Best NBA Prop Bets Today (Predictions for Bam Adebayo, Steph Curry, Keldon Johnson)

Thursday’s NBA action features the most games of any night so far this week, as 18 teams will be in action.

That gives us plenty of choices in the player prop market, and I’m eyeing a couple of stars and a pair of role players to come through on Jan. 15.

Golden State Warriors star guard Steph Curry highlights tonight’s picks, as he has a favorable matchup with a New York Knicks team that is playing the second night of a back-to-back. With Jalen Brunson (ankle) banged up, there could be some value in one of New York’s bench guards on Thursday as well.

In an Eastern Conference battle between Miami and Boston, Bam Adebayo will look to keep his strong play against the C’s going. He’s a solid value pick in his points prop tonight.

Let’s dive into the breakdowns and the latest odds for each of these plays on Thursday, Jan. 15.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Thursday, Jan. 15

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Bam Adebayo OVER 15.5 Points (-123)

In his career against Boston, Adebayo is averaging 17.0 points per game (across 27 games), and he finished with 16 points on 13 shots in his lone matchup with the C’s this season.

Boston doesn’t have an elite frontcourt defender this season, and while Adebayo had been in a shooting slump, he knocked down four 3-pointers in a win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, finishing that game with 29 points.

Even with his struggles shooting the ball (45.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3), Adebayo is averaging 16.8 points per game this season. I think he’s a solid bet to at least hit his season average against this Boston team that is just 15th in defensive rating this season.

Keldon Johnson OVER 19.5 Points and Rebounds (-114)

Devin Vassell is out once again for the San Antonio Spurs, which should set up an expanded role for Sixth Man of the Year candidate Keldon Johnson.

The former Kentucky star is averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game this season, but he’s upped that to 14.7 points per game in the month of January.

Johnson has shot the lights out this season, knocking down 56.5 percent of his shots from the field and 41.5 percent of his 3-point attempts. He’s also done a great job on the glass, pulling down nearly 60 percent of his 10.7 rebound chances per game.

The former first-round pick is playing 23.6 minutes per game this season, but he’s played 27 or more minutes in three of his last five games.

With a slightly expanded role, Johnson is a great bet to reach 20 combined points and rebounds against Milwaukee.

Miles McBride OVER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-120)

Even when Brunson has been in the lineup, Knicks guard Miles McBride has been a knockdown shooter this season, averaging 2.9 made 3-pointers per game on a career-high 6.8 attempts per night.

McBride is shooting 43.1 percent from deep, and he could end up with a few more looks on Thursday if he ends up starting -- or playing extended minutes -- with Brunson banged up.

Since returning from his own injury, McBride has at least two 3-pointers made in each of his last nine games, including six where he made three or more shots from deep. On top of that, the veteran guard has taken at least eight shots from deep in six of those games.

That gives him a terrific floor against Golden State on Thursday night.

Steph Curry OVER 4.5 3-Pointers Made (-106)

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why I’m buying Curry against the Knicks’ defense:

Steph Curry and the Warriors have a great matchup against the Knicks on Thursday, who are coming off a road loss on the front end of a back-to-back.

The Knicks’ defense has struggled since the NBA Cup, and they rank just 17th overall in defensive rating this season. Defending the 3-ball has been the main problem for the Knicks, as they’re 27th in the NBA in opponent 3s made per game and 25th in opponent 3-point percentage.

Curry is averaging an NBA-best 4.6 3-pointers made on 11.9 attempts per game this season (38.8 percent), and he’s had several games with five or more shots made from beyond the arc.

New York has been an easy team to fade against great shooters this season, and Curry’s nightly volume from deep should be enough to get him over his season average on Thursday.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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