There are seven games of NBA action taking place across today’s Saturday Halloween slate.
The action will kick off with an afternoon matchup between the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz. Both the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back as they face off at 6:00 p.m. ET. The Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans will square off an hour later before a tripleheader at 8:00 p.m. ET. Closing out the action at 8:30 p.m. ET, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder will square off in a Western Conference battle.
There are plenty of ways to get involved on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my top three player prop bets for Saturday’s Halloween NBA slate.
Best NBA Prop Bets Today
V.J. Edgecombe Over 27.5 Points, Rebounds & Assists (-118)
The Philadelphia 76ers are off to a 5-1 start and are playing on the second night of a back-to-back following an intense NBA Cup victory over the defending champion New York Knicks. Joel Embiid and LeBron James have already been ruled out for the matchup due to injury management, while Jaylen Brown is considered questionable with a knee injury after missing Friday’s game. With several veteran stars potentially sidelined, expect V.J. Edgecombe to be eager to increase his usage.
Edgecombe is averaging 11.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists through his first five games played. He has had to sacrifice opportunities in this star-studded lineup but has flashed the potential to become a foundational franchise talent in his own right. As a rookie, the Baylor product averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists while serving as a lead offensive option for stretches. He has already recorded as many as 32 combined points, rebounds and assists this season, even with limited opportunities. Edgecombe also knocked down a clutch three-pointer during Friday night’s game against the Knicks, extending Philadelphia’s lead to four points with 33.6 seconds remaining. The Sixers clearly trust him, and this could be an opportunity for him to demonstrate that again.
This is especially intriguing against a Hornets team that has slipped to 3-3. Charlotte currently ranks last in scoring but fourth in opponent points per game. Despite the offseason trade of LaMelo Ball, these numbers suggest a team still trying to establish its identity. Expect those metrics to evolve as the season progresses. Philadelphia needs someone to step up alongside Tyrese Maxey, and Edgecombe could be well-positioned to take on that responsibility. Expect him to see more opportunities with the ball in his hands than he has in recent games. The 27.5 combined points, rebounds and assists line could be within reach if his role expands.
Ty Jerome Over 22.5 Points (-114)
It has been a stellar start to the season for Ty Jerome. The 29-year-old has posted some explosive scoring totals, averaging 25.8 points and 5.6 assists per game across his first five appearances. Jerome has scored more than 22.5 points in three of those five games, including a 45-point performance. He also faced the Sacramento Kings earlier this season, scoring 31 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
Memphis has limited scoring options available, and Jerome is seeing a significant level of offensive volume. Sacramento is vulnerable defensively in a way that Jerome is built to take full advantage of. The Kings hold an 0-5 record and are ranking 29th in opponent points allowed, 29th in defensive rating, 30th in opponent field-goal percentage and 23rd in opponent three-point percentage.
As much as Darius Acuff Jr. has brought to the table defensively, he has bled points on the defensive end and not shown much commitment on this end of the floor. This is a matchup Jerome should see often, and Domantas Sabonis is not much better if he attempts to hedge in pick-and-roll opportunities. Jerome has tallied at least 12 field-goal attempts in every game and is averaging 18.2 field-goal attempts per game. This will be plenty of volume to clear this bar against this poor defensive opponent, so back Jerome’s strong start to continue tonight.
Jared McCain Over 2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-104)
In the final matchup of tonight’s NBA slate, the Houston Rockets will face off with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The injury bug has been active across the entire NBA, and no team has been hit more than this Thunder team. Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, Nikola Topic and Thomas Sorber will each be sidelined tonight, with the bulk of the names missing for much longer. Someone needs to put the ball in the hole for this Thunder team, and Jared McCain will be eager to continue benefiting from his extended opportunities.
Through the opening five games, McCain is averaging 11.0 points, 2.2 assists and 2.0 rebounds in 24.0 minutes per game. He has been inserted into the starting lineup for each of the past two games as injuries have mounted, with his workload approaching 30 minutes per game in those contests. This represents a significant increase from the 18.0 minutes per game he averaged last season following the midseason trade. The Duke product has been particularly effective from beyond the three-point arc. McCain is shooting 37.9% from deep this season on 5.8 attempts per game. He has knocked down as many as six three-pointers in a game and has recorded four or more makes in two of his five appearances.
McCain will be looking to bounce back from an 0-for-6 performance from three-point range in his previous matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. However, the 22-year-old should continue to have opportunities to let it fly as Oklahoma City navigates its injury concerns. Houston has a strong defensive identity and currently ranks third in opponent three-point percentage, but the Rockets are allowing the eighth-most three-point attempts per game. Count on McCain continuing to be a major relief valve in the offense alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and for his level of shot volume to only further grow as the season progresses.
