Welcome back to the Best NBA PrizePicks Player Predictions, Friday edition. There are 11 games tonight and all of them will count towards the in-season tournament so prepare yourself for the crazy painted courts. Six of these games have totals of 236 or higher while two of them have a 1-point spread. There are a number of players listed questionable for tonight so I’m holding off on picking players that could be affected by news that will come later.
Picking the right projections can be a tough task, but with the help of OddsShopper’s NBA PrizePicks Optimizer and some diligent research, we have you covered. Let’s dive into the best PrizePicks NBA picks and player projections for Friday, starting with Domantas Sabonis.
PrizePicks NBA Player Predictions | Nov. 17
Domantas Sabonis, M/L 7.5 Assists
The Kings have won four games in a row and Domantas Sabonis has played a big part in that. Averaging 8.8 assists over his last five games, Sabonis ranks sixth in the NBA with 13.8 potential assists per game. The five guys ahead of him? All all-star point guards. Sabonis is averaging 7.3 assists on the season, and the odds are pretty even across the board. However, The San Antonio Spurs rank 30th in opponent field goal percentage and 29th in opponent assists. Sacramento is a 7-point favorite with a 236 game total. The Kings have the highest team total on the slate at 121.5 points. Sabonis will get to eight assists tonight and may even go for a triple-double.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Domantas Sabonis More Than 7.5 Assists
Julius Randle, M/L 28.5 Points + Assists
Julius Randle makes the list for the second time in three days. He continues to play well for the Knicks putting up five games in a row of 28 or more points + assists. He’ll have an opportunity to continue that streak tonight in a favorable matchup against the Wizards. If you’ve read this column before you know attacking the Wizards defense is a common theme.
The Wizards allow the most assists per game in the NBA while Randle leads the Knicks at 5.2 assists per game. The Wizards lead the NBA in pace and rank 27th in opponent points per game. RJ Barrett has missed the last two games for New York and is questionable for tonight. If he’s unable to go, this prop will likely get bump to 29.5 or 30. Weather Barrett plays or not, I like this matchup and trust Randle will continue to smash for at least one more game.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Julius Randle More Than 28.5 Points + Assists
Ivica Zubac, M/L 10.5 Points
Ivica Zubac can’t be pleased to be playing with James Harden. Unfortunately for Zubac, playing with “the system” has hurt his offensive output. He’s never been a big scorer, averaging just 8.8 points per game in his eight-year career, but his current 10.3 ppg average may end up closer to 8.8 by season’s end.
In five games with Harden, he’s averaging just 6.6 field goal attempts compared to 7.8 before Harden. He has not played the fourth quarter in three straight games (besides coming in for a rebound on a free throw). Tonight’s matchup with the Rockets is a tough one. Houston ranks fourth in defensive rating and seventh in opponent points in the paint. All other operators are heavy on lower than 10.5 points. This will likely get bumped to 9.5 before tip.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Ivica Zubac Less Than 10.5 Points
Two-pick power plays and five-pick flex plays have the most expected value. If you’re looking for more picks, check out our PrizePicks Optimizer.
