NBA Player Prop Bets & Picks: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis Among Thursday’s Plays (October 20)

The NBA season is underway and there are two stellar matchups on Thursday night. First, the Milwaukee Bucks will play their first game of the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the nightcap, it is the Battle of LA between the Lakers and Clippers.

We'll be using the Action Labs Player Prop tool to compare our NBA projections to the props posted at a variety of sportsbooks. Below, I have laid out two prop bets that I'm playing, the case for each bet and the best books to find odds on those player props.

NBA Player Props & Picks

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Over 11.5 Rebounds (+100)

Giannis Antetokounmpo comes into this season with dominant rebounding numbers against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers lack the size and speed to stay in front of a player like Antetokounmpo. In fact, since the 2017-2018 season, Antetokounmpo is averaging 14.7 rebounds per game against Philadelphia.

In that span, Antetokounmpo has recorded 12 or more rebounds in 12 of the 15 games. Just last season, in three matchups against the Sixers, Antetokounmpo averaged 13.7 rebounds per game and went over this projection in two of three matchups.

Furthermore, the Sixers allowed 17 rebounds in their first game of the regular season to the center and power forward positions. I expect Antetokounmpo to have another huge night on the boards and grab at least 12 rebounds versus the Sixers.

Anthony Davis,  Over 24 Points (-110)

Anthony Davis had a great showing in the first game of the season for the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, Davis logged a team-high 36 minutes and finished the game with 27 points on 22 shot attempts. Early in the game, the Lakers made it a priority to run the offense through Davis.

Furthermore, Davis has good numbers against the Clippers since joining the Lakers. He has scored 24 or more points in six of eight games against the Clippers. In one of the two games in which he didn't hit this number, Davis left with an injury and only logged nine minutes.

I believe the Clippers struggle to guard Davis because they don’t possess a defender who can guard him on the perimeter. Davis' ability to score from different spots on the floor makes him difficult to guard. I believe Davis will have another big scoring night for the Lakers.