Six games are on the NBA slate tonight, following a jam-packed night of NBA Cup action. The group stage is finally complete, with the Bucks, Knicks, Hawks, Magic, Mavericks, Thunder, Rockets and Warriors qualifying for the next round. The NBA Cup will be put on halt until next week, but the traditional NBA season continues to power on.
In the early slate of the night, the Lakers will play the Heat, the Sixers face the Magic, the Pacers are squaring off against the Nets and the Pistons will match up with the Celtics. Then at 8:00 p.m. ET, the Milwaukee Bucks will play the Atlanta Hawks. The lone game in the late slate will be between the Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
You can check out each matchup on DraftKings Sportsbook, but here are my favorite player props for December 4th.
Tyrese Haliburton Under 27.5 Points & Assists (-115)
Tyrese Haliburton looked on the pathway to blossoming into one of the brightest young stars in the NBA last season. The All-NBA guard led the league in assists last year with 10.9 per game while adding 20.1 points and 3.9 assists. However, the Pacers’ superstar has hit a bit of a wall this season. Through his 22 games, he’s averaged 17.6 points, 8.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds, each being a step back from last year’s output. Haliburton has been held to under 27.5 combined points and assists in 13 of the 22 games thus far.
Heading into tonight’s matchup, the Pacers will face off with the Nets. Brooklyn has been one of the better stories in the NBA this season. The youthful squad is beginning to find their identity and has exceeded expectations through the early part of this year. While Haliburton is coming off a 30-point and six-assist performance last night against the Raptors, expect it to be a different story against Brooklyn and for tired legs to only increase this concern.
Brooklyn has several long, athletic wings they can throw at Haliburton. When looking back before last night’s performance, the Pacers’ standout was held to under 27.5 points and assists in back-to-back games and seven of the last 12. He has yet to put the pieces fully together this season and, until this is proven to be the case, expect the struggles to continue.
Tyrese Maxey Over 25.5 Points (-110)
The Philadelphia 76ers have picked up some momentum for the first time this season and enter this game coming off back-to-back wins. Unfortunately, the Sixers also have seen some familiar injury issues pop to the forefront. As the team prepares for the second night of a back-to-back, Paul George will be out with his knee injury management, while Joel Embiid’s ramp-up process continues to take place to work back to full strength. This leaves a great need for offense and Tyrese Maxey is the clear candidate to step into the void.
So far this season Maxey is averaging 25.5 points, 4.7 assists and 3.2 rebounds. His efficiency has taken a step back this season, with this being directly related to being the focal point of the offense more often than he is accustomed to. While he has shot 46.4% from the field and 39.0% from beyond the three-point arc throughout his career, Maxey is shooting just 41.1% from the field and 32.3% on three-point attempts in 2024-25.
Even still, the All-Star guard has eclipsed 25.5 points in six of his 13 games this year without playing his best basketball. He is attempting a career-high 21.7 field goal attempts per game and will likely surpass this number of shots tonight. While the Magic have an impressive defense, there will be enough shot volume for Maxey to chip away at this number. Expect him to go down swinging or be at the forefront of the Sixers’ offensive output, finding his way to over 25.5 points one way or another.
Damian Lillard Over 3.5 Made Three-Pointers (-110)
The Milwaukee Bucks are playing like the hottest team in the NBA and have dug themselves out of the hole they created to start the season. Entering tonight’s matchup with the Atlanta Hawks, the Bucks have won seven consecutive games and nine of their last 10. While Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the driving force of this, Damian Lillard also deserves credit.
So far this year Lillard has averaged 26.0 points, 7.6 assists and 4.5 rebounds. He is shooting 36.7% from beyond the three-point arc while attempting 9.3 long-range shots per game. He has made over 3.5 three-pointers in seven of his 17 games and has a great chance to build off this tonight.
So far this season Atlanta ranks dead-last in opponent three-pointers made (16.2), attempted (42.1) and three-point percentage (38.5%). Lillard has made five or more three-pointers in three straight games entering this matchup, including making eight long-range shots against the Heat last week. Expect this perimeter-oriented attack to continue against a defense that has been vulnerable in this area.
James Harden Over 8.5 Assists (-120)
The Los Angeles Clippers will play the final matchup of tonight’s slate against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Clippers also received some positive injury news as Norman Powell has returned to the court and picked up right where he left off. He produced 28 and 30 points in his first two games back while playing on a minutes limit, allowing James Harden to serve as more of a playmaker than has been the case during his absence.
Overall this year, Harden is averaging 22.3 points, 8.8 assists and 6.9 rebounds. He has recorded over 8.5 assists in 11 of his 23 games this season including two of the past three. Minnesota has a tough defense that currently ranks fifth in opponent points per game. They will send a variety of impressive defenders with high-level athleticism at Harden throughout the game. At this stage in his career, this is the archetype of player that Harden can struggle against.
Expect the former MVP to prioritize being more of a playmaker and for the Clippers to search for other outlets for scoring. Having Powell back allows this to be a much more adequate game plan. Harden is one of the best passers in the NBA and tonight is another great chance to showcase this. Look for him to record more than 8.5 assists for the 12th time this season as Los Angeles inches back to full health.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
