NBA Player Props Today: Doncic Smells Blood In First Shot At Mavericks

While one game in particular will likely garner a majority of the interest from basketball fans and bettors alike across Tuesday's NBA slate, which we'll touch on below, the rest of the schedule does feature some intriguing matchups worthy of both your attention and wagers.

Here's a look at four player prop expert picks on February 24, 2025, including one featuring Luka Doncic as he takes on his former team in the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. 

Luka Doncic To Record A Triple-Double vs. Mavericks (+320)

Preview: Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET

Whether it's Doncic himself or his own willingness paired with that of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates and head coach, the five-time All-Star will likely be given every opportunity imaginable to make a monster statement when taking on an organization that unceremoniously dumped him ahead of the trade deadline in one of the most shocking trades in league history. 

Doncic has yet to achieve a triple-double in Lakers colors, but has come awfully close in each of his last two appearances with his minutes restriction being lifted. He finished with a 14-11-8 line in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 19, and just recently had 32-10-7 in a blowout road win over the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 22. Doncic's last triple-double came on Dec. 15 against the Golden State Warriors, but keep in mind that he has missed 25 games since then. 

Anthony Davis being injured does hurt the narratives surrounding this game, if ever so slightly, but seeing Doncic battle the Mavericks for the very first time is worth any price of admission. His final line could be astronomical, but he is teammates with LeBron James, who's a triple-double fiend in his own right. Still, the value at +320 is worth the risk considering the circumstances.

Scottie Barnes OVER 12.5 Rebounds + Assists vs. Celtics (-110)

Preview: Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m. ET

Tuesday marks the fourth and final meeting between the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors this season, with Toronto having pulled off a shocking upset the last time they took the hardwood north of the border by 13 points on Jan. 15. Scottie Barnes was a huge driving force behind that victory, finishing with 18 points, three rebounds, and nine assists in just under 36 minutes of action.

Now that line would go UNDER what oddsmakers have set forth in the combined boards and dimes department at 12.5 for this final encounter, but it's not as though it was so far off that it had zero chance of connecting. In fact, over Barnes' last five appearances, he's gone OVER this number on four occasions, which includes his nine rebounds and four assists in the Raptors' recent win over the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 23. 

Barnes has led Toronto in both rebounds (7.4) and assists (5.3) over the team's last seven games without starting center Jakob Poeltl available due to a hip injury, although the 7-footer is listed as questionable for Tuesday. Regardless of the latter's ultimate status, Barnes' upside remains strong as long as the Raptors are competitive versus the reigning champions like they did just over a month ago. 

Anthony Black OVER 8.5 Points vs. Cavaliers (-106)

Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic, 7:30 p.m. ET

Standing at 6-foot-7, Anthony Black of the Orlando Magic is the type of player the undersized backcourt duo of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell should dread facing, especially when taking into account how the Cleveland Cavaliers allow the sixth-most points to opposing point guards across the Association. 

Black just matched his career high of 23 points in Orlando's 20-point blowout of the Washington Wizards on Feb. 23, which was also the third time in four games that he's scored in the double digits. All he needs on Tuesday is nine points to register an OVER at -106, and that seems well within reach.

The two teams are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to offense, with Cleveland ranking first overall (125.3 points per 100 possessions) while the Magic sit 27th (109 points per 100 possessions). Oddsmakers have the Cavaliers as the 7.5-point betting favorites on the spread despite being on the road, and should this game get away from the Magic due to their inability to keep pace on the scoreboard, Black could see some extended run anyway off the bench and therefore increase the likelihood of an OVER in points.

Brandin Podziemski OVER 13.5 Points vs. Hornets (-112)

Preview: Charlotte Hornets vs. Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m. ET

The presence and productivity of Jimmy Butler is what's generating most of the headlines for the Golden State Warriors during their 5-1 streak of good fortune with him in tow, although other players on the roster deserve their fair share of flowers for how they've performed since the move, as well.

One of those players would be Brandin Podziemski, who's contributing 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and two steals per game throughout this stretch. As it pertains to his 13.5-points prop against the Charlotte Hornets at the Chase Center, the 22-year-old guard has gone OVER in each of his last three appearances, never finishing with less than 17 points. 

Charlotte is allowing 119.8 points per 100 possessions in its last five games away from the Spectrum Center, and is playing its eighth-straight road game while having dropped its last two by an average margin of 48.5 points. Suffice it to say, if that trend continues, Golden State could be in for a cakewalk on Tuesday, and someone like Podziemski should easily surpass a rather pedestrian scoring line if that all rings true.

NBA Best Player Prop Trends Today

Stephen Curry UNDER 4.5 3-Pointers vs. Hornets (-112)

Three-pointers remain an important part of Curry's game. He averages 11.1 3PT attempts per game this season but is only succeeding from deep at a 39% clip, the second-lowest mark of his career (excluding 2019-20). While Curry has found other ways to contribute and remains a superstar, there are now opportunities for bettors to fade him in the threes market, starting with Tuesday vs the Hornets.

Today's Outlier trend suggests Curry has struggled with the 4.5 three-pointers total at home, going UNDER that number in four of his last five. In fact, Curry has averaged just 2.6 made threes per game at home this season. Overall (home or away), Curry has gone UNDER 4.5 made threes in three of his last four contests.

Now Steph draws the Hornets, who are surprisingly stingy on the perimeter. Charlotte yields a 34.71% three-point clip to all opposing players. The team is much better against point guards, though, limiting them to a 26.58% 3PT mark (second in the NBA) and an average of 2.97 made threes per game (eighth). 

- Ethan Diamandas