NBA Cup Player Props: Best Bets For Tuesday, Dec. 3
The NBA Cup once again resumes on Tuesday. The crucial 11-game slate is headlined by a clash between the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Keep reading for NBA best bets below, and bet with your favorite sportsbook apps.
NBA Best Bets For Tuesday, Dec. 3
Check out three player props bets below for the NBA Cup slate.
Jarrett Allen Over 3.5 1st Quarter Points (-150 FanDuel) & 6+ 1st Quarter Points (+130 DraftKings)
Traditional centers have the Wizards circled on their calendars in red sharpie because they know it’s a potential season-high scoring night.
Washington’s putrid defense is giving up the seventh-most points per game at the rim in the NBA. To be more specific, it is allowing the second-most points per game to roll men, as well as the fourth-most points via put-backs.
Jarrett Allen doesn’t shoot threes or try to play with flair. He focuses on doing the dirty work, crashing the glass, setting effective screens, and rolling or cutting to the basket with force. In other words, Allen plays to his strengths by operating as an old-school big man.
Nearly four out of five (79.1%) of Allen’s field goal attempts have come from rolls, cuts, or put-backs, so the former All-Star is set for a monster performance here, relatively speaking. Look for him to establish a presence near the basket and shred a Wizards defense that’s surrendering the most points per game to centers across the league.
This game could get out of hand quickly, so I’m taking his first-quarter points to counter a potential blowout.
Allen has faced Washington seven times since Cleveland acquired Donovan Mitchell. During those games, he averaged 6.2 points per first quarter and reached 6+ in six of seven contests.
I recommend playing his over 3.5 line at 1.5 units and his 6+ line at half of a unit.
Chris Paul 10+ Points (-115 DraftKings)
Chris Paul has notched 10+ points in 65% of games this season, and it’s a superb matchup for him.
Phoenix’s defense is soft at the point of attack because its guards struggle to navigate screens and close driving lanes. The Suns are subsequently yielding the fourth-most points per game to pick-and-roll ball handlers in the league, as well as the most dribble-jumper field goal attempts per game.
Paul is producing 1.18 points per shot on pull-up jumpers — good for the 88th percentile. His success cannot be attributed to a small sample, either, because he’s taken the 27th most pull-up jumpers in the NBA.
It’s also a revenge game. Paul led Phoenix to the 2021 NBA Finals, yet the Suns later traded him to Washington since they believed a roster upgrade was necessary. Whether it was justified or not is irrelevant — you can be sure that Paul remembers.
Finally, backup point guard Tre Jones will miss the game due to injury, so the Spurs will likely lean on Paul even more than usual in terms of minutes and usage.
Jabari Smith Jr. 2+ Made Threes (+100 FanDuel)
The Kings are allowing their opponents the fewest paint shots per game of any team in the league. On the flip side, Sacramento is allowing the third-most attempts per game from 3-point range and the sixth-most catch-and-shoot attempts per game.
Therefore, it’s wise to target Houston’s shooters here. Jabari Smith Jr. got off to a rough start this season, but the former third overall pick has shot 50% on threes over his past six games. He knocked down at least two triples in five of six games during that stretch.
It’s worth noting that Smith Jr. has hit this line in four of seven career games versus Sacramento.
