The Pacers and Pelicans will meet again on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, two days after Indiana defeated New Orleans 123-114. Brandon Ingram (30 points), Zion Williamson (23) and CJ McCollum (23) all had nice games in the defeat, but Tyrese Haliburton controlled the flow of the game with 17 points and 13 assists. His NBA player prop total for assists on Friday is 10.5, despite his impressive showing on Wednesday and the fact that he leads the league with 11.6 dimes. Can NBA prop bettors expect an encore performance tonight, making the Over the appealing side to back?
The two-time All-Star has gone Over 10.5 assists in six of his last eight games, and he's averaging 12.4 assists on the season in road games -- with tonight's taking place in New Orleans -- compared to 11.0 assists at home. The Pelicans also allow the seventh-most assists per game to opposing point guards this season, giving more conviction to side with the Over on this NBA prop bet. Before making any NBA prop picks on sites like PrizePicks for Friday, be sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 63-39 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,200. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
For Friday's NBA schedule, the model has locked in its NBA best bets. You can only see the model's NBA prop picks at SportsLine.
Top NBA prop bet for Friday
After simulating every game on Friday's NBA schedule 10,000 times, the model is picking Under 5.5 assists for Celtics forward Jayson Tatum at +104 odds. Tatum is averaging a career-high in assists but it still comes under the total as he's averaging 4.9 helpers this season. The Celtics host the Mavericks on Friday after the teams last played on Jan. 22, in which Tatum had five assists. His game has evolved over his seven years in the NBA, but it's also notable to point out that Tatum's gone under 5.5 assists in 12 of 13 career games versus the Mavericks.
As a team, Dallas is giving up an average of 4.8 assists per game to opposing power forwards, including backups at the position. The team has also been much better defensively since landing PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford in a pair of trades last month as Dallas is allowing 3.8 fewer points per game since then. A Dallas defense which limits helpers to opposing forwards, combined with Tatum's history of low assist numbers versus the Mavs, makes the Under (+104) the side to back. The model projects Tatum to have 4.7 assists, on average, on Friday. You can see which other NBA picks to back here.
All NBA prop bets for Friday's NBA schedule
7 p.m. ET: Cavaliers vs. Pistons
See Pistons vs. Cavaliers props here
7 p.m. ET: Hornets vs. 76ers
See 76ers vs. Hornets props here
7:30 p.m. ET: Mavericks vs. Celtics
See Celtics vs. Mavericks props here
7:30 p.m. ET: Raptors vs. Warriors
See Warriors vs. Raptors props here
8 p.m. ET: Pacers vs. Pelicans
See Pelicans vs. Pacers props here
8 p.m. ET: Kings vs. Timberwolves
See Timberwolves vs. Kings props here
8 p.m. ET: Trail Blazers vs. Grizzlies
See Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers props here
10 p.m. ET: Bucks vs. Bulls
See Bulls vs. Bucks props here
10:30 p.m. ET: Wizards vs. Clippers
See Clippers vs. Wizards props here
How to make NBA prop picks for Friday
The model has simulated every NBA game 10,000 times and has some surprising projections for Friday's schedule. You can only see the model's NBA best bets and SGP picks at SportsLine.
Which NBA prop picks should you target on Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see the NBA best bets from an advanced model that is on a 63-39 run on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.
