Retribution was in order after the Denver Nuggets shocked the Oklahoma City Thunder to open these two teams’ second-round series. Oklahoma City delivered that in droves, pounding Denver 149-106 to even the series.
A pivotal Game 3 is on tap for Friday. The Nuggets are looking to maintain their momentum, and winning this home contest will put Denver in an unthinkable position. Oklahoma City looked primed to walk into the Western Conference finals without much resistance after dominating the regular season.
Can the Nuggets keep the Thunder on the ropes with another surprising victory, or will Oklahoma City continue exerting its supremacy on Friday? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player prop wagers for this Western Conference semifinal contest.
| Player | Prop | Price |
|---|
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Over 30.5 Points | |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Under 30.5 Points | |
Oklahoma City Thunder PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander UNDER 32.5 Points
The NBA’s regular season leading scorer hasn’t slowed down in the playoffs. Outside of a 15-point effort during Oklahoma City’s 51-point blowout to begin postseason play, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 27 or more points in five straight contests.
There’s no reason to believe he’ll finish below that number on Friday. Still, will he finish with at least 33 points for a fourth straight game? Expect Denver to focus their attack on slowing down this high-flying point guard and preventing him from scoring 33 points in Game 3.
| Player | Prop | Price |
|---|
| Nikola Jokic | Over 52.5 Points/Rebounds/Assists | |
| Nikola Jokic | Under 52.5 Points/Rebounds/Assists | |
Denver Nuggets C Nikola Jokic OVER 50.5 Pts + Reb + Ast
After exploding for a 42-point, 22-rebound effort in Game 1, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was quiet–by his standards, anyway–in Wednesday’s loss. The 6-foot-11 veteran notched 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the second game of this series.
Returning to Denver may be just what the stat line ordered for Jokic. His averages tick up inside Ball Arena, giving bettors confidence that he’ll cover his combo player prop bet in Friday’s contest.
| Player | Prop | Price |
|---|
| Chet Holmgren | Over 9.5 Rebounds | |
| Chet Holmgren | Under 9.5 Rebounds | |
Oklahoma City Thunder PF Chet Holmgren OVER 8.5 Rebounds
The Thunder have one of the league’s tallest lineups, featuring a pair of seven-foot starters in center Isaiah Hartenstein and power forward Chet Holmgren. Both have recorded 17 rebounds through the first two games of this series.
Holmgren’s contribution on the glass has been more sporadic than Hartenstein’s effort. The 7-foot-1 forward has eight double-figure totals since March, but three of those have come in six playoff games. Expect him to add another double-double to his stat line tonight against the Nuggets, covering this rebounding prop bet.
Best Bet: Denver (+6)
While the first round of the playoffs produced some mild upsets, fans and bettors alike were unprepared for the wild start to the conference semifinals. The first six games during the second round were road upsets. Oklahoma City ended that run with its emphatic win on Wednesday over Denver.
Since the road has been kind to teams in this round, the Thunder will enter as the favorites. Denver has five games under its belt with single-digit margins, and a sixth on Friday is expected. The Nuggets keep this game close throughout, covering the 6-point spread.
