We have a total of three NBA player props for this Friday, and our staff of basketball betting experts is focused on some key players who could be in line for noteworthy performances in tonight's contests.
Read below for our NBA player prop picks for Friday, January 31.
NBA Player Props for Friday, January 31
- Kelly Oubre Over 2.5 Assists (+105)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 12.5 Rebounds (-135)
- Tyus Jones Under 5.5 Assists (-150)
Kelly Oubre Over 2.5 Assists (+105)
Nuggets vs 76ers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Kelly Oubre isn't typically a big distributor, but he's taken on more of a playmaking role with Philly getting crushed by injuries. He's also playing gobs of minutes, which keeps the floor high. This is the best matchup in the league for assists.
Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain remain out. With that trio off the floor, Oubre has seen a 3.3% usage rate boost and a 3.3% bump in assist rate. He's averaged 2.5 assists per 36 minutes in those situations.
That's in line with this number, but we're getting it at plus money, and Oubre is likely to exceed 36 minutes in a competitive game. He's been at 37.1 minutes per game in January and 39+ minutes in 5 of the last 8 games.
Oubre has 3+ assists in 6 of his last 7 games. The one miss came against this Denver squad. Foul trouble and a lopsided score limited Oubre to just 27 minutes. It's the only time he's played less than 30 minutes since mid-December.
Oubre's teammates had a field day in that game, racking up 34 assists. George (9) and Tyrese Maxey (10) both had massive assist games. Denver has allowed the most assists per game and the highest assisted field goal rate.
They're 12th in defensive rating this month after being a bottom-10 unit in December, but they've still allowed 29.8 assists per game in January, exactly in line with their season-long mark.
Pick: Kelly Oubre Over 2.5 Assists (+105)
Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 12.5 Rebounds (-135)
Bucks vs Spurs, 8:00 p.m. ET
Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 12.2 rebounds on 18.5 rebound chances this season. He's top 10 in the league in both categories. This number would seem to be in line with his season-long average, but a couple factors are in Antetokounmpo's favor tonight.
Bobby Portis has been ruled out. He's 2nd on the team in rebounds and rebound chances. Portis' rebounding rate is actually just behind Antetokounmpo's mark. With Portis off the floor, Antetokounmpo has seen a 1.3% rebounding rate bump.
That's pretty significant for a guy who already has a rebounding rate above 18%. Antetokounmpo has averaged 14.3 rebounds in the 4 games Portis has missed this season. He's averaged 21.7 rebound chances over this recent 3-game stretch without Portis.
San Antonio has struggled on the glass lately. They're 18th in rebounding rate on the season, but they've slipped to 22nd in January. They've allowed the 3rd-most rebounds per game this month.
An increase in pace has certainly boosted rebounding opportunities for opponents. The Spurs rank 15th in pace on the season, but they're up to 6th in January. San Antonio has allowed the 5th-most rebounds per game to power forwards for the season.
Foul trouble can be a concern at times for Antetokounmpo, but the Spurs have drawn the 6th-fewest fouls per game. This game has a tight spread, and both teams are well-rested. San Antonio has played just once since Saturday, and Milwaukee has had 2 straight off days. The blowout risk is low.
Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 12.5 Rebounds (-135)
Tyus Jones Under 5.5 Assists (-150)
Suns vs Warriors, 10:00 p.m. ET
Phoenix has a clean injury report tonight. The healthy roster means there are multiple candidates to steal Tyus Jones' playing time. He's averaged just 26 minutes per game in January, down from 29.7 MPG in December and 32.5 MPG in November.
Bradley Beal's presence is the main deterrent for Jones, both in terms of playing time and production. Jones has played 30+ minutes 3 times this month, which coincided with the 3 games Beal missed.
Jones averaged 9 assists across those games. He's at 4.3 assists per game in the 10 games Beal has played in January. Jones has seen a hefty 6.4% assist rate decline with Beal on the floor.
Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale are also factors. Allen missed 5 straight games to close out 2024, but he's been healthy in January. O'Neale missed 6 games in late December and into January, but he's now been back for the past 9 games.
Both players have infringed on Jones' playing time, particularly late in games. Allen and O'Neale closed over Jones and Nick Richards on Wednesday against Minnesota. Allen got the nod to finish the 4th quarter on Monday against the Clippers.
While Beal comes off the bench these days, he's still in the closing group. It comes down to Jones/Allen/O'Neale battling for one spot, unless the Suns go small and ditch the center. Jones has been the odd man out recently.
Golden State is a middling matchup. They rank 15th in assists allowed per game. They're top 10 in defensive rating and points allowed per game on the season, but they've been middle of the pack in January. Pace could also be an issue, as the Warriors have slipped to 23rd this month.
Pick: Tyus Jones Under 5.5 Assists (-150)
