NBA Best Bets & Player Props November 12: Nikola Jokic And Other Fellow European Players

It is a wonderful Sunday, slated with fantastic NBA action. There are eleven games taking place today, and they begin at noon for those in the Eastern Time zone, and 9:00 AM for those in the Pacific Time zone. The Charlotte Hornets play in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks to begin today’s action. The focus of today’s NBA Best Bets are on the Western Conference though. The matches are the Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets with Nikola Jokic leading the Nuggets without Jamal Murray against the surging Houston Rockets led by Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green. Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks travel to New Orleans to play Zion Williamson and the Pelicans. Both of those games have a 7:00 PM ET tip-off, and at 8:00 PM ET Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder travel to The Valley to play Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
BET OF THE NIGHT
Nikola Jokic OVER 12.5 Rebounds (+100) MGM
NIkola Jokic is simply dominating his competition, and makes it look effortless. The Denver Nuggets are 8-1 despite the loss of Jamal Murray, and a large part of that is Nikola Jokic. In his last four games he is averaging over 35 minutes per game, and has 13 or more rebounds in all of those games as well. Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. have improved their rebounding from last year and the Houston Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. is an aggressive rebounder. However N. Jokic will be lined up with Alperen Sengun who will have several offensive minutes outside of the three point line, this will help N. Jokic. The Rockets are in the top ten of rebounds allowed to the opponent, and Dillon Brooks defense could force a few inaccurate shots that will allow N. Jokic to grab offensive boards. N. Jokic is averaging 12.9 rebounds per game, and a prop under average on a three time MVP is rare.
PROP BET: Jonas Valanciunas UNDER 0.5 Three-Pointers Made (-190) MGM
Jonas Valanciunas has actually made a few threes this season. The Pelicans are hosting the Dallas Mavericks who have been utilizing a rotation at the center position. This allows them to play with intensity and they all earn statistics. The Pelicans have injuries mounting up like pancakes at a cafe, but Zion Williamson and Brandom Ingram are expected to play. They both excel with the ball in their hands as opposed to passing. The Pelicans have managed to stay healthy at center with back ups Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller playing meaningful minutes, Nance Jr. has played 14:30 minutes in every game this season. Allowing the long time veteran J. Valanciunas to exceed over 30 minutes only once this month. Valanciunas has attempted four three-point attempts in his past four games, and made only one. Probability is a friend of this bet, which still returns half a unit should it be successful.
PROP BET: Jusuf Nurkic OVER 9.5 Rebounds (-140) MGM
Jusuf Nurkic is fitting in well with the Phoenix Suns, and is used to his role alongside superstars with years as Damian Lillard’s teammate. He has gone over this line only three times this season, but has a favorable matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Chet Holmgren is tall, but does not have the size that Jusuf Nurkic does at 7’ 1” and 290 pounds. He is a force when he chooses to be and should be able to command the middle of the paint. The Thunder also have the eighth most points (116.4) this season, with several shot attempts per game. This too favors J. Nurkic with more defensive rebound opportunities. The Suns let their in-season tournament game against the LA Lakers get away from them, and lost a game they should have won. Expect a better defensive performance that begins with J. Nurkic grabbing rebounds.
There it is, three bets on three big men from three different eastern European countries.
Remember to check out Fantasy Alarm for all your NBA fantasy needs. Basketball stats, rankings, DFS picks, tools to help your lineups, and of course the NBA DFS show with Jon and James.
Thank you for reading.
Bet Smart, Be Lucky - Iggy
*All Bets to be placed at 1 unit unless specified otherwise
Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.