NBA Player Prop Bets: The GOAT Heads to the Mecca

Jan 31, 2023

NBA Player Prop Bets (January 31st, 2023)

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We’ve got another reasonable slate around the NBA on Tuesday, as we have five games headlined by LeBron James heading into the Mecca as he pursues Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. I outlined my three favorite player props for the slate 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 31, 2023)

LeBron James Over 28.5 Points (-105 at DraftKings)

Narratives are often an aspect of betting that are traps more often than not, but it’s incredibly hard to ignore LeBron James pursuing the all-time scoring record with a game in Madison Square Garden on the horizon.

James hasn’t played in the Garden since 2020, but this game being on national TV saw James get ruled in early in the morning. He’s also in the midst of his best stretch of the season, averaging 34.3 points on 49.6% shooting over his last 10 games. While the majority of these games have been without Anthony Davis, things didn’t change when the star big man returned, either. In two games since Davis’ return, James has averaged 30.5 points with a 33.3% usage rate and 44.2 minutes per game (one game went to OT).

The Knicks have become an even softer matchup, especially at the rim, without Mitchell Robinson and this game carries a tight spread, which could lead to a big game for James, who’s coming off a game of rest on Monday.

Risk: 1.05 units on DraftKings to win 1 unit.