Warriors vs Nets Props – Best Player Prop Bets for December 22nd

• The Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets tip off in the opening game of the 2020-21 NBA season
• Steph Curry and Kevin Durant face-off for the first time since Durant played for the Thunder
• Which player props represent the best betting value?

The Warriors and Nets both have ambitions of an NBA title in 2021. Draymond Green is out for opening night, and Klay Thompson is unavailable for the season, but this is still a game loaded with star talent, headlined by former teammates Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.

Kyrie Irving returns to NBA action for the first time since February and second overall pick James Wiseman could start for Golden State. On the back of some impressive bubble performances, Caris LeVert is looking to establish a role alongside Durant and Irving. Andrew Wiggins, once again, has a point to prove.

The table below has the player props for the first game of the 2020-21 NBA season.

Warriors vs Nets Player Props

Odds taken on Dec 22 from FanDuel

Curry Runs the Offense

Curry was already destined to have the ball in his hands more. With Green not playing on Tuesday, the two-time MVP will be the only playmaker on the floor for Golden State. The Warriors are 7.5-point underdogs – there is a marked talent deficit without Green, furthering the burden on Curry to put up big numbers across the board.

Curry averages 6.6 assists per game for his career. He was below that mark in his last two full seasons, but such is the change to the Warriors roster, we cannot read much into how Curry operated in the last few seasons. There is no Durant, no Thompson, no Green, no Andre Iguodala. Curry’s time running off-ball will be limited in the season opener – he is going to have to operate as a pure point guard.

Despite averaging as many as 8.5 assists across a season earlier in his career, Curry’s playmaking skills are often underrated. Part of the threat of those great Warriors teams was the number of plus passers they had. That’s no longer the case. Curry needs to be scorer and creator.

His gravity pulls holes in defenses. Brooklyn will do all they can to stop Curry shooting and close off his drives – this will open up shooters and cutters. The three-time champion has shown how good he is at playing through pressure.

If his teammates hit their shots, Curry should cruise past 6.5 assists – he’s even a sneaky bet for a triple-double at +2800.

• Pick: Curry over 6.5 assists (+102)

KD on the Boards

Durant looked great in preseason. That wasn’t the same intensity as Tuesday’s season opener, of course, but the initial signs were good. Minutes are the main factor to consider with Durant’s player props. He is reportedly not on a minutes restriction, though the Nets will obviously be careful with his workload after over a year without competitive basketball.

The Nets intend to use Durant as a small ball center on occasion. Whether that’s something they go to on his first game back is unclear, but the Warriors could be a good opponent to try it out against if they run Kevon Looney or Eric Paschall at the five. Playing center will obviously give Durant more opportunities on the boards – he averages 7.1 rebounds for his career and in 2018-19, he went over 6.5 total rebounds on 33 occasions.

Brooklyn has good rebounders in Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan. They are not going to swallow up every rebounding opportunity, however, and Durant is going to have little competition from Golden State. He’s comfortably taller, and with a longer reach, than any Warrior outside of James Wiseman.

Durant to hit the over on the cautious 6.5 rebounds line is a must-bet for this one. Only very limited minutes will stop him getting seven or more.

• Pick: Durant over 6.5 rebounds (+112)