The NBA slate for Wednesday, January 8, is packed with exciting matchups, offering plenty of opportunities to dive into player props. Whether it's targeting Tyrese Haliburton's passing prowess, Guerschon Yabusele's expanded role, or Deandre Ayton's dominance on the boards, this slate has intriguing spots for bettors. Let’s break down the best plays of the night with stats and insights to back each pick.
Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton Over 8.5 Assists vs. Bulls (-125, DraftKings)
I’m going right back to targeting point guards against the Bulls, like I do for pretty much every single game. Chicago has allowed an NBA-high 10.84 assists per game to the position, thus creating the best-possible spot for Haliburton to rack up dimes. Averaging 8.8 assists per contest, Haliburton isn’t putting up the eye-popping numbers he did last year, but has flashed glimpses of his sky-high upside at times. While he posted eight (on 11 potential assists) against Chicago in his only meeting with them (a 132-123 win back on December 5), Haliburton averages 14.8 potential helpers per game (6th in the NBA) and this should be an up-tempo (CHI: 3rd in Pace, IND: 8th), high-scoring (241.5 point total) game environment in which he should thrive.
76ers C Guerschon Yabusele Over 20.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Wizards (-120, DraftKings)
Joel Embiid, Paul George, Kyle Lowry, KJ Martin and Jared McCain will all be out for the Sixers against the Wizards tonight while Andre Drummond (toe) is questionable. If Drummond sits, I love this even more, but even if he doesn’t, Yabusele should be able to make an impact. The Wizards have allowed opposing centers to rack up the most points (28.34) and 6th-most rebounds (15.9) to the position, so I love this spot for the 6’8, 265-pounder who is coming off of a 14-point, 10-rebound performance against the Suns on Monday.
Trail Blazers C Deandre Ayton Over 11.5 Rebounds vs. Pelicans (-105, DraftKings)
Like point guards against the Bulls, over center rebounds against the Pelicans is pretty much an auto-play for me. New Orleans has allowed an NBA-high 17.43 boards per game to the position and Ayton has gone over this mark all three times he faced the Pels this season, with 15, 12 and 13, averaging 13.3 boards on 18.7 rebounding chances in those matchups. Dating back a few years, Ayton has gone over this 11.5 mark in seven of his last eight games against this opponent and I think there’s some value in backing the over once again in this spot.
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