NBA player props, picks, odds: Fade Kevin Durant with Friday best bets

SportsLine's proven computer model locked in its top NBA props for Friday, including Kevin Durant Under 25.5 points

By Ryan Wooden

Jan 23, 2026 at 11:33 am ET • 4 min read

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Even in his 18th NBA season, Kevin Durant remains one of the league's most dominant scorers, ranking 12th at 26.1 points per game in his first year with the Houston Rockets. However, playing on back-to-back nights can be a difficult proposition at 37 years old, and with the Rockets traveling to a new city off a grueling 128-122 overtime loss to the 76ers on Thursday, the SportsLine Projection Model is expecting Durant to fall shy of his season average on Friday night against the Pistons. Detroit has the No. 3 scoring defense in the NBA, and the model projects Durant to finish Under 25.5 points for Friday NBA player prop bets.

The SportsLine model is also backing Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe Under 22.5 total points against the Raptors, and it is taking Giannis Antetokounmpo Over 6.5 assists in NBA player props for its NBA best bets on Friday.

Targeting NBA player props will be a popular way to approach Friday's NBA betting at online sports betting sites. With NBA odds available for almost every player in every game at sportsbooks, the model can help you find value to add to your Friday NBA picks at various sportsbooks. They can also help new users take advantage of sportsbook promos like the DraftKings promo code, where new users can bet $5, and get $300 in bonus bets if your first bet of at least $5 wins:

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model enters Week 14 of the 2025-26 NBA season on a sizzling 35-15 roll on top-rated NBA spread picks dating back to last season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

Best NBA player prop picks on Friday:

Kevin Durant, Rockets, Under 25.5 points
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks, Over 6.5 assists
Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers, Under 22.5 points

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Kevin Durant, Rockets, Under 25.5 points (-118)

Durant quickly became the go-to scorer in his first season in Houston, as one of the sport's all-time great scorers can still keep up with the young stars of the league. However, Durant has failed to reach 20 points in two of his last three games, and he's coming off a 36-point performance in 44 minutes in an overtime loss to the 76ers on Thursday. At age 37, though, that many minutes on the front end of a back-and-back can take a toll, and Durant goes against a top-three defense on Friday. The Rockets play the Pistons, who are third in the league in scoring defense. The model projects Durant for 22.4 points in 35 minutes, both below his season averages, in this short turnaround. FanDuel offers the best odds on Durant's Under at -118 odds.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks, Over 6.5 assists (-115)

The 31-year-old had seven assists in his last game on Wednesday, and he has at least five assists in six of his last seven games to at least consistently finish near this total. The Bucks play the Nuggets, who could be fatigued and resting some key starters in the second half of a back-to-back. Denver has multiple players battling injuries over the last few weeks and continues to play without Nikola Jokic (knee). Antetokounmpo is averaging six assists per game at home this season, but going against a fatigued, depleted Denver team should help him add at least one dime to that average to go Over on Friday. The model projects Antetokounmpo for 7.1 assists on Friday, and you can find the best odds at BetMGM.

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Shaedon Sharpe, Trail Blazers, Under 22.5 points (-108)

The No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft has increased his scoring in each of his first four NBA seasons, and he's averaging 21.9 ppg this year, up from 18.5 ppg last season. He's scored 27 points in back-to-back games and has gone Over in four straight contests. But he went Under this number in three of four games before the most recent streak. The Trail Blazers play the Raptors, who have the sixth-best scoring defense in the league, and have allowed fewer than 110 points in three of their last six games. The model projects Sharpe for 18.5 points on Friday, and FanDuel offers the best odds on his Under.

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