NBA Props for Thursday Dec. 21: Rock 'em, sock 'em, block 'em

Oops, I did it again, posting an 0-4 record last night. I knew backing Anthony Edwards to lead the game in scoring against Philly was a stretch, but at least we got beat by Joel Embiid posting a season-high in scoring. That takes the sting away a little. The other losses were more annoying. I don't know the full story about why Kevin Huerter's playing time was scaled back last night against Boston, while Jakob Poeltl is venturing into the unplayable category because Toronto is not sure how they want to use him with their new coach.

Hopefully, we learned something to apply to the future. Speaking of which, the future starts now with eight games on tap. 

Results to Date: 50-82, -63.7 Units     

NBA Props for Thursday Dec. 21

Devin Vassell More Points than Coby White (+175)

There is no doubt that White is enjoying the extra shots that are available with Zach LaVine sidelined. Nevertheless, he is still not the first option and is prone to streaky scoring. You can say the same thing about Vassell but he is more established in his role. I would have made this about even, maybe with White a slight favorite at like -125. This price gap makes it a hit. 

Ja Morant Over 1.5 Steals (+105)

We are not getting the payoff on this one we did the other day (it was over +200) but I still like this bet a lot. Indiana plays with the fastest pace in the league so there is going to be a lot of possessions for Morant to use his quickness and long arms. At some point, his game might "settle" down but I am not seeing it yet. All of his props are interesting against the Pacers. 

Lu Dort Over 10.5 Points (+100)

Dort is never the primary scoring option for the Thunder. I do like him and the rest of OKC to look great tonight in taking on the streaking Clippers at home. The Clippers have won nine in a row but struggle when not expecting to win. Dort should get lots of playing time and has scored at least 11 points in four straight games. 

Chet Holmgren Over 3.5 Steals and Blocks (+124)

Holmgren has been on a blocks heater or late. He has totals of seven and eight over the last couple of games. In fact, on blocks alone, he would have covered this number in four of the past 10 games. This is right at seasonal averages and on a night where I expect the Thunder to be really good, I am leaning into the lanky rookie being a big part of it.