January 19th NBA Props – Best Player Prop Bets for Thunder vs Nuggets, Pelicans vs Jazz

• The Thunder face the Nuggets, while the Pelicans visit the Jazz on a light night in the NBA on Tuesday 
• Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is shooting 29% from beyond the arc over his last six outings
• See the best player prop bets for the Thunder-Nuggets and Pelicans-Jazz games below

The NBA schedulers didn’t do basketball fans any favors on Tuesday, as the only two games on the slate are both 9 pm EST tips. This would have been an ideal situation for a double-header putting both contests in the national spotlight, but instead hoops diehards will now have to pick their poison between the Thunder-Nuggets and Pelicans-Jazz.

From a point spread perspective, neither game is expected to be overly close, but betting a side isn’t the only way to get action down on this slate. Player props have been released for both contests, and we’ll dive into our top-two picks below.

NBA Player Props – Tuesday January 19

Odds taken Jan. 18th from BetMGM

Prop #1: Brandon Ingram Under 21.5 Points

The New Orleans Pelicans are 6-point underdogs in Utah, in a game that features a modest total of 217.5. New Orleans has dropped five of its last six, and I’m looking to fade leading scorer Brandon Ingram in this matchup. At first glance, Ingram’s points prop seems low as it’s nearly two full points below his season average. But the lanky small forward has been ice cold from long range recently, and a matchup versus the Jazz is as difficult as they come.

Jazz beginning to have some interesting metrics after a few blowouts in a row
#3 efficiency differential
#11 offense
#3 defense
#4 3pt %
#3 % of fga as 3s
#1 transition offense
#4 denying 3s
#1 offensive rebounding
#5 DEFG%
#3 Defensive rebounding
#1 Def FTA/FGA pic.twitter.com/7uwA8DOVO0

— David Locke (@DLocke09) January 17, 2021

Utah ranks fourth in points allowed per game (105.4) and first in opponent field goal percentage (.436). They’re one of only three teams to surrender fewer than 14 free throw attempts per game and enemy shooters are hitting only 35% of their long range looks. Ingram meanwhile, is just 9-for-31 from 3 over his past six games, and has severe home-road splits.

Brandon Ingram in the first half 17 points 8-9 FGs.

2nd half with Anthony Davis switched on him:

3 pts 1-6 FGs 2 TOs (including this charge) pic.twitter.com/FSj3fWSYaH

— Lakers Nation PH (@LakersNation_PH) January 16, 2021

He’s averaging 5 points fewer on the road than at home, and his free throw attempts plummet from 9 to just 3.9. He’s exceeded 21.5 points in five of his last seven games, but both times he failed it was against a top-10 defense (Charlotte and Los Angeles). I expect a similar result against one of the best defensive units in the league.

Pick: Brandon Ingram Under 21.5 points (-110)

Prop #2: Luguentz Dort Over 0.5 Three-Pointers

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 9.5-point underdogs in Denver, which suggests they’re going to be in catch-up mode for the majority of the game. With that being the case, we can expect elevated three-point attempts from the Thunder, which plays right into Luguentz Dort’s hands.

Luguentz Dort last season:
30/101 from 3 (29.7%)

Luguentz Dort this season:
24/54 from 3 (44.4%) pic.twitter.com/6sF1GXNsTf

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 15, 2021

The Sophomore small forward has been lights out from beyond the arc this season, and yet online sportsbooks appear to be sleeping on him. He needs to make just one long distance shot to cash his three-pointer prop, something he’s done in every game this season. He’s hit multiple 3’s in eight of 12 contests, and last time out he jacked up 11 shots from beyond the arc in a OT win over Chicago. He’s made at least three long distance shots in three straight, and while the juice is high, there’s no safer bet on the board.

Pick: Luguentz Dort Over 0.5 Three-Pointers (-222)