18.4 points across that span. He's also averaging 16.5 points in two games against the Suns this season (14- and 19-point performances).

Phoenix allows the sixth-most points in the paint to guards per 36 minutes, which is the area where Russell scores 37.2% of his points.

Russell scores 15-plus points more often than not, especially against this Suns team. This, combined with the LAL's meaty team total, plus a spread (1.5 points) and stakes that could keep starters in the game longer than usual, makes the over a solid move.

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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.