December 23rd NBA Props – Player Props and Best Bets for All 13 Games

• There are 13 NBA games on December 23rd, headlined by the Milwaukee Bucks taking on the Boston Celtics
• Zion Williamson’s Pelicans take on the Toronto Raptors and Russell Westbrook debuts for the Wizards against the Sixers
• There are extensive player props available on all 13 games – where does the betting value lie?

The 2020-21 NBA season tips off for 26 of the league’s teams on December 23rd. The Warriors, Nets, Lakers and Clippers got us underway on the 22nd – attention immediately turns to the odds pages for Wednesday’s games, led by the marquee Eastern Conference matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.

Some way-too-early hot takes will nudge the NBA championship odds around, but it’s the game odds under the microscope today, and specifically the player props markets. Player props are too often forgotten about when it comes to NBA betting – there’s some great value to be found.

The table below features player props for all 13 games on December 23rd.

December 23rd NBA Player Props and Odds

Odds taken on Dec 23rd from FanDuel.

Booker Hits His Threes

Devin Booker averaged two three-point makes per game last season. His 35.4% from beyond the arc was unspectacular, but only 61% of his three-point attempts were assisted. Playing alongside Chris Paul, that number should increase in 2020-21. Booker will be able to wreak havoc as an off-ball player – his three-point efficiency should increase.

Playing with Ricky Rubio helped Booker last year. Paul is a marked upgrade on Rubio – the Suns’ offense should improve from its ranking of 12th last season. The development of Deandre Ayton will help Booker, too. As Ayton attracts more attention inside, there will be more space, and Booker should be the recipient of catch-and-shoot looks out of double teams.

Booker shot 39.3% on catch-and-shoot threes last season on 2.9 such attempts per contest. He should get more of those opportunities this season, and particularly against teams like the Mavericks, who were below-average defensively in 2019-20.

Josh Richardson will improve Dallas’ perimeter defense, but the Mavs are still vulnerable on that end. Tim Hardaway Jr. is prone to lapses in concentration, and Doncic is subpar as a defender. Booker will take advantage when either of those two end up guarding him.

In his first All-Star campaign, Booker made over 1.5 threes in 42 of his 70 regular season outings. Backing him to hit two or more against Dallas is one of the best player props on Wednesday’s packed NBA slate.

• Devin Booker over 1.5 threes (-174)

Flying Fox

De’Aaron Fox’s contract with the Sacramento Kings raised eyebrows. The Kings gambled on Fox’s potential, paying him for the player he can become.

Injuries disrupted his 2019-20 campaign, and Luke Walton inexplicably slowed the offense down, but Fox still registered career-highs in field goal percentage and scoring. Bogdan Bogdanovic departing in free agency will mean the former Kentucky guard sees even more of the ball this season – his usage rate leapt to nearly 30% last season, and it could be even higher in 2020-21.

Sacramento gets its season underway against the Nuggets on Wednesday, a matchup they are heavy underdogs in. Denver, who were in the bottom third of the league in opponent’s field goal percentage at the rim, might be a title contender, but they are perhaps an ideal opponent for Fox to put on a show.

The ultra-athletic Fox should have no trouble getting into the paint – he’s been an above-average interior finisher throughout his career, ranking in the 81st percentile two seasons ago.

The Nuggets lost their best defensive player in Jerami Grant. Michael Porter Jr is expected to get more minutes. While Will Barton’s return will help, there are obvious defensive concerns about this team.

Given that Fox averaged 21.1 per game last season, and scored over 20 in 30 of his 51 regular season outings, he looks great value to hit his points over in this one.

• Pick: De’Aaron Fox over 20.5 points (-118)