There's NBA action all day on New Year's Eve, and I have prop picks to share from three different games.
Tonight's NBA props narrative: In the final game on Wednesday, look for Antetokounmpo to have a monster performance against the Washington Wizards. Earlier on, Derik Queen has the right matchup to do damage.
Check out my top NBA prop picks for Dec. 31, featuring a prediction on Stephon Castle.
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NBA prop picks Dec. 31
Best bet: Antetokounmpo over 27.5 points (-118)
The 'Greek Freak' missed most of December recovering from injury. Since he returned just after Christmas, he's been on a minute restriction, but this number is achievable even in limited minutes.
Despite playing around 25 minutes in both games, Giannis is 1-1 against this line, finishing with 24+ points in each. He still has an incredibly high offensive floor.
On top of that, the total for this game is 246.5 points, the highest of any matchup today.
-> Bet on Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo!
There should be a lot of points scored, and the Wizards have no one to match Giannis in the paint.
Washington allows the fourth most points per game to power forwards (24.73). It also allows opponents to shoot 59.1% inside 10 feet.
That is where Giannis does most of his work, and he should take advantage of the Wizards' poor rim defence.
Key stat: Antetokounmpo has gone over this total in five of his past seven games against the Wizards, averaging 33.0 points.
Best NBA picks
Queen over 12.5 points (-120): Another team that struggles to guard the paint is the Chicago Bulls.
And Queen can expose that on Wednesday.
- Chicago concedes the third most points to centres (24.92), per Fantasy Pros.
- Overall, the Bulls have the seventh-worst defensive rating in the NBA (119.3).
-> Full betting markets for Wednesday's NBA slate
Queen has been solid as a rookie, scoring 13.3 points while making 22 starts for the New Orleans Pelicans.
He's been even better over the last 10 games, upping his scoring average to 16.2 points while going 7-3 against this wager.
This has all the makings of a smash spot for Queen.
NBA player prop predictions
Castle over 6.5 assists (-137): The first thing to note is that Castle is questionable for tonight's game.
If he plays, this is a great wager. If he doesn't, it simply voids, and there's no harm done.
Castle is having a tremendous second season as a passer, recording 7.0 assists per game.
-> Bet on tonight's Knicks vs. Spurs matchup!
He's been extremely consistent in that department. Castle has cashed this wager in six of the past seven games.
When Victor Wembanyama is also in the lineup, it makes it easy for Castle to rack up assists. He's 12-4 against this wager in his last 16 games with Wemby active.
NBA prop picks made at 2:45 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, 2025.
