The 2025-26 NBA regular season is here with NBC getting a doubleheader to kick things off Tuesday night.
We are looking at the best NBA player props for Rockets vs. Thunder and Warriors vs. Lakers. It’s Kevin Durant’s debut with Houston, and we’ll see the Lakers without LeBron James (sciatica).
Let’s review our favorite NBA player props with the latest odds.
Kevin Durant: Over 23.5 Points (-110) at Bovada
Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – 07:30 PM EDT
The Rockets were the No. 2 seed last year, but they lacked a consistent leading scorer. That’s where Kevin Durant should come in handy in replacing Jalen Green in that role.
Durant is 37, but he’s still an All-Star scorer and hasn’t averaged under 25.0 points per game since his rookie year.
He gets a tough defensive matchup on the road in Oklahoma City as that team loves to pressure the ball and dominate turnovers. But with the Rockets losing Fred VanVleet to an injury, it puts more pressure on Durant to bring a scoring presence.
Durant actually missed every Oklahoma City game last season, but he scored 26 points in his last game there. Wanting to make a good impression for his new team, look for Durant to hoist enough shots to get over 23.5 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Over 38.5 Total Points and Assists (-115) at Bovada
Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder – 07:30 PM EDT
The big news for the Thunder is that Jalen Williams is out for opening night. That leaves Batman (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) without his Robin, so SGA will have to look like the reigning MVP he is to outscore Durant and company.
Houston had a good defense last year but you might expect some regression without VanVleet and by adding a scorer like Durant. Still, SGA had a game with 51 points against the Rockets last year, one of 4 games he topped 50 points on his way to a scoring title.
Williams is also a good passer, so SGA could see more assists than usual in this game as he plays the roles of scorer and facilitator. We like SGA to go over 38.5 total points and assists while the Thunder hang their 1st championship banner.
Draymond Green: Over 5.5 Rebounds (-110) at Bovada
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 10:10 PM EDT
These teams last met in April in Los Angeles and the Warriors won 123-116 with Luka Doncic only scoring 19 points. Betting on Luka to score 30 without LeBron James in the lineup will be a trendy play for this game, but we’re thinking about things differently.
Doncic is going to have to be a scorer and passer in this game. With LeBron out, that weakens the Lakers’ rebounding.
New center DeAndre Ayton has a reputation for being a bit soft, especially in marquee games, and the Lakers are hurting at the position after trading Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic.
That’s why our favorite play is for Draymond Green of the Warriors to go over 5.5 rebounds. He had 11 in that meeting last April against LA with LeBron active. Including the playoffs, Green went over 5.5 rebounds in 45-of-80 games (56.3%) last season.
Make Your NBA Bets at Offshore Sportsbooks
With the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, you can visit an offshore sportsbook to make your NBA bets today, including player props like Kevin Durant to go over in points, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to go over in total points and assists, and Draymond Green to go over in rebounds against the Lakers.
Timing is everything in sports betting, so it’s important to join different sportsbooks and check for the best lines and odds before placing your bets on the NBA or other desired markets. You can also take advantage of special promos at different sportsbooks today.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
