NBA Best Bets & Player Props January 30: Targeting Rebounds For Pascal Siakam
Two of three successful bets yesterday, and another profitable night. Victor Wembanyama let his rebounding line die on the hook, despite needing only one more rebound with over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. That is how dialed in some of the projections are, however Rudy Gobert smashed his prop, and the Denver Nuggets did exactly as Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets expected them to do.That brought in just under a unit profit. However that is old news as there are five NBA games today, and two nationally televised on TNT, where players appear to give a little more effort. There is a familiar prop bet tonight and a parlay bet featuring one team on back-to-back games. Tuesday is somewhat of a focal point for the NBA and that brings up the Bet of the Night.
NBA Bet of the Night
PASCAL SIAKAM OVER 6.5 REBOUNDS +110 MGM
The Indiana Pacers play the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The house will be packed with 19,600 for this Eastern Conference showdown on TNT. The game begins at 7:30 PM ET and the Celtics are seven point favorites. The Pacers enter with a three game win streak, while the home court advantage of TD Garden has slipped away from Boston as they have lost two games after a perfect start. It is no coincidence that the Pacers three game win streak coincides with Pascal Siakam becoming familiar with Rick Carlisle’s system. He is playing well over thirty minutes a game and tonight could be his first game with Tyrese Haliburton since January nineteenth, his first as a Pacer.
The Boston Celtics are a stingy defense allowing only 110.7 points per game, second fewest in the Association. With T. Haliburton expected to return, P. Siakam will play off the ball more, and this in theory should allow for more rebounding opportunities. The Celtics allow 51.9 rebounds per game, and allow third most to forwards. Siakam is very familiar with the Celtics as they were an in division opponent for the first seven years of his career. Kristaps Porzingis did not play last night, but the other starters will be on tired legs after a battle against the New Orleans Pelicans. P. Siakam is coming off of a day's rest and should play thirty-three or more minutes tonight. He averages 6.5 per game, and should go over his average tonight, place the unit with confidence.
ANOTHER PROP BET
SCOTTIE BARNES UNDER 7.5 REBOUNDS -135 DK
'One more time, we’re going to celebrate! Oh yeah, alright, don’t stop the dancing!’ Of course the famous lines from Daft Punk, and it applies to our guy Scottie Barnes in the month of January. Fantasy Alarm NBA Best Bets stopped laying wagers on S. Barnes as his line dipped to 6.5, but it is now back to 7.5. He has recorded seven or less rebounds in ten of twelve games this month, and this line has bought more than one hot Italian beef sandwich this winter… with giardiniera. He’s back on the column as the Toronto Raptors are on the road against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls starting Center, Nikola Vucevic, is collecting more rebounds than a recycle bin does cardboard. He has 122 in eleven games this month, and DeMar DeRozan has five or more in four of his last six games. Newly acquired forward, Bruce Brown has played over thirty minutes the last two games and has nine rebounds in each of those games. Look for this to continue with RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, and Immanuel Quickly all out or questionable. This is the last game for the Raptors this month, and it is one more chance to build the bankroll on this month’s most profitable bet. ‘...We’re going to celebrate. Oh yeah, alright, don’t stop the dancing.’
PARLAY OF THE NIGHT
2 PAR MONEYLINE: ATLANTA HAWKS AND CHICAGO BULLS +113 DK
A two home team parlay on the moneyline at positive odds is the third bet of the night. The odds were at +121 last night, and a slight shift on odds as the sharks made their move on the Bulls. The Toronto Raptors are on a horrific losing streak, losers of nine of their last ten. The trade to deconstruct this team, and mold it into a new future is in the ugly stage, the demolition stage. The Raptors could make more trades before the quickly approaching deadline too. The Chicago Bulls are playing without Zach Lavine and have won three of their last five games. They have been playing better with the return of Nikola Vucevic, and have a -6.5 spread tonight. The Bulls are three games under .500 and have two favorable matchups this month that they need to win.
The Atlanta Hawks are hosting the Los Angeles Lakers on the second of back-to-back games. Last night LeBron James played thirty-seven minutes and D’Angelo Russell played forty-one. Both could sit out, be on restricted minutes, or be inefficient in their minutes on the floor. As of now Anthony Davis and Lebron James have proposition bets, A. Davis has been as consistent as the sunrise this season and will likely play again. If he doesn’t this line will dip into the negatives. The Hawks will be without De’Andre Hunter and possibly Dejounte Murray, but still have the big three of Trae Young, Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela. The Hawks are over five point favorites, and even though they are bad defensively, they should outpace an older team on back-to-back nights. A plus money parlay with the favorites to win.
