Our Best Bets for February 2

Kyle Lowry is no longer the offensive threat he used to be, but we're still backing the vet to cash in on his 3-pointer prop tonight against a Knicks team that has been susceptible at defending beyond the perimeter. Read more in our NBA player prop picks.

It’s an awesome night of NBA action, with seven games on the board for basketball bettors to dig through. That means plenty of options to be found in the player prop market.

Tonight I look at a couple of props for a pair of former Raptors. Kyle Lowry should let it fly from downtown against the Knicks, and Jonas Valanciunas will look to get back on track against the Mavs. Meanwhile, Zach LaVine continues to build his value heading into the trade deadline.

Here are my best NBA player prop bets for Thursday, February 2.

NBA player props for February 2

Picks made on 2/02/2023 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

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Today’s best NBA player props

The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.

Lowry from downtown 

Kyle Lowry clearly isn’t the guy he was a few years ago, but the Miami Heat will still need him to play well if they hope to contend in the Eastern Conference this year. And luckily for them, Lowry is starting to find his shooting rhythm.

At a measly clip of 33.6%, this is Lowry’s worst shooting season from 3-point range since he was a member of the Houston Rockets. However, the veteran point guard has started to pick it up of late. Lowry has hit two or more threes four times in the last five games, and he’ll get the chance to keep jacking up the treys tonight against the New York Knicks.

The Knicks aren’t the same stout defensive team we have seen in previous years. New York ranks 17th in the NBA in defensive rating, and while it does a decent job of clogging up the paint, the perimeter is left vulnerable far too often. In fact, only the Rockets allow more than the Knicks’ 38 3-point attempts and 13.3 long-distance makes per game.

Now that Lowry isn’t a top defensive priority for opponents, I like him to get some open looks in this one and hit the Over on his reasonable 3-pointer prop.

Kyle Lowry prop: Over 1.5 made 3-pointers (-135)

LaVine intervention 

It has been a disappointing season for the Chicago Bulls. They are four games below .500 and are on the outside looking in for the Eastern Conference play-in. With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, rumors are now swirling around Bulls’ star guard Zach LaVine.

However, LaVine isn’t letting those rumors affect his play. The Bulls' shooting guard is putting up 23.7 points per game while shooting 37.7% from 3-point range and is also adding 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

LaVine has been putting even more work on the glass lately. The Chicago star is grabbing 6.7 rebounds per game Over his last 11, and he should keep dominating the boards in tonight’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.

The Hornets are one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA for several reasons. For starters, outside of Mason Plumlee, this is an undersized team that plays a lot of small ball lineups. Because of that approach, it's not surprising that Charlotte ranks 21st in the NBA in rebounding rate. It's also important to highlight that the Hornets rank dead last in effective field goal percentage. 

LaVine has grabbed six or more boards seven times in the last 11 games, including when he hauled down nine against this same Hornets squad last week. 

Zach LaVine prop: Over 5.5 rebounds (-113)

Lithuania lightning 

Excuse me for the former Raptors theme, as today’s final prop focuses on New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas.

It has been an ugly stretch for the Pelicans as the team has dropped nine consecutive games. However, Valanciunas has been doing his best to step up for his teammates, particularly with Zion Williamson still sidelined.

Prior to the last three games — which included an early ejection and a couple of tough matchups — JV was averaging 18.5 points on 60.4% shooting from the floor and grabbing 11.6 rebounds over a 13-game stretch. He recorded a double-double in 11 of those 13 games.

That includes a matchup against this same Mavs squad, where Valanciunas went for 25 points and 10 boards backs on January 7. There’s no reason to think he can’t put up a similar performance tonight.

That’s because the Mavericks are really bad on the boards. When your best rebounder is your point guard, you know you’re going to have some problems. They are also clearly missing center Christian Wood, who is out with a thumb injury.

As a result, the Mavs rank as the worst team in the NBA when it comes to rebounding rate and 20th in opponent rebounds per game. The only time JV landed below 10 points in 2023 was a few days ago when he got ejected in the first half vs. Washington.

Valanciunas is a matchup problem, and I’ll be backing him to record his 12th double-double since the start of January.

Jonas Valanciunas prop: To record a double-double (+110)