NBA Player Props & Picks for Oct 19 – Over/Unders for Pelicans vs Nets & More

• The 2022-23 NBA season begins for 24 teams on Wednesday, October, 19 
• Ja Morant and Luka Doncic (both 29.5) have the highest over/under point totals
• Check out the NBA player props and picks for Wednesday night

There are 12 games to get stuck into on Wednesday night, featuring many of the league’s biggest stars. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons will play a regular season game together for the first time against the returning Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, while Ja Morant’s Grizzlies welcome the New York Knicks with offseason acquisition Jalen Brunson.

Donovan Mitchell makes his regular-season debut for the Cavaliers in Toronto against the Raptors, and Rudy Gobert will appear in his first competitive game for the Timberwolves against the Thunder. Two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic leads the Denver Nuggets on the road against the rebuilding Jazz, and there’s a tantalizing playoff rematch between Luka Doncic’s Mavericks and Chris Paul’s Suns.

NBA Player Props – October 19th

Odds as of October 18th at FanDuel Sportsbook. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook Promo Code.

The players with the highest over/unders for the night are Morant and Luka Doncic (29.5 points), Gobert (13.5 rebounds),  and Tyrese Haliburton (9.5 assists).

Pick #1: De’Aaron Fox Over 24.5 Points

Sacramento is favored by two for their season opener with the Portland Trail Blazers, a game which could have consequences later in the year in the fight for playoff positions. Both teams made major changes in the offseason, with Sacramento looking to build around their core of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

Fox can be a divisive player, but the high-speed point guard flourished with Sabonis late last season, scoring 29.3 points per game after the All-Star break.

De'Aaron Fox's best buckets from preseason 🦊🌟 pic.twitter.com/Uq8hC1B38y

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 17, 2022

Portland has tried to improve its league-worst defense. A core of Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic still projects to be bottom 10, however, and they are particularly vulnerable to players like Fox. Lillard and Simons cannot stay in front of the former fifth overall pick. Their lack of athleticism and rim protection is a major problem when trying to slow down Fox — he took 63% of his shots from within 14 feet last season, and ranked in the 84th percentile in field goal percentage at the rim among guards.

De’Aaron Fox might be the most underrated player in the NBA today.

— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) October 13, 2022

Having gone over this points line in 13 of his final 16 games in 2021-22, this is a superb price. Portland has no answer for how Fox relentlessly attacks the paint.

Pick: De’Aaron Fox over 24.5 points (-111)

Pick #2: Nikola Jokic Over 7.5 Assists

Nikola Jokic has torched Utah over the last few years, even with Rudy Gobert often guarding him. The Jazz have torn down their roster over the summer, and with no Gobert, Jokic should once again thrive in this matchup. In his two games where he played more than 15 minutes against the Jazz last season, Jokic posted 25-15-14 and 26-21-11.

Denver is favored by eight on the road, and they are back at full strength with Michael Porter Jr and Jamal Murray returning. The workload for Jokic’s co-stars is uncertain, but the Serbian will be keen to get his teammates involved.

Nikola Jokić on Jamal Murray:

“I love to play with him, of course. I know he’s gonna be really bad for the next 20 games, but we’re gonna survive.”

(via @msinger) pic.twitter.com/BqMstz9336

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 18, 2022

The Jazz have no chance of guarding the Joker one-on-one. They have no choice but to send extra bodies when he gets the ball on the block, and the greatest passing big man in NBA is surrounded by even more shooting this season. His usage could drop slightly as the season goes on with Murray taking on more ball handling responsibilities, but for now, Jokic will maintain a similar role to last term.

He averaged 7.9 dimes per game in 2021-22, passing this line in 40 of his 74 regular season appearances. With the Nuggets offense set to dominate, this over is great value.

Pick: Nikola Jokic over 7.5 assists (-113)