Today’s NBA Player Prop Picks: Haliburton Helpers Pile Up

We've scanned all six NBA matchups taking place today, but will zero in on two player props in the Cavaliers vs Pacers game. Then we'll head to "The Grindhouse" for our final selection of the night.

Feb 5, 2023 • 11:50 ET • 4 min read
Tyrese Haliburton Indiana Pacers NBA
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

Sunday, February 5 features a bustling schedule of NBA action. We’ve surveyed all six games on the docket for our favorite player props.

Our three best NBA player prop bets for today’s action zero in on a pair of Indiana Pacers in Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner, as well as the heavy burden of the Toronto Raptors' Pascal Siakam.

NBA player props for February 5

Picks made on 2/5/2023 at 11:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.

Best NBA bonuses

Looking to bet on some NBA action? Here are two of the best bonuses* available:

A) New users at FanDuel can get a no-sweat first bet of up to $3,000! Sign Up Now

B) Get one no-sweat NBA same-game parlay every day at DraftKings! Opt-in Now

*Eligible USA locations only. Also, check out our full list of best sportsbook promotions for 2023.
21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Today’s best NBA player props

The odds widgets below represent the best odds currently available for each betting market at regulated sportsbooks.

All-Star Caliber

Tyrese Haliburton is one of the many deserving first-time All-Star selections this season, as he continues to show out as the lead dog for the Indiana Pacers. His graceful and cerebral style — combined with wing size and pull up shooting ability — opens the entire court before him. 

He’s a pure point guard of the old style — a  floor general who moves all the pieces just so to set up a shot. His 46.1% assist percentage is first among all guards in the association. Despite missing several games with knee and elbow injuries, he’s third in total assists on the season.

I’m expecting Haliburton to continue his dealing ways tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers because the Cavs' backcourt, while talented, is diminutive by NBA standards. Both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell are 6-foot-1, while Haliburton is a legit 6-foot-5.

That difference is significant enough to allow Haliburton a real advantage when it comes to surveying the court and setting up his plan of attack. He has proved repeatedly this year that he can use the threat of his pull-up shooting from the perimeter to create a pressure point that he can leverage to attack over and over in pick and roll. That threat is magnified if a shorter opponent is forced to close out hard to him just to make a credible contest.

With Myles Turner as his big man, Haliburton always has options. He can either drop off for a pick and pop, lob it in for a ferocious two-handed jam, or use Turner to engage the defense and finish inside himself. Haliburton has routinely demonstrated that he can draw two and make the right play.

He’s Over this prop in four of his last six games. At plus money, this is my favorite bet on today’s board.

Tyrese Haliburton prop: Over 9.5 assists (+110 at DraftKings)

Stretch Turner

Turner is never not going to be in trade talks. Even his recent deal with the Pacers to renegotiate and extend his current contract was done in such a fashion to ensure that a trade is still possible. The reason his name is always coming up is because Turner is the prototypical stretch five. 

Other than a big playmaking wing that handles the ball, a true stretch five might be the single most valuable player type in the NBA right now. Turner is a defensive force who has been a borderline Defensive Player of the Year player in his career, and he’s a sniper from deep. 

The antidote to a team like the Cavaliers that wants to park two shot-blocking bigs in the paint is a player like Turner. As the league continues to trend toward more skilled size and rim protection, you need a way to draw those players away from the basket so your wings and guards can make things happen in the paint. 

For that reason, I’m expecting Turner to spend even more time on the perimeter in this matchup than usual. That will enable Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin to attack the rim, and Turner’s gravity has to draw one of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley away.

Over his last 10 games, Turner is averaging just a hair under five 3-point attempts, and he’s hitting them at a 42.8% clip. He’s also hit two or more threes in six of his last seven games — a trend I like to continue tonight.

Myles Turner prop: Over 1.5 3-pointers made (+124 at FanDuel)

Tired Raptor

There were many, many deserving All-Star forwards in the East who failed to make the final roster, and for the second year in a row, Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors was among them. 

Siakam’s counting stats jump off the page – 24.8 points, eight rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. He raises a moribund Raptors offense to respectable levels when he’s on the court, which is no small feat.

But his performances have lagged of late, and his true shooting has slipped to below league average on the season. The reason? It’s almost certainly fatigue. 

Head coach Nick Nurse plays a rotation that might make Tom Thibodeau blush, with multiple starters regularly hitting the 40+ minute mark on a game-to-game basis. Siakam himself leads all players in the NBA in minutes per game this season, and it’s clearly begun to wear on him as the losses continue to mount in Toronto.

Siakam is shooting just 42.2% from the field over his last five, and his dead legs have contributed to a 26.7% 3-point percentage. He’s also hit the Under on his points prop in five straight contests. He’ll have a hard time breaking out of his slump during Sunday’s game against Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies

Despite what you may have seen on Reddit, Jackson is the league’s best defensive player this season. His length and anticipation are enough to make the NBA’s best think twice about trying to score inside, and Siakam’s game is heavily dependent on scoring in the paint.

Pascal Siakam prop: Under 25.5 points (-125 at FanDuel)

Pages related to this topic

Popular Content

Legal Canadian sports betting

Best Canadian betting sites Ontario sports betting
Covers 25 Years Logo Established in 1995,
Covers is the world
leader in sports
betting information.
Covers is verified safe by: Evalon Logo GPWA Logo GDPR Logo GeoTrust Logo Evalon Logo