NBA Player Prop Bets: Giannis Antetokounmpo Will Dominate In The Mecca

Jan 09, 2023

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With the NFL regular season officially behind us, we’re about to welcome a much more manageable NBA schedule to our calendars for the rest of the season. That starts today, as Monday carries a reasonable six-game slate packed with star power. My three favorite player props for the slate are outlined below.

Regarding the process behind the plays, the suite of tools that 4for4 offers are second-to-none. I use the NBA Splits Tool to break down injury impacts and lineup changes and the NBA Prop Stat Explorer to look at historical data for how the player performs relative to their prop and compare it to our in-house projection. Using these alongside the Player Prop Finder to shop for the best line, 4for4 makes betting on NBA player props a stress-free and fun process. With the shameless plug (that I am not explicitly paid for!), let’s get into the props for today.

Today’s NBA Player Prop Bets (January 9, 2023)

Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 11.5 Rebounds (-121 at BetRivers)

The best basketball player in the world… in the Mecca? Say less. Location aside, Giannis Antetokounmpo has feasted on the glass against the Knicks for the last couple of years. Over his last five games stretching back to November 2021, he's averaging 13.0 rebounds per game. The Knicks typically roll out a bigger frontcourt with Julius Randle at the four and Mitchell Robinson at the five, but Antetokounmpo’s unique athleticism and versatility give him a massive advantage over each of these two players.

On top of getting a matchup-based advantage, Antetokounmpo has been inhaling rebounds like never before as of late. Over his last five games, he’s averaged 22.5 rebounding chances per game (3rd in the NBA) and 13.8 rebounds per game (4th). Mind you, this is including a paltry four-rebound game against the Hornets. Outside of that game, he had rebounding totals of 21, 10, 20, and 22.

In what should be viewed as a bounce-back spot for the Bucks (who are only 1.5-point favorites), it should be expected that Antetokounmpo comes out ready to win and doing everything he can to silence critics. Given his underlying trends on the glass, this feels like an over to take as the books clearly overreacted to the Hornets game.