Tonight, Ja Morant and LeBron James headline our NBA player props for January 30th. Talk about star power!
Keep reading below for our DFS analysis for these two players, as well as a breakdown on Zach Edey’s recent performance on the defensive end of the floor!
NBA Player Props for January 30
Ja Morant Over 20.5 Points (-110) – DraftKings
It has not been a very consistent season for Ja Morant, who has averaged merely 20.3 points on 44.5% shooting from the field and 30.6% from behind the arc.
Injuries are partly to blame, as is his slower-than-usual adjustment to the new offensive system implemented by assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo, who was hired last offseason.
The new system utilizes the Grizzlies’ depth by playing at a neck-breaking pace (first in pace in the NBA). They constantly rotate players, so that there are always fresh legs in the game.
The idea is to use Memphis’s depth to its advantage and every other team’s detriment, as nearly every other organization lacks the depth necessary to compete over 48 minutes.
Thus far, the production speaks for itself: the Grizzlies rank first in points per game.
While Morant would normally benefit in a system that correlates well with his speed, agility, and athleticism, that has not been the case.
However, when the Grizzlies have played the Rockets this season, they have been held to a normal pace and well below their season average for points per game.
Houston has cut off passing lanes and played suffocating defense, with Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Amen Thompson leading the charge.
This has forced Morant to be much more aggressive offensively than we have seen from him this season.
In fact, Morant has been over this line (20.5 points) in all three games against the Rockets, averaging 26.7 points on 21 field goal attempts per game.
Expect an aggressive Morant tonight.
LeBron James Over 26.5 Points (-120) – DraftKings
With Anthony Davis sidelined due to an abdominal injury he suffered in the Lakers’ last game, LeBron James will have to step up and deny “Father Time” once again.
Davis has been much more durable this season than in past ones, so James has actually only played in three games without AD; however, he has put up monstrous statistics in those matchups.
In fact, LeBron has averaged an astonishing 35.3 points per game on 63.6% shooting from the field and 63% shooting from behind the arc in those Davis-less games.
And tonight, James will be going up against the Washington Wizards, by far the worst team in the NBA.
The potential for a blowout is always there; however, the Lakers don’t currently have a ton of firepower outside of James and Austin Reaves.
It should be yet another masterful game from James tonight.
One Last Thought
Zach Edey has put together some strong performances in the past week, including a 19-point, 7-rebound, and 4-block outing against the Utah Jazz.
Despite his size at 7-foot-4, Edey has not recorded as many blocks as anticipated this season, but his most recent three-game stretch has been more promising.
As a matter of fact, Edey has averaged 3 blocks per game in that span, and would have hit the over on his block prop line (1.5) in all three outings.
At +170 value on bet365, a flier on Edey to record two blocks against a physical Rockets team could make sense!
NBA Player Props Today: Can Morant Lead Grizzlies To First Win Over Rockets?