Eight NBA games are set for Thursday, January 29, 2026, offering bettors a range of player prop opportunities. SportsLine's Projection Model highlights picks including Michael Porter Jr. over 25.5 points, Joel Embiid under 9.5 rebounds, and Dyson Daniels under 6.5 assists. FanDuel Research also recommends Jalen Smith for two or more made threes and the Charlotte Hornets to cover as 3.5-point favorites against the Dallas Mavericks.
The NBA's Thursday schedule features matchups like the Brooklyn Nets facing the Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers versus the Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks at the Houston Rockets, and others including Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets at Dallas Mavericks.
SportsLine's model, which simulates each game 10,000 times and has a 37-16 record on top-rated spread picks since last season, identifies value in specific props. For Michael Porter Jr. of the Nets, now the primary scorer after seven seasons in Denver, the over 25.5 points at -110 odds stands out. Averaging 25.2 points per game this season, Porter has scored 30 or more in two of his last three outings. Facing his former team without Nikola Jokic (knee) and Aaron Gordon (hamstring), he previously dropped 27 points on the Nuggets. The model projects 28.6 points.
Joel Embiid, the former MVP with the 76ers, presents an under 9.5 rebounds bet at -120 odds, with plus-money at 8.5 on FanDuel. Limited by injury history and playing his second game in three days against Domantas Sabonis and the Kings, Embiid averages 7.5 rebounds this season and has gone under 9.5 in seven of his last nine appearances. The model forecasts 7.2 rebounds.
For Dyson Daniels of the Hawks, the under 6.5 assists at -112 odds is favored. An elite defender averaging 6.3 assists per game, Daniels has stayed under in 25 of 47 games. Against the Rockets, who rank fourth in points allowed at 110.5 per game, the projection is 5.4 assists.
FanDuel Research adds Jalen Smith of the Bulls to hit 2+ made threes at -136 against the Heat, who allow the eighth-highest three-point attempt rate. Smith averages 1.9 threes in January, hitting two or more in eight straight games. In the Hornets-Mavericks game, Charlotte -3.5 at -105 is backed due to their first-place net rating (+12.7) over the last 15 games, topping offensive rating and third in defensive, with four straight wins. Dallas ranks 17th in net rating and 22nd offensively in that span.
