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NBA Friday player props: Embiid to make it rain

Jesse D. Garrabrant / National Basketball Association / Getty

We'd give an update on Thursday's card, but just about everyone was ruled out due to injury or rest. Let's get back into the swing of things for Friday's nine-game NBA slate.

Here are our five favorite props on the board.

Joel Embiid over 28.5 points and 1.5 made threes

Embiid has picked up right where he left off before hitting the shelf with an injury. The 76ers big - whose 36% usage rate trails only Mavericks star Luka Doncic's 36.7% this season - is fresh off a 35-point outing against the Celtics. He'll likely stay hot Friday against the Pelicans.

New Orleans' defense gives up the third-highest shooting percentage in the league to centers (57.1%) and can't stop anyone from beyond the arc. The unit is last in the NBA in 3-point percentage (39.4%), overall makes per game (15.2), and makes per game to centers (1.6).

Embiid might put up video game numbers.

Steven Adams points + rebounds under 15.5

Good luck navigating the paint against the 76ers with Embiid back in the fray. Philadelphia is the league leader in points per game allowed to centers (19.0) while ranking second in field-goal percentage (49.4%) and fifth in rebounds (13.3).

Adams has the 14th-lowest usage rate in the NBA and has been held under this total in five of his last seven starts for the Pelicans.

Caris LeVert over 4.5 assists

LeVert is one of the most exciting players to bet over the point total - he averages north of 15 field-goal attempts per game. But we'll target his assists when he and the Pacers square off against the Magic.

Traded by the Nets to the Pacers earlier this year, LeVert is averaging 4.6 helpers per game for an Indiana offense that ranks No. 5 in assists per made field goal (0.633). Orlando's defense, meanwhile, ranks No. 23 in the same category and surrenders the sixth-most per game to shooting guards (4.9).

LeVert has crushed this total in four of the last five and should make it five of six tonight.

Rui Hachimura over 6.5 rebounds

This is arguably the easiest look on the board.

The Warriors allow 56.2 rebounds per game, the second-highest clip in basketball. Power forwards, in particular, have feasted on the glass against Golden State, averaging a league-high 11.85 per contest. Hachimura has shattered this total in nine of his last 12 for the Wizards and should go bonkers in a game featuring the two fastest offenses in terms of pace.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.

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