Tonight will mark the second night of NBA Cup action. Buckle up for some colorful courts and significant matchups as the hierarchy of the season continues to be established.
The Washington Wizards will face the Atlanta Hawks at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers will face off a half-hour later, before four games tip off at 8:00 p.m. The action will close with a pair of Western Conference matchups at 10:00 p.m. ET, as the Portland Trail Blazers face the Los Angeles Lakers while the San Antonio Spurs square off with the Sacramento Kings.
There are plenty of ways to get involved on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my top three player prop bets for Friday’s NBA slate.
Best NBA Prop Bets Today
LeBron James Over 13.5 Rebounds & Assists (-134)
Through his opening seven games with the Philadelphia 76ers, LeBron James is posting averages of 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. In his 24th season in the league, James is still proving to have more top-end production than most players ever reach. He shook off a bit of rust as he settled in to start the season and has now stepped up as a tone-setter on this Sixers team. James has recorded more than 13.5 combined rebounds and assists in six of the seven games, including at least 17 in three straight games entering tonight.
The Sixers will be facing off with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time already this season. Philadelphia produced an impressive 29-point comeback victory over Cleveland when they first faced off, which was the Cavaliers’ season opener and the Sixers’ second game. James finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in that matchup.
There are plenty of mouths to feed in this Philadelphia attack, and James has embraced taking a backseat to serve as the primary playmaker. Philadelphia is also vulnerable at the backup center position, especially with Adem Bona listed as doubtful due to a cervical spine sprain tonight. The Sixers have leaned on James to play the small-ball five at times this season, and expect that role to increase if Bona is unavailable. Philadelphia is at its best when James is pulling down rebounds and kicking the ball ahead as the lead playmaker in transition, which has led to plenty of assist opportunities. Expect a healthy dose of that tonight and for the 13.5 combined rebounds and assists line to be too low.
Damian Lillard Over 21.5 Points (-113)
The days of Damian Lillard lighting up box scores are not over just yet. Back with the Portland Trail Blazers and healthy once again, Lillard is posting averages of 20.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds through his opening seven games. His efficiency numbers have left some to be desired, as the nine-time All-Star is shooting just 42.0% from the field and 31.7% from beyond the three-point arc to start the season.
Portland has a roster with plenty of guard talent, but the outlook shifted a bit as Ja Morant is sidelined for several weeks with a hamstring strain. Lillard has seen an uptick in shot volume since the injury, averaging 15.0 field goal attempts in that stretch. This is the second matchup between these two teams already this season, with Lillard needing only 12 shots to record 21 points against the Lakers in the first matchup.
Los Angeles has a poor overall defense that currently ranks 17th in opponents’ points allowed and 18th in defensive rating. They have also struggled to limit opponents’ three-point shooting, which is especially a concern in this matchup with Lillard. The Trail Blazers’ star has tallied more than 21.5 points in three of his seven games played so far this season, as well as 20 or more in five of the seven. He also played nine more minutes in the previous game than he did in the season opener as he continues to settle back in. Count on Lillard to continue benefiting from an expanded role in the offense and pour in more than 21.5 points against the Lakers tonight.
Victor Wembanyama Over 27.5 Points (-123)
It has been a loud MVP campaign for Victor Wembanyama to start the season. The San Antonio Spurs star is coming off a ridiculous 52-point, 24-rebound, and eight-block performance against the Mavericks in the previous game and will look to build on that against a far inferior opponent. Through his first eight games, Wembanyama is posting averages of 29.0 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 4.5 blocks per game. He has recorded more than 27.5 points in four of his past five games played.
This is a great chance to continue adding to the strong scoring stretch against a Kings team that looks to be on a clear path toward being among the league’s worst teams. Sacramento enters tonight with a 1-7 record and issues on both sides of the ball. They currently rank 29th in opponents’ points allowed, 28th in defensive rating, and 30th in opponents’ field goal percentage. There is no true matchup for Wembanyama on any NBA roster, but this is especially true for this Kings team.
The biggest threat to Wembanyama failing to clear this line is the game getting out of reach too early. But it has been a focused effort by the two-time All-Star to play in attack mode, with him attempting 25.5 field goals per game across his past four contests after averaging just 18.3 through his opening four games. Count on him building off the 52-point outing on Wednesday and having a clear path to dominating on the interior against this vulnerable Kings defense, making this 27.5-point line far too low.
