Best NBA Prop Bets Today (DeMar DeRozan Dominates Without LaVine, Back Jaden Ivey in Debut)

Another year of the BetSided team being hot betting on NBA props?

At least the first night of the season went well, with the team hitting four of our five picks ahead of the 12-game slate on Wednesday night. 

Ben Heisler is looking to a play for his hometown Chicago Bulls, while Reed Wallach and Peter Dewey are backing players on their Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks. Plus, which rookie is going to have a big debut?

We have you covered with all of those picks for tonight’s action:

Best NBA Prop Bets Record to Date

• NBA Best Prop Bets Record: 4-1 (+2.7742 units)

Best NBA Prop Bets Today

• Jalen Brunson OVER 27.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-115)
• DeMar DeRozan OVER 26.5 Points (-105)
• Ben Simmons OVER 7.5 Assists (+102)
• Jaden Ivey OVER 11.5 Points (-104)
• Tyrese Haliburton to Record a Double-Double (+104)

Jalen Brunson OVER 27.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-115)

The Jalen Brunson era officially begins in New York on Wednesday night, and the Knicks fared pretty well with Brunson on the floor in the preseason. 

In New York’s final preseason tune up, Brunson played a full complement of minutes (31) and finished with 27 points, four rebounds and five assists, which would allow him to easily clear this prop. 

He finished the preseason averaging 16.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 26.8 minutes per night. The minutes are going to go up, which gives me confidence Brunson will clear this number. 

If you look at Brunson’s stats last season without Luka Doncic, which is what things may look like in New York, this is a value. Brunson put up 20.4 points, 7.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 17 games without Doncic in the 2021-22 season. 

DeMar DeRozan OVER 26.5 Points (-105)

The moment I saw the Shams Charania report that Zach LaVine would be out tonight for the Chicago Bulls, I immediately grabbed my phone and tried to get in on the previous number of OVER 23.5/24.5 for DeMar DeRozan's point prop tonight.

Even though it's moved to 26.5 against a talented Miami Heat defense, I still think this number offers good value for DD.

DeRozan was already a high usage player in the league at above 32% last year. When LaVine was off the court, his usage rate percentage went up to a staggering 38.2%, along with a points-per-game increase of nearly five.

This is the freshest DeRozan will be all season after playing a ton of minutes last year, so we might as well ride him early with this prop. -- Ben Heisler

Ben Simmons OVER 7.5 Assists (+102)

With a total north of 230, expect both the Brooklyn Nets and New Orleans Pelicans to be running up and down the floor on opening night and for Simmons to rack up his assists numbers. 

The Nets are a bit thin in the frontcourt, relying more on their ability to switch on defense with Nic Claxton and Simmons joining forces with Kevin Durant, leaving a ton of transition opportunities for the former No. 1 overall pick off of misses.

The ball was moving far better in the preseason for the Nets with Simmons. He averaged north of six assists in 21 minutes per game in the four exhibitions, and I think this number is depressing his role as the engine of the offense. I'm also eyeing some alt assist totals for him in his Nets debut with 10+ sitting at +270 and 12+ at +630. – Reed Wallach

Jaden Ivey OVER 11.5 Points (-104)

Jaden Ivey is one of the most highly touted rookies and will get a chance to make his imprint on the Detroit Pistons today. He’s already in the starting lineup and the Pistons don’t have a lot of depth at the guard position. 

While Cade Cunningham is the lead guard, he isn’t a ball stopper and will get Ivey opportunities to score. Ivey is best going towards the basket, which works out for a team that was 19th in defensive rating last season.

He should have a chance to run the offense at a certain point tonight, giving him the chance to show why the Pistons took him with the fifth pick. – Donnavan Smoot

Tyrese Haliburton To Record a Double-Double (+104)

I'm all-in on Haliburton this year, as he's in line to be a stat-stuffer on a poor Pacers team. The Wizards ranked 25th in defensive rating last year and haven't made many improvements, so Haliburton should get off to a hot start in 2022.

In 26 games with Indiana, Haliburton averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists per game on over 50% shooting from the field. After spending an offseason preparing to be the star and full-time point guard for the Pacers, the sky is the limit.

He got a double-double in six of his final 10 games last year, only missing the mark against stellar defenses like the Sixers (twice), Celtics, and Grizzlies. Washington isn't close to the level of those teams, and Haliburton is my favorite player to target tonight.

In two games against the Wizards after joining the Pacers, Haliburton got a double-double both times, capitalized by a dominant 21-point, 14-assist performance. Back the Pacers' leader with confidence to explode on the scene in Indiana's first matchup. – Joe Summers

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.