A three-game slate is on the itinerary for this NBA Tuesday, a day where fans across the world celebrate the life of the late Kobe Bryant. As we pay homage to one of the greatest competitors to play any sport, we also commemorate the game in which he was forever dedicated to. Shifting attention to the matchups presented tonight, some key COVID designations and injuries will make for some interesting NBA betting picks and odds to be sought using the OddsShopper tool.
With marquee names — including Kawhi Leonard and Paul George — missing from action this evening (in their case due to COVID-19 team protocol), opportunities will be opening up for other players in a variety of spots tonight. We’ll cross-reference player stats, rotations, team trends and matchups while combing the NBA betting odds for the best values among player props this evening.
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NBA Betting Picks: NBA Odds & Player Props | Jan. 26
NBA Pick: C Robin Lopez, OVER 1.5 Assists
(+105, BetMGM)
As your eyes first brace for landing on this player prop heading, please bear with me as I make the case for Robin Lopez. With a season-ending knee injury for Thomas Bryant, Lopez will make his third start at center for the Wizards. Jumping over to the assists subcategory on OddsShopper, Lopez has a line of 1.5 and +105 odds on the over of two assists or more.
Averaging 25 minutes in his two starts since Bryant’s injury, Lopez has also averaged 3.5 assists over those two appearances (with five and two assists), a desperate sample size to chase. With an assist rate of 11.9% and just a 14.1% usage rate since the game where Bryant was injured, Lopez’s extremely small starting sample shines a bit of hope on this player prop. Lopez has averaged 1.73 assists per game over the last three seasons when starting (though that drops to just one assist per game as a career starter).
Also taking into consideration the opponent at hand, Lopez may have additional support to his cause here. He is facing a Rockets team that is also dealing with their share of injuries in the post, and DeMarcus Cousins draws another start for Christian Wood, who’s expected to sit one more game. Albeit a niche statistic, Houston has averaged the fourth-most assists allowed to opposing centers, surrendering 4.4 assists per game to the position. And when it comes to Cousins specifically, he’s allowing 7.1 assists per game to his opponents this season.
Despite it being far from a sexy player prop to be rooting for, the +105 odds on Lopez to log at least two assists with Russell Westbrook returning to the lineup makes for a solid value among Tuesday’s NBA betting picks.
NBA Pick: F Bojan Bogdanovic, OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made
(+125, DraftKings Sportsbook)
We’re going back to a familiar well, and hopefully Bojan Bogdanovic can make it rain 3-pointers once again in our favor. Bogdanovic is one of the only players getting plus-money odds on 3-point over — the others are P.J. Tucker and Nicolas Batum, and I think we all share the same feelings about wagers involving them in any format. At 25% added bonus to the even-money odds on Bogdanovic to hit his season average is more than a fair exchange.
Currently averaging 2.5 3-pointers made per game, Bogdanovic is hitting from deep at a 37.4% rate, comprising 55.6% of his overall scoring production. His minutes are down by roughly three per game, with Bogdanovic registering 29.9 minutes per game this season (compared to 33.1 last season), and he is attempting 6.7 3-pointers per game as well. However, Bogdanovic’s volume seems to be on the rise, with his usage rate gradually increasing from 20.7% to 23.2% over his past five games. He is also seeing a spike in his 3’s, as he’s averaging five per game in his past five played.
Welcoming an unexpected eighth-place Knicks roster to Vivint Arena, Bogdanovic and the Jazz have a bit of a challenge in the 3-point department. The Knicks rank eighth in 3’s allowed at 11.9 per game. Yet Bogdanovic will often be seeing R.J. Barrett on the defensive side of the ball, who is allowing an average of 8.9 3’s per game to players defended. The +125 is too hard to ignore in such a prominent instance, and Bogdanovic is worth the investment.
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