Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: Back Morant to Continue Lighting It Up

James Bisson - Head of Content, Betting
James Bisson • Head of Content, Betting 16+ years betting experience
Updated: Oct 23, 2021 , 12:42 PM ET • 4 min read

We're early in the NBA season, but there's still plenty of value across a multitude of player prop markets. Check out our best NBA prop picks for Saturday, including Ja Morant's offensive explosion to continue.

Ja Morant Memphis Grizzlies NBA props
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

With just half a week's worth of games played in this young NBA season, we don't have much of a sample to lean on when it comes to pilfering props. 

That said, we still have some revealing matchups and trends dating back to last season that help paint a solid picture of what we can expect for this weekend's action.

Let's put the info to work and check out our best NBA player prop picks for Saturday, October 23. 

NBA player props for October 23     

Picks made on 10/23/2021 at 12:10 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

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As we noted in our Mavericks vs. Raptors preview, the Raps' defense looks legit so far, while the Mavs' offense was horribly out-of-rhythm against Atlanta.

Obviously, preternatural phenom Luka Doncic will figure out a way to get Dallas flowing, but it may take some time given his inconsistent surroundings and a Jason Kidd offense that, at face value, figures to be a huge downgrade from Rick Carlisle's crafty brilliance. 

To boot, it will be even more difficult for Doncic to weave gold out of his teammates with all of the Raptors' rangy, switchable defenders zeroing in on him. It will be tougher to exploit them in the pick-n-roll, and what's worse, even if Doncic does create solid looks for his teammates, it's tough to trust them to convert after Dallas shot 33 percent against Atlanta.

Doncic will likely flirt with double-digit assists, as he does on an almost nightly basis, but against this tangled web of defense, it seems more likely that he falls short of the mark. 

You'll probably notice the heavy juice we're paying here, but it's a tradeoff for the extra cushion, as this prop sits at 9.5 virtually everywhere but bet365.

Pick: Luka Doncic Under 10.5 assists (-145 at bet365)

Wolves sophomore Anthony Edwards announced himself in a big way over the second half of his rookie campaign and picked up right where he left off, touching up the Rockets with 29 points in his 2021-22 debut. 

Edwards was 6-12 from long range in that game, pushing his average to 3.5 made 3-pointers over his past ten games, dating back to last season. 

The Wolves habitually play at a fast pace, meaning Edwards should have plenty of opportunities to launch against most opponents. Tonight's foe, the New Orleans Pelicans, were 23rd in defensive rating last season, and coughed up 122.5 ppg in two games this season, good for 26th. 

With inexperienced defenders lining the Pels' backcourt, count on Edwards to keep riding this trend and hit the Over again. 

Pick: Anthony Edwards Over 2.5 3-pointers (-122 at FanDuel)

The Memphis Grizzlies' young star PG has been making one hell of a statement lately. 

Obviously, it's just one game, but Morant leads the NBA in scoring after dropping 37 points on 59 percent shooting against Cleveland in the season opener. 

But Morant also averaged 30.2 ppg against the league's best defense (the Utah Jazz) in the opening round of last season's playoffs, after lighting up Golden State's fifth-ranked defense for 35 in the play-in game. 

While the Clippers still project as an above-average defensive team, Reggie Jackson is nowhere near the defender Patrick Beverley was, and Eric Bledsoe has to prove himself after a lost season in New Orleans. 

Bank on Morant to fade a large regression and clear this total.

Pick: Ja Morant Over 24.5 points (-120 at Bet MGM)

NBA parlays

Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NBA player props in a single-game parlay, you could win $46.37 on a $10 bet?

Use our NBA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.

Where can I bet on NBA player props?

You can bet on NBA player props at every online and casino sportsbook, including player Over/Under totals, double-doubles and a ton of other NBA prop odds. Head over to our best basketball betting sites for NBA player prop odds in your area.

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James Bisson
Head of Content, Betting

James Bisson is the Editor-in-Chief at Covers. He has been a writer, reporter and editor for more than 20 years, including a nine-year stint with The Canadian Press and more than five years at theScore. He has covered dozens of marquee events including the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2006 Stanley Cup final and Wrestlemania 23, and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Yahoo! Sports, the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail.

His book, “100 Greatest Canadian Sports Moments”, was a hardcover best-seller in Canada in 2008 and earned him appearances on CBC Radio and Canada AM. He has written more than 50 sportsbook reviews, more than 200 industry news articles, and dozens of other sportsbook-related content articles.

A graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), James has been an avid bettor since the early 2000s, and cites bet365 as his favorite sports betting site due to its superior functionality and quick payouts. His biggest professional highlight: Covering Canada's first Olympic gold medal on home soil – and interviewing Bret Hart. Twice.

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