The NBA betting board has five games on tap for Sunday and with several elite players either ruled out or listed as questionable with injuries (including Lebron James, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic), sportsbooks are being slower than usual when it comes to NBA prop betting markets.
That said, there is still value to be found with the wagering options we have available, including a pair of surging young centers and a rookie who is finding other ways to contribute. Here are our best free NBA prop picks for Sunday, November 21.
NBA player props for November 21
Picks made on 11/21/2021 at 9:05 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Cleaning the glass
In the early game tipping off at 3:30 p.m. ET, the Los Angeles Clippers host the Dallas Mavericks as 3.5-point favorites.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac is beginning to log consistent minutes and it's starting to show up on the stat sheet. In his last nine contests, the 24-year-old center is averaging 11.1 points and 10.3 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game.
The Mavs have struggled on the glass, ranking 21st in the league with a rebounding rate of 49.1 percent. And they've been even worse lately, ranking dead-last with a rebounding rate of 45 percent over the last three games. With Zubac pulling down at least 10 boards in six of his last nine games, take the Over 8.5 on his rebounds total this afternoon.
Pick: Ivica Zubac Over 8.5 rebounds (-105 at PointsBet)
Bounceback Ayton
The Suns have won 11 games in a row and welcome the Denver Nuggets to Footprint Center tonight. Suns center Deandre Ayton is coming off a game against the Mavericks where he scored just eight points on seven field goal attempts but the former first pick overall is typically far more active on the offensive end of the floor. Prior to that contest, Ayton had scored at least 16 points in five consecutive games, averaging 19 ppg on 13.2 FGA over that span.
The Nuggets have lost three in a row and might be without last year's MVP Nikola Jokic for the second straight game due to a wrist injury. Jokic is listed as questionable but with Denver coach Mike Malone saying there is no timeline for his return on Friday night, that doesn't look great for his short-term availability.
Ayton has a history of playing well against Denver, averaging 22 ppg in three games versus Jokic and the Nuggets last season and he also put up 15 points against them in the season opener this year. Even if Jokic plays tonight, we like Ayton's chances of going Over his points total and if Joker sits, we absolutely love this bet.
Pick: Deandre Ayton Over 14.5 points (-120 at PointsBet)
Barnes' helping hand
Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes has seen his scoring numbers dip lately and he's coming off the worst shooting performance of his career, going 1-8 from the floor for just two points against the Kings on Friday night.
Not coincidently that downtick has coincided with the return of Pascal Siakam to Toronto's lineup. Barnes averaged 17.6 ppg through the first eight games of the year without Siakam on the floor but has put up just 11.9 ppg in seven contests since.
That said, he's still logging plenty of minutes and contributing in other ways, especially when it comes to setting his teammates up. In October, Barnes had two or fewer assists in six of seven games. In November he has dropped at least four dimes in seven of eight contests, including six assists in each of his last two games.
With the Over 3.5 on Barnes' assists total against Golden State today paying out at plus money, hammer it.
Pick: Scottie Barnes Over 3.5 assists (+150 at bet365)
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