Tuesday’s PrizePicks NBA slate has five games, tipping off at 7:30 PM ET with the Celtics as 10-point home favorites over Cavaliers. We’ll close out the night with two good West Coast games, with Kings-Clippers and Suns-Warriors. It’s Taco Tuesday so make sure to take advantage of any discounts that pop up on the board, like the Jayson Tatum points discount.
Selecting the right projections may be challenging, but with the assistance of OddsShopper’s NBA PrizePicks Optimizer and thorough research, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive into the best PrizePicks NBA picks and player projections for tonight, starting with Draymond Green.
PrizePicks NBA Player Predictions | Dec. 12
Draymond Green M/L 29 Fantasy Score
Warriors-Suns boasts the highest total on the night at 234.5, with just a 3-point spread. Draymond Green enters this matchup, averaging 1.08 fantasy points per minute, while logging 29+ minutes in each of the previous five games.
Phoenix ranks 27th against the power forward position and holds a -3.6 net rating over the last five games with Kevin Durant and Grayson Allen missing time. I like this spot tonight and believe he reaches 30 fantasy points. Let’s make it a Dray Night!
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Draymond Green More Than 29 Fantasy Score
Nikola Jokic M/L 9 Assists
Denver is playing on the second night of a back-to-back but remains a 7-point road favorite in Chicago. We know Nikola Jokic can do it all, and he gets a favorable matchup in the assists category today. Chicago ranks 27th in opponent assists, allowing 27.9 per game, and has allowed 28.4 over the last five games without Zach LaVine.
Jokic is averaging 9.8 assists on the season with 14.9 potential assists and 9.8 assists with no rest. The Bulls have a 5.2 net rating without LaVine, which puts them ninth in the NBA, a significant jump from 23rd with him. I think this game stays competitive until the fourth, allowing Jokic to play enough minutes to get 10 assists.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Nikola Jokic More Than 9 Assists
Darius Garland M/L 22.5 Points
The Cavaliers face a tough matchup tonight against the Celtics, who rank third in defensive rating and points allowed. This is also a pace-down spot for Cleveland as heavy underdogs on the road and they might be playing without Caris LeVert and Evan Mobley. Darius Garland faces a tough individual matchup against either Jrue Holiday or Derrick White, both of whom rank in the top 10 in defensive rating for guards.
Garland is averaging 20.5 points on the season and 20.8 on the road. He does get a usage bump if Mobley is unable to go, but I think that just puts this game more at risk of a blowout. OddsShopper’s Positive EV Bets tool shows us that the juice is on the under, while some of the sharper books have this at 20.5.
Best PrizePicks NBA Player Prediction: Darius Garland Less Than 22.5 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.