Thank you for reading and remember to check out Fantasy Alarm for all your fantasy and betting needs. Also check out the NBA DFS show with Jon and James as they have been on a roll lately.
Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy
*All Bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise
Player News
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Suns acquired Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five future second-round picks from the Rockets in exchange for Kevin Durant.
With Durant’s time in Phoenix expected to end this summer, new Suns general manager Brian Gregory likely hoped to use this as an opportunity to add some young talent to the roster while also restocking the team’s draft capital. Sunday’s reported trade accomplished that, with Green headed to the Valley of the Sun along with Brooks and a total of six draft picks. While Green did finish this season with averages of 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.9 three-pointers per game, his inefficiency was an issue at times, especially during Houston’s first-round playoff loss to Golden State. While one would assume that he’ll be a key figure in Phoenix, the Suns still have Bradley Beal on their roster, due mainly to his no-trade clause. Green should play plenty, but sharing the ball with Beal and Devin Booker may result in decreased usage.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Rockets have acquired Kevin Durant from the Suns in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five future second-round picks.
Expected to be on the move this summer after the Suns attempted to trade him prior to February’s deadline, Durant has been moved to one of his preferred destinations. Houston was on the list of teams reported to be on the future Hall of Fame forward’s wish list, with Miami and San Antonio being the others. Ultimately, Durant has been sent to a Rockets squad that finished second in the Western Conference this season, but offensive deficiencies were exposed in the team’s first-round loss to the Warriors. While Houston’s perimeter defense takes a hit with Brooks being included in the trade, Durant is no slouch on that end of the floor. Also, his offensive skill set is much-needed for Ime Udoka’s team.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Dario Šarić has exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season.
While Russell Westbrook decided to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent, Šarić made a different decision. Unsurprisingly, the veteran forward/center has picked up his option, which is worth approximately $5.4 million, and will remain with the Nuggets for the 2025-26 season. Even on the occasions when Denver was without Nikola Jokić, Saric did not do enough to merit being considered as a streamer in fantasy leagues. That’s unlikely to change next season, even if he stays healthy, as Šarić only appeared in 16 games in 2024-25.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Suns acquired Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, the tenth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five future second-round picks for Kevin Durant.
Having spent the first six seasons of his NBA career in Memphis, Brooks played one season for the Rockets before being included in Sunday’s reported transaction. Known more for his defense and ability to be an irritant to opposing teams, the veteran forward made 75 starts for Houston in 2024-25. In those outings, Brooks averaged 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.5 three-pointers per game. While he shot just over 42 percent from the field overall, Brooks’ 39.7 percent mark from three was the best of his NBA career to date. Fantasy-wise, he’s been a late-round option at best in standard leagues, and that’s unlikely to change in Phoenix. However, Brooks is joining a team that finished this season ranked 28th in defensive rating and 22nd in points allowed per game.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Suns acquired Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the tenth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five future second-round picks from the Rockets in exchange for Kevin Durant.
With Durant’s time in Phoenix expected to end this summer, new Suns general manager Brian Gregory likely hoped to use this as an opportunity to add some young talent to the roster while also restocking the team’s draft capital. Sunday’s reported trade accomplished that, with Green headed to the Valley of the Sun along with Brooks and a total of six draft picks. While Green did finish this season with averages of 21.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.9 three-pointers per game, his inefficiency was an issue at times, especially during Houston’s first-round playoff loss to Golden State. While one would assume that he’ll be a key figure in Phoenix, the Suns still have Bradley Beal on their roster, due mainly to his no-trade clause. Green should play plenty, but sharing the ball with Beal and Devin Booker may result in decreased usage.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reports the Rockets have acquired Kevin Durant from the Suns in exchange for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the tenth overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and five future second-round picks.
Expected to be on the move this summer after the Suns attempted to trade him at the February deadline, Durant has been moved to one of his preferred destinations. Houston was on the list of teams reported to be on the future Hall of Fame forward’s list, with Miami and San Antonio being the others. Ultimately, Durant has been sent to a Rockets squad that finished second in the Western Conference this season, but offensive deficiencies were exposed in the team’s first-round loss to the Warriors. While Houston’s perimeter defense takes a hit with Brooks being included in the trade, Durant is no slouch on that end of the floor. Also, his offensive skill set is much-needed for Ime Udoka’s team.