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 5. 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: 237-219 (+12.24 units)
Monday Player Prop Best Bets
Below you’ll find my official plays on the player prop market for Monday. These are the ones that make the VSiN Pro Picks page and count towards my season-long record.
Luka Garza Over 14.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-105) vs. Bulls
Bulls at Celtics – 7:30 pm ET
Garza doesn’t always see big minutes for the Celtics, but this feels like a game in which he can really contribute. The big man is actually averaging 18.3 combined points, rebounds, and assists over the last seven games, and he now faces a Bulls team that struggles at containing some of his strengths. Garza has awesome touch around the rim, where Chicago is the worst defensive team in the league. He’s also a legitimate floor-spacer for this Boston group, and he loves the non-corners. Well, the Bulls are a bottom-10 team in the league when it comes to defending above-the-break 3s. They’re also weak at defending pick-and-roll rollers, and Garza will surely operate as one throughout this contest.
I also like that Garza will still see minutes if Boston is up big in this one, and the double-digit spread in this game surely suggests the Celtics have the potential to blow out the Bulls. In fact, if this is a blowout, there’s a real chance Garza plays a ton and posts big numbers in the fourth quarter.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Over 3.5 Assists (+130) vs. Raptors
Hawks at Raptors – 7:30 pm ET
Alexander-Walker has had three assists in each of the last three games he has played without Trae Young, who is out for tonight’s meeting with the Raptors. However, Alexander-Walker generally puts up pretty good potential assists numbers, meaning he tends to be a little unlucky when it comes to the actual assists column. Well, that alone makes things interesting this evening. We’re getting very good odds on Alexander-Walker to go for four dimes, which is extremely reasonable for a lead guard — even in a meeting with a very good defensive team. Alexander-Walker also has a little more success a passer when playing away from home, which is probably because he shoots a little worse and relies more on his playmaking. But realistically, you don’t even need to be a great passer to reach four assists when you have the ball in your hands often. It can almost happen by accident.
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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.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 30.5 Points (-104) vs. Hornets
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him going for 25.69 points.
Sandro Mamukelashvili Under 6.5 Rebounds (-147) vs. Hawks
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him finishing with 2.63 rebounds.
LaMelo Ball Over 6.5 Assists (+110) vs. Thunder
Our OptaAI player prop projections have him projected for 7.77 assists.
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