The NBA regular season is back in action with a monster 12-game slate on Thursday night. So, we've got you covered with player prop picks for four of today's contests.
Our NBA player props for Thursday are targeting Trae Young, Dylan Harper, Tyus Jones, and more.
Continue below for our NBA player props for Thursday, December 18.
NBA Player Prop Picks for Thursday, December 18
| Time (ET) | Player Prop |
|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | |
| 8 p.m. | |
| 9 p.m. | |
| 9 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | |
Hawks vs. Hornets
Trae Young Under 29.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-115)
By Kyle Murray
Young is set to make his return to the lineup, as this would be his first game since October 29. It has been a long layoff, so it would be surprising to see him step back into big minutes right away.
When projecting Young for 26 minutes, I get to a 27.8 PRA, but that is also largely based on his data from last season.
This season, the Hawks have seen Jalen Johnson take a massive step forward, and the addition of Nickeil Alexander-Walker has been top notch.
For Young, the combination of decreased efficiency and a very likely minutes restriction has the under projecting well in this spot.
Pick: Trae Young Under 29.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-115)
Wizards vs. Spurs
Dylan Harper Under 3.5 Assists (+105)
We hit this in the NBA Cup Final. We don't have tracking stats for that game, since technically it doesn't exist as part of the regular season, but Harper finished with zero assists. He continued to see a downtick in distribution with Victor Wembanyama available.
This is a tremendous matchup against one of the weakest defenses in the league, but that's reflected in the price.
We're getting it at plus-money this time. It closed around -175 last game.
Pick: Dylan Harper Under 3.5 Assists (+105)
Magic vs. Nuggets
Tyus Jones Under 11.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-115)
This is one of the bigger numbers we've gotten for Jones in quite some time.
Jalen Suggs is out, but we've seen that scenario many times this season. Jones is averaging 1.6 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists over 14.8 minutes per game in five games without Suggs.
When Suggs went down in the fourth quarter of Saturday's NBA Cup semifinal matchup, it was Jase Richardson who came off the bench and finished the game.
Richardson hadn't played up to that point, but he came in and delivered nine points, two assists, and one rebound in eight minutes.
Jase could be the big winner with Suggs out. Jones only played 10 minutes in that game.
Pick: Tyus Jones Under 11.5 Points, Rebounds, & Assists (-115)
Lakers vs. Jazz
Marcus Smart Over 13.5 Points & Assists (-112)
By Kyle Murray
With Austin Reaves missing time due to injury, Smart has stepped into the starting lineup and seen an uptick in his minutes.
As a result, he has played 28 and 32 minutes over the last two games, and with that playing time, Smart cleared this number in both games.
He projects for 32 minutes here in a very favorable matchup against the Jazz, and as a result, I have Smart projected for 13.3 points and four assists.
The Jazz are a fantastic matchup, as they have played at the 2nd-fastest pace in the NBA and rank 30th in defensive efficiency. They are also a great matchup for 3-point shooters, as they have allowed the 2nd-most 3s per game.
