Paul George and Joel Embiid remain out for the 76ers tonight, which means their offense will continue to run through Tyrese Maxey. The two other players I'm backing tonight are Bilal Coulibaly and James Harden.
Continue below for my NBA player props and my NBA picks for Wednesday, October 30.
NBA Player Props for Wednesday, October 30
- Tyrese Maxey Over 29.5 Points (-110, DraftKings)
- Bilal Coulibaly Over 13.5 Points (-105, Fanatics)
- James Harden Over 39.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-120, DraftKings)
While we have yet to see Tyrese Maxey play with Paul George, we have seen him play both with and without Joel Embiid. Without Embiid, it is easier for the defense to key on him, which drops his efficiency. He is shooting just 35% from the field through Philadelphia's first three games. However, he has been getting so much volume that he is in play for 30 points.
On Sunday, Maxey went for 45 points as the Sixers won their first game of the season against Indiana. Maxey went 14-for-32 from the field, 5-for-17 from 3-point land and 12-for-15 from the foul line in 48 minutes. He's averaging 28.7 field goal attempts and 42.7 minutes per game through Philadelphia's first three games.
While the Pacers are a team that Maxey has routinely played well against, including his first 50-point game last season, he has also enjoyed a lot of success against the Pistons. He has a 61.4% true shooting percentage (TS%) in 12 career games against the Pistons on a 22.6% usage rate. Some of those games have been blowouts but without George and Embiid, I'm expecting the Pistons to hang close tonight as they have in their first three games.
That means Maxey should see his regular allotment of minutes and 25+ field goal attempts. That will help him reach 30 points for the second consecutive game.
Pick: Tyrese Maxey Over 29.5 Points
In Bilal Coulibaly's final game last season, he scored 15 points before going down with an injury. Now 100%, he has carried that momentum into the new season. After a quiet opener against the defending champions, Coulibaly has scored 40 points in his last two games. That includes 17 points against these Hawks.
Over the last few years, the Hawks have been a great team to target if you're looking for overs because their games typically feature a lot of points. Washington scored 121 points against Atlanta on Monday night. Atlanta is allowing 116.7 points per game this season and 42.2 points to opposing shooting guards and small forwards, which is where Coulibaly sees most of his minutes.
The Hawks have also allowed 17 3-pointers per game, which is the second-most in the league. Coulibaly only made one 3-ball on Monday, but he knocked down four on Saturday against Cleveland. A couple tonight will put him on track to reach this line.
Coulibaly's line is 14.5 elsewhere, which I think he will reach, but Fanatics has 13.5 at virtually the same price.
Pick: Bilal Coulibaly Over 13.5 Points
It has been a while since we have seen James Harden have to carry a team. Since leaving the Rockets, he has played with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Embiid, Maxey, George and Kawhi Leonard. However, with Leonard sidelined indefinitely, Harden has to get back into his "Houston mode" if this Clippers team is going to find success.
So far, he has been up to the task. Through three games, Harden is averaging 25 points, 8.3 rebounds and 11.7 assists for 45 PRA combined. Tonight, he'll need 40 to clear this line, which he has done in each of his first three games, and he has a great matchup against the 1-3 Trail Blazers.
Portland is 21st in rebounds allowed and dead last in assists allowed this season. A decent amount of Harden's assists will likely go to center Ivica Zubac in their two-man game. Zubac has been a standout himself this season, averaging 22.7 points and 14 rebounds. However, Harden will have the opportunity to have his own big scoring night.
Portland is allowing 26 points per game to point guards, which ranks 21st in the league. Harden can clear this line tonight with 25 points, six rebounds and 10 assists tonight, which has been a typical performance for him this season.
Pick: James Harden Over 39.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
