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 January 9. 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: 247-232 (+7.49 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.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Over 26.5 Points + Rebounds (-120) vs. Thunder
Thunder at Grizzlies – 8:00 pm ET
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Cason Wallace, and Isaiah Hartenstein are just some of the inactives for Oklahoma City tonight. The Thunder should be just fine on the perimeter, where they’ll have Jalen Williams to run the offense through. They also have some guys that can play off him, with Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Joe set to play more. There’s also a chance Alex Caruso (questionable) will be out there. However, the situation in the frontcourt isn’t pretty. Jaylin Williams is another big that won’t be playing tonight, leaving Branden Carlson as one of the only remaining bodies the Thunder will be able to throw at the Grizzlies.
All of Oklahoma City’s absences should mean good things for Jackson Jr. The big man isn’t the greatest rebounder in the world, but there’s a chance he shows up on the glass against a weak frontcourt. I also don’t have many concerns about his offense. He’s going to have some real opportunities to score at the rim, and I think he’ll knock down a couple of triples.
Jackson has gone Over tonight’s 26.5 combined points and rebounds in four of the last seven games. I think he keeps it up here.
Jamal Murray Over 9.5 Assists (+100) vs. Hawks
Hawks at Nuggets – 9:00 pm ET
Murray is going against a Hawks team that has been very good defensively without Trae Young, so this matchup isn’t perfect. However, it’s hard not to play the Over on Murray’s assists given what we’ve seen lately. In the four games Murray has played since Nikola Jokic’s knee injury, the Canadian guard is averaging 20.5 potential assists and 13.0 adjusted assists per game. He’s also averaging 16.5 actual assists per game over the last two contests, plus 24.5 potential assists per game. It’s just clear that Murray is enjoying the opportunity to showcase his passing ability after years of being a scorer first. So, at even-money odds, I’m taking him to finish with at least 10 dimes tonight.
I’ll also note that the Hawks are giving up more assists per game (27.8) than all but four teams in the NBA. Of course, they have been great defensively without Young, so maybe that doesn’t matter. But Young only played 10 games for the Hawks before getting moved to the Wizards. He’s not directly responsible for all of their defensive deficiencies.
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Noteworthy 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.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Under 31.5 Points (-120) vs. Lakers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 27.37 points.
Amen Thompson Under 7.5 Rebounds (-140) vs. Trail Blazers
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 5.83 rebounds.
Christian Braun Over 2.5 Assists (+115) vs. Hawks
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him projected for 3.72 assists.
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