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NBA Betting Picks and Player Props to Target: Sunday 12/31/23

Austin Swaim
Austin Swaim•ASwaim3

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NBA Betting Picks and Player Props to Target: Sunday 12/31/23

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. numberFire's NBA power rankings and daily projections paired with advanced stats from the NBA can help give the inside track to winning big.

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.

NBA Best Bets

Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards

Over 253.5 (-110)
Jordan Poole Over 19.5 Points (-106)

Any time that the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards meet, we should expect fireworks.

These are two of the fastest teams in the league, according to ESPN's pace factor. Washington is the fastest team in the league, and Atlanta is fifth in that department.

Both teams have also struggled considerably on the defensive end, ranking in the league's bottom four of defensive rating.

Most of all, both of these team's top-three scorers are all healthy, which is a rarity in the late December basketball world. Everything is coming up roses for a high-scoring affair between two teams that have seen at least 54.8% of their games cash the over this season.

If we're expecting this hefty over to cash in a shootout, it's also a prop target. Jordan Poole's points prop stood out pretty substantially, which makes sense with Atlanta allowing the ninth-most triples per game (3.2) to opposing point guards. Poole has also shaken off the early season rust a bit, averaging an improved 17.4 PPG in December.

In this potential barnburner, numberFire has Poole projected for 22.2 total points. That margin is too wide to ignore.

Brooklyn Nets at Oklahoma City Thunder

Nets +7.5 (-110)

Fresh off one of the most impressive wins of the season in Denver, 69% of tickets and 73% of money are backing the Oklahoma City Thunder's spread at FanDuel Sportsbook today. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets just lost to the 6-25 Wizards. This is a process play if I've ever seen one.

By and large, these are two fairly similar squads with OKC understandably better. Their +8.4 net rating is third in the NBA, and the Nets (-0.2) are closer to the league average. However, Brooklyn has been without Cameron Thomas and Nicolas Claxton for modest stretches while the Thunder have stayed relatively healthy.

I've bet the Nets quite often, and they're 18-13-1 against the spread (ATS) as the starless squad continues to be a bit unrespected.

The NBA season is a long grind, and there are just spots to play. This is one of them; OKC has to have noticed the Boston Celtics are in town on Tuesday following the huge Denver win. If they overlook a Nets team that can score (116.8 offensive rating), this spread might cash easily in a tight game.

Boston Celtics at San Antonio Spurs

Jaylen Brown Over 32.5 Points, Rebounds, and Assists (-122)

No one in the league keeps shooting guards out of the box score worse than the San Antonio Spurs.

San Antonio allows the most rebounds, 5th-most assists, and 13th-most triples to opposing two guards. They're a combo bettors dream, and it just so happens one of the best in the league will be in town this evening.

Jaylen Brown enters this one with a potential for more work than usual. Jrue Holiday is questionable with an elbow issue, and Brown takes on quite a bit when he's off the floor. Brown averages 24.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per 36 minutes when his point guard is off the floor.

Reading the tea leaves, Holiday isn't super likely to play against the 5-26 Spurs as a 14-point favorite. Before he's officially out, I want to lock in this line. numberFire already has Brown projected 32.6 PRA, and that'll rise with a key starter sitting.

Orlando Magic at Phoenix Suns

Under 232 (-110)

The Phoenix Suns are an offensive juggernaut in theory at full health, but that's not their reality. I'm shocked they have a total in the 230s facing an elite defense.

Phoenix is just 12th in offensive rating (116.5) and 21st in pace. It's not as if the opposing Orlando Magic are an over machine, either. While Orlando's pace is pretty solid (seventh), the Magic also come with the third-best defensive rating in the NBA (110.4). They're 13-17 to the over this season.

This is the numberFire model's play of the day. It's expecting just 219.3 total points in this contest and expects the under to cash 72.5% of the time in this one. We'll head into the new year with one of its most confident plays of the month.


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.

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