Player props have become one of the NBA’s most entertaining ways to bet, offering value beyond the standard spread or total. Each night, this column highlights the best opportunities on the board — from points and rebounds to assists and combo lines — using matchup data, recent performance, and betting trends to find edges. Keep reading for the top NBA player prop picks for December 26. Also, make sure you check out our live VSiN programming for more. Our hosts and analysts will be all over the NBA, which is why it pays to be a VSiN Pro subscriber.
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2025-26 NBA Record: 209-189 (+16.35 units)
Friday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find my official plays on the player prop market for Friday. These are the ones that make the VSiN Pro Picks page and count towards my season-long record.
Paolo Banchero Over 24.5 Points (-120) vs. Hornets
Hornets at Magic – 7:00 pm ET
Banchero hasn’t scored at least 25 points in three games, but I like his chances of doing that tonight. The talented forward will have a sky-high usage rate with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs out, and that should lead to him taking advantage of a perfect matchup. The Hornets are one of the worst teams in basketball when it comes to defending the rim, so Banchero should have a lot of success when he drives to the basket — and he does score 44% of his points at the cup. The Hornets can also struggle to defend pick-and-roll plays, so Banchero can do damage as both a handler and a finisher. Plus, Charlotte is lousy when it comes to defending post-ups, which Banchero can occasionally go to. This is just the perfect matchup for a player with Banchero’s skill set, so don’t be surprised if he goes off.
Jaylen Brown Over 29.5 Points (-108) vs. Pacers
Celtics at Pacers – 7:00 pm ET
I’m always a bit hesitant to go Over on big point totals, but I can’t help myself here. Brown has scored at least 30 points in seven consecutive games, and he has also done so in 10 of the last 11. One of the performances also happened to be a 31-point outing against this Pacers team on December 22, and that was a game in which Brown left some food on the table. So, I think he can pretty easily hit 30 tonight.
Indiana is awful at defending some of Brown’s favorite spots on the floor, which is why I have so much confidence here. Brown scores 24% of his points on long mid-range jumpers, 23% of his points on short mid-range jumpers, and 27% of his points on shots at the rim. Well, the Pacers are in the bottom-10 of the league defending all three of those locations. They’re also weak when it comes to guarding pick-and-roll ball handlers, they struggle to defend in transition, and they can be guilty of putting opponents on the free throw line too much. All of that should help Brown turn in a strong performance.
VJ Edgecombe Over 15.5 Points (-118) vs. Bulls
76ers at Bulls – 7:30 pm ET
There’s a chance Joel Embiid (questionable) suits up tonight, which would slow the Sixers down and make it a little harder on Edgecombe to score. However, with his total down at 15.5, I’m taking a chance on the Over anyway. The Bulls are the worst team in the NBA when it comes to defending at the rim, and Edgecombe’s speed and athleticism allows him to get there whenever he wants — and that’ll be especially apparent against this weak Chicago defensive backcourt. The Bulls are also bad at defending above-the-break 3s — and spot-up 3s overall — and Edgecombe is a good shooter. With that in mind, if Edgecombe can play through his illness (which has him questionable), I like him to score 16 here. After all, he has scored at least 22 points in four straight games.
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Biggest OptaAI Player Prop Edges
Check out the OptaAI Player Props pages for more of these! VSiN Pro subscribers can find 50+ player prop ideas on a daily basis! We’ll list the top edges in some of the biggest markets below, but there will always be a lot more to uncover on the pages themselves.
Saddiq Bey Under 16.5 Points (-117) vs. Suns
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 13.12 points.
Moussa Diabate Under 11.5 Rebounds (-123) vs. Magic
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 9.69 rebounds.
James Harden Over 7.5 Assists (-135) vs. Trail Blazers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him projected for 8.83 assists.
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