Nets vs Thunder Props – Best Player Prop Bets January 29th
- Kevin Durant and James Harden lead a rolling Brooklyn Nets against their former team in Oklahoma City on Friday (8 PM EST)
- Big point totals are expected for Brooklyn’s star players, but there is great value with prop bets on other stats
- Read below for a look at the best prop bets and the best plays to make
When Kevin Durant returns to Oklahoma City with James Harden, the Thunder faithful won’t be in the stands to welcome them back.
Perhaps for the fans, it’s for the better. All the presumed boos that the Chesapeake Energy Arena could send the Brooklyn Nets’ way probably wouldn’t do much to slow down the offensive rhythm they’re in. With Durant and Harden leading the charge, Brooklyn is an 8.5-point road favorite against one of the NBA’s most porous defenses on Friday night.
Of course, the Nets’ opponents have scored at least 123 points against them in four of their last five games, so there should be plenty of offense to go around for both teams. The shootout potential on Friday night makes for some enticing player prop bets.
Brooklyn Nets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Player Prop Bets
| BRK Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Three-Pointers Made |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Durant | 27.5 (O -110 | U -110) | 7.5 (O +114 | U -140) | 4.5 (O -142 | U +116) | 2.5 (O +106 | U -136) |
| Kyrie Irving | 24.5 (O -110 | U -110) | 4.5 (O -105 | U -115) | 5.5 (O +112 | U -138) | 2.5 (O -113 | U -113) |
| James Harden | 24.5 (O -104 | U -118) | 6.5 (O +114 | U -140) | 9.5 (O -115 | U -105) | 3.5 (O +144 | U -186) |
| DeAndre Jordan | 6.5 (O -120 | U -102) | 7.5 (O -120 | U -102) | N/A | N/A |
| OKC Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Three-Pointers Made |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 21.5 (O -112 | U -108) | 5.5 (O -128 | U +104) | 5.5 (O -148 | U +120) | 1.5 (O -146 | U +114) |
| Luguentz Dort | 13.5 (O +100 | U -122) | 3.5 (O +106 | U -130) | N/A | 2.5 (O +148 | U -192) |
| Darius Bazley | 12.5 (O +102 | U -124) | 6.5 (O -104 | U -118) | N/A | 1.5 (O +130 | U -166) |
Odds taken from FanDuel on Jan. 29th.
Back in Black
Oklahoma City actually beat Brooklyn earlier in the season, 129-116. However, that was before James Harden was brought into the fold and Kyrie Irving was out due to personal reasons.
With those two expected to suit up tonight, the Thunder face a far different matchup than the first time around. Harden and Irving combined for 57 points in the Nets’ overtime win against Atlanta on Thursday night. Durant scored 36 points in his first meeting with OKC this season, and he had a 32-point performance against the Hawks his last time out.
KYRIE IRVING 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZZT9CvumFg
— Clutch Time (@ClutchPage) January 28, 2021
Irving has played a lot of minutes since he’s been back, but he shouldn’t worry about the defensive pressure from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The young Canadian has the eighth-lowest defensive plays per foul among the top 100 qualifiers in the league, and with George Hill out due to a thumb sprain, he needs to be careful to stay on the floor.
Harden put the moves on John Collins 😳 pic.twitter.com/5evREEojSI
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 28, 2021
Meanwhile, Harden appears to have reinvented himself a bit offensively and has averaged nearly twice as many assists this season as he had in his career to this point. Harden is still putting up big scoring numbers but seems perfectly happy to set up Durant or DeAndre Jordan with lobs for alley-oops in the lane. Since coming to Brooklyn, Harden has only had fewer than 9.5 assists once in seven games.
From distance, Harden has only had five games this season in which he’s scored more than three three-point shots in a game; three of which were with Houston. He has a good chance to make tonight his sixth, after he made four on January 22 against Cleveland and five in his last game in Atlanta. OKC has allowed the sixth-most points from three in the league over its last three games, has allowed more three-pointers at home than on the road, and has one of the lowest fast break points allowed averages in the NBA.
The Pick: Harden Over 9.5 assists (-115)
Feed the Big Man
Bettors could also find some value with Jordan working down low. Since missing a game against Denver on January 12, his minutes have been up and he has more than doubled his offensive output.
DeAndre Jordan w/ the alley oop dunk from James Harden #Heat 40 #Nets 57 Q2 pic.twitter.com/i3PNLydUQH
— Sports ②④x⑦ (@B_R_R_D) January 24, 2021
Al Horford missed six games before returning on Wednesday night for the Thunder, but he hasn’t had more than one offensive rebound in a game for OKC all season. Jordan’s rebounding numbers have declined as his scoring has increased, but with the Thunder’s ineffectual efforts on the boards this season, he could be in line for a few easy put-backs.
Taking Jordan to finish with fewer than 7.5 total rebounds might be the better value than the over at -102, but betting on him to surpass his point projection of 6.5 (-120) looks like a safer play. Jordan has scored eight points or more in six of his eight games played since sitting out against the Nuggets. With so many expected opportunities for assists from Nets players, Jordan looks to be a relatively big beneficiary.
The Pick: Jordan Over 6.5 points (-120)
Nick Krueger has over a decade of experience in sports media, covering a wide range of events including two Olympic Games for Yahoo Sports. Other areas of focus for Nick throughout his career have included college football recruiting, NCAA athletics and Major League Baseball Spring Training.
