Top NBA Betting Picks for Thursday, December 31

We have an exciting final slate of the year in store, starting with what could turn into an exciting early afternoon contest between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers. While there is no truly marquee matchup to speak of, there are more than enough solid contests for bettors to wet their beak on.

Here are the top NBA betting plays for Thursday, December 31, provided by BettingPros experts Raju Byfield, Isaiah Sirois, and Vaughn Dalzell (Main game odds courtesy BettingPros Consensus; lock and prop odds sites may vary):

Check out our daily NBA consensus game odds here >>

Betting Locks of the Day

Byfield: 76ers -3 (-114 at FD Sportsbook)
The Orlando Magic certainly have the goods to pull off the straight upset, but if the 76ers win as expected, they should win by three or more points. The probabilities are close enough that there is value on both sides here, but the 76ers still present slightly more value. Philadelphia still has some growing to do but present a tough matchup for the undefeated Orlando Magic. The early money has come in on Philadelphia, so lock this one in before the line changes at FanDuel.

Sirois: Bulls +6.5 (-110 at FD Sportsbook)
The Bulls topped the Wizards by an eight-point margin just two days ago, and they should at least keep this game close. Both teams field mid-pack offenses in terms of points per game — the Bulls rank 12th with 113.2 per game while the Wizards rank 18th with 111.8 per game. Defensively, the Wizards give up the eighth-most points per game (119.5) while the Bulls give up the fourth-most (121.2). Both of these teams have struggled so far, and even if Washington gets its first win tonight, I expect the Bulls to keep the final score within six points.

Dalzell: Cavaliers-Pacers Under 220.5 (-110 at FD Sportsbook)
Last season these teams met three times, and all three went under 220 and five of the previous seven games. The Pacers are at home and have a stacked starting five that can all play physical defense versus a pair of young Cavs guards and Andre Drummond. The under has gone 8-1 in the nine meetings in Indiana.

Best Team Props of the Day

Byfield: Cavs 1st Quarter team total over 26.5 points (-113 at FD Sportsbook)
Cleveland is actually the worst team in the NBA in 1st quarter points per game, this team prop is all about the Indiana Pacers. Indiana has allowed 28.8 1st quarter points per game, and while they are in the ‘top 10’ in terms of opponent field goal percentage thus far, they have earned that distinction despite gifting a .479 shooting percentage to their opposition. Look for Darius Garland and Collin Sexton to attempt to shoot the lights out early with the extra shots they will be afforded. 

Sirois: Indiana Pacers Third Quarter -2.5 (-105 at FD Sportsbook)
The Indiana Pacers have been the league’s best third-quarter team to date. They’re allowing a league-low 21 third-quarter points per game and are scoring a league-high 34 third-quarter points per game. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers score only 24.2 third-quarter points per game, and they’re relatively shorthanded with Kevin Porter Jr., Isaac Okoro, and Kevin Love all out. The Cavs have won just one third quarter all season, and it came against a Joel Embiid-less Sixers team.

Dalzell: Pistons-Cavaliers First Quarter Under 55.5 (-102 at FD Sportsbook)
The Pacers and Cavaliers have been two of the lowest first-quarter scoring offenses in the league. Cleveland ranks last with 23.5 PPG and Indiana 23rd with 26.8 for a combined 50.3, but the over/under is 55.5. The under has gone 8-1 meeting in Indiana, and if that trend continues, a slow first quarter is likely. In the Cavs only road game, they scored 26 at Detroit. Indiana had a 35 first-quarter in their opening game and has failed to reach 30 over the next three games.

Best Player Props of the Day

Byfield: Darius Garland over 14.5 points (-112 at FD Sportsbook)
Darius Garland has shown some exciting improvement from last season and appears to have settled in as a focal point of the Cavaliers offense. He is averaging 18.5 points, four rebounds, and 7.8 assists on a stellar .483 shooting. He is taking a high volume of shots and has crossed 14.5 points in three of his four contests. The Pacers should present some problems when switching, but Garland should hoist up enough shots to hit 15 points, even if it takes him 16 shots.

Sirois: Deandre Ayton Under 9.5 Rebounds (-128 at FD Sportsbook)
It’s never fun to face off against Rudy Gobert. As a team, the Utah Jazz rank second in defensive rebounding percentage (82.8%) and first in offensive rebounding percentage (29.8%). They allow a league-low 30.7 defensive rebounds per game to their opponents. Ayton totaled a measly five boards in his one game against the Jazz last season, and while he’ll probably get more than that number tonight, I don’t expect him to end up with 10.

Dalzell: Steven Adams Over 9.5 Points (-116 at FD Sportsbook)
Steven Adams faces off versus his former OKC Thunder squad, and this should be a fun matchup. OKC hasn’t been very good versus opposing centers this season, and Adams is hitting 16-of-21 (76.2%) from the field to start the season, including 5-for-5 in his previous game. The Pelicans have allowed opposing big men Nikola Vucevic (28), P.J. Washington (18), Mike Muscala (14), Rudy Gobert (12), and Aaron Gordon (12) all to hit the over 9.5 mark.

View our daily NBA matchups pages here >>

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | iHeartRadio