NBA

Best NBA prop bets today: Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, Victor Wembanyama highlight top picks

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Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, Victor Wembanyama
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After all 30 NBA teams had Tuesday off for Election Day, we have a loaded slate to look forward to on Wednesday. Highlights of the night include a rivalry game between the 76ers and Celtics, a possible playoff preview between the Warriors and Nuggets, and the Spurs and Knicks in Victor Wembanyama's Madison Square Garden debut. It will be a must-see TV hump day for hoops fans, and a great opportunity for us to put together a four-prop parlay on TAB.

It has been a tremendous start to the season for the NBA, with countless superstars lighting it up early and a handful of young stars on the rise. With the World Series in the rearview and no NFL until tomorrow, tonight seems like a perfect time for us to go all-in on hoops and hopefully make some money in the process. 

Since we typically like to pick props from the games we will watch the most, we started our player prop parlay with reigning MVP Joel Embiid and prized Celtics acquisition Kristaps Porzingis. We also wanted a couple of young stars in the mix, so we went with Tyrese Haliburton and Wemby himself as the last half of our parlay. Read on to see exactly which over/under props we liked, and why we view each of them as strong value opportunities. 

Let's get to our picks and break down four of our favorite player props on TAB for Wednesday night's NBA slate. Users don't necessarily have to combine all four picks together, though. You could make separate two-leg parlays to increase your win probability, or attempt to hit it big if all four picks come through.

Best NBA prop bets today: Player prop picks 

1. Joel Embiid, C, 76ers vs. Celtics — UNDER 11.5 rebounds

We would absolutely love this prop if it was 12.5, but we still see a ton of value as it stands. Embiid has maxed out at 11 boards in each of Philadelphia's past two games and in two-thirds of the 76ers' games this season. He also averaged 11.5 boards per game across Philly's four games against Boston last season. 

JoJo's worst rebounding nights this season came early against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks and Jacob Poeltl and the Raptors, two good rebounding teams (when they want or have to be). Now he draws Kristaps Porzingis and the Celtics, the best defensive rebounding team in the NBA. We'll take the UNDER here, as Embiid will need to do much more scoring than rebounding this evening.

2. Kristaps Porzingis, C, Celtics at 76ers — OVER 23.5 points + rebounds

One of the most important factors of the Porzingis acquisition for Boston is his clutch gene and ability to step up offensively in big games. Rivalry games with the Sixers — especially in Philly — can sometimes get away from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. KP should come in handy, both as a floor-stretcher and as a down-low foul-drawer against Embiid. 

We also like the Unicorn to beast on the glass against Nick Nurse's squad, which is pretty small outside of Embiid. Philly has a ton of power forwards, yes, but most of them tend to live outside the three-point arc rather than banging down low. The most physical big man on the Sixers outside of Embiid, Paul Reed, has yet to see 20 minutes of run in a game. Smash Porzingis here.

3. Tyrese Haliburton, PG, Pacers vs. Jazz — OVER 11.5 assists

Talk about two teams moving in opposite directions. The Pacers have looked very good out of the gates this season, while Utah has often looked lost. Haliburton, who nearly won the assist title last season but ultimately fell just short of James Harden, seems like a man possessed in the opening weeks. He has been slinging the rock — and launching treys — like a genetically engineered offspring of Mark Jackson and Reggie Miller ('90s kids, where you at?).

In five games, Hali has finished with assist totals of 13, 13, 13, 12, and eight. You just know that eight kept him up at least a little longer at night. With fresh legs after the league-wide off day on Tuesday, expect the young star to net another 12-dime game against the abysmal defense of the Jazz.

4. Victor Wembanyama, F/C, Spurs at Knicks — UNDER 19.5 points

Any NBA player — current or former — will tell you that playing at MSG is a whole different animal. Even generational rookies have endured tough debut games in front of the raucous Knicks crowd. With Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, and Isaiah Hartenstein playing physical D — and defensive-minded head coach Tom Thibodeau likely planning a strong half-court defensive game plan — we have Wemby topping out around 15 points tonight.

Look for Randle to take it to the rim early and often, too, in order to get Wemby in foul trouble. If he gets taken off the floor early — or if New York gets out to a huge lead like Indy did against San Antonio on Monday — our odds of finishing in the green tonight will go up significantly. Wemby had just 13 points in the 152-111 blowout, his third time in five NBA games in which he failed to eclipse 18. As hard as it is to do, hit the UNDER on the rookie phenom tonight. 

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Sloan Piva Photo

Sloan Piva is a content producer at The Sporting News.