We are back for more NBA action after a 4-2 prop record to close out last week. This Thursday presents just two games to choose from, and bettors should approach these cautiously since all eyes will be locked in on matchups in Milwaukee and Denver.
The top-seeded Bucks and Nuggets will look to maintain momentum into postseason play that tips off in less than two weeks. Milwaukee has won seven of ten, scored 149 points in regulation last night, and is favored by three points over the Boston Celtics, the team nipping at their heels in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Denver is trying to extend their current win streak to five games as the visiting New Orleans Pelicans vie for one of the final playoff spots in the West.
We’ve scoured the board to locate the best prop plays from PrizePicks on a slow night in the NBA. Tonight’s best bets are presented next.
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Jaylen Brown OVER 26.5 Points
The two-time All-Star has been the center of attention in Boston after his recent comments to the New York Times and The Ringer hinted at some discomfort with his current situation.
It seems he’s let his play do the talking since then, as Brown was named Player of the Week in the Eastern Conference after averaging 31.7 points per game in three Celtics’ blowout wins last week.
Boston is 2.5 games behind Milwaukee for the top spot in the East, and a Bucks’ win would all but cement them as the 1-seed. We predict Brown will continue his recent scoring form in a game that the Celtics have to have in the build-up to postseason play. Take the over for Brown’s scoring on Thursday night.
Jonas Valanciunas UNDER 14.5 Points
The big man has seen a change in his role since last season in his second year playing for the Pelicans. Valanciunas is averaging his fewest minutes per game (25) since an injury-shortened 2018-19 campaign when he was traded from Toronto to Memphis midseason.
Even worse, he hasn’t averaged fewer than 14.3 points per game, his current scoring rate, since 2017-18. The man called Lithuanian Lightning has scored 17+ points in five of his last seven appearances.
However, he’s failed to score 15 points or more in three matchups with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets this season. We expect more of the same Thursday night.
Nikola Jokic UNDER 10.5 Assists
Weeks after being a massive favorite to take home his third-straight MVP trophy, Jokic finds himself in nearly a coin-flip situation with just seven games to go. Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who averaged 33.8 points per game in March, leads the NBA in scoring for the second year in a row.
Embiid missed their head-to-head meeting earlier this week, and Jokic retook the lead at sportsbooks after his 29th triple-double of the season. The Serbian has spoken throughout the season about his desire for Denver to win as a team in the postseason, not so much caring about individual accolades after racking them up for the last two seasons.
Following two games in a row with 11+ assists, we expect Jokic to fall short of double-digit dimes in favor of getting the win and earning all the rest he can before what he hopes is a lengthy playoff run.
