We hit three of four prop plays in last Friday’s NBA player props via the Underdog app, and this week we’re back to go for the sweep with another batch of NBA props for players on PrizePicks.
Twenty teams will take the floor tonight with staggered start times beginning at 7 pm ET, with the Orlando Magic visiting the Charlotte Hornets and concluding with the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves at 10:30 pm.
The marquee matchups include the Knicks traveling to play the Heat, with New York listed as three-point road favorites. The headliner is a battle of the top Western Conference foes in Denver between the Nuggets and the Memphis Grizzlies. Denver is a five-point favorite at home.
Our prop picks for a Friday night that includes a lot of potential playoff previews are just ahead.
Julius Randle UNDER 25.5 Points
Randle and the Knicks have continued to play at a high level after the All-Star Break. New York has won six in a row and went 9-2 in February, with the big man from Kentucky averaging 27.1 points per game on 48.6% shooting.
New York plays Miami for the first time since the Knicks won by two at Madison Square Garden on February 2. Randle went for 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in that win, while RJ Barrett led the team with 30 points.
Our take is that the Knicks play better against defensive teams like Miami when Randle doesn’t dominate their shot attempts. Point guard Jalen Brunson was also absent from that game, and he’ll also want his shots tonight. Take Randle’s under in Miami.
Nikola Jokic OVER 46.5 Pts+Rebs+Asts
Jokic and the Nuggets came out flat against Memphis less than a week ago and got dominated on the Grizzlies’ home floor by almost 20 points. In fact, they had to work hard to keep that number respectable after going down 24 at halftime. Denver’s star center had 15 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists in the loss.
Since that defeat, Jokic finished with triple-doubles in both games, including a 40-point performance against the Clippers, where he also hauled in 17 rebounds and dished 10 assists.
The conflicted conversation around his bid for a third consecutive MVP award reflects Jokic's perception as a stat compiler, not a winner. We predict he does both tonight in a home bounce-back game for the Nuggets.
Cameron Johnson OVER 2.5 Three-Pointers
Johnson has averaged 30.1 minutes per game as a member of the Brooklyn Nets when you exclude the 44-point loss to the Bulls right after the All-Star break. He’s attempting eight threes per game and has not made fewer than two during a stretch where the Nets have lost six of seven.
It appears the team will let young stars like Johnson, Mikal Bridgers, and Nic Claxton lead them to wherever they’ll eventually finish in the standings this season.
After the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving trades, Brooklyn is looking firmly toward the future. We expect Johnson to put up another seven to ten long-range attempts on Friday night and that he’ll connect on at least three.
