Andrew Wilsher
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The NBA action rolls on with another six games to look forward to on Sunday, including two live on NBA TV. The first of that doubleheader pits the red-hot Utah Jazz, who have won their last 11 games, against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. These two teams contested a close game just two weeks ago, and another tight contest is expected here.
With Utah looking to defend its unbeaten streak and Denver having won five of its last six, this has all the making of a thrilling matchup, and we’ve come up with a same game parlay to add even more spice to the excitement. Make sure you also check out our full preview of this game, which features picks on the side and total, as well as the other five games scheduled to take place on Sunday.
Denver Nuggets +1.5 (-110)
Over 219.5 points (-110)
Nikola Jokic over 7.5 assists (+116)
Michael Porter Jr. over 15.5 points (+100)
Parlay odds: +1071
This same game parlay features a number of correlating picks and returns very nice odds at nearly 11/1 with FanDuel Sportsbook. Despite Utah’s dominance, I really like Denver’s chances of picking up the victory in a somewhat high-scoring contest. That feeds directly into the combo of Porter Jr. points and Jokic assists, which I think will be crucial to a Nuggets victory. Let’s break each of them down.
Denver Nuggets +1.5 (-110)
There is no doubting how good the Utah Jazz are this year. They’ve won 11 straight games, and 10 of those have been by double-digits. However, the one team that gave the Jazz a run for their money was the Nuggets, and I think Denver has a great chance of reversing that result here. The Nuggets dominated the Jazz on boards that night, and also wound up taking 24 more shots than their opponents. However, with just 40 percent shooting from the field, they came up short. That was an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance from the Nuggets, and through Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. I’m expecting a much better effort this time.
Donovan Mitchell’s status is up in the air, and if he is unable to suit up I believe Denver has a major advantage heading into this one. Everyone is all over the Jazz right now but winning streaks must come to an end, and it looks highly possible that it ends today.
Over 219.5 points (-110)
Even if Mitchell can’t suit up, the over looks a good addition to this same game parlay. Both teams rank in the top five in offensive efficiency and have been booming from the three-point line. One of Utah’s biggest strengths is its scoring depth, and given how hot they’ve been it’s hard to see them struggling to put numbers up just because Mitchell may be missing. Jokic is averaging 25.7 points per game this season so he should have plenty of opportunities, but will also be able to open the door for Porter Jr. and Murray to light it up. I think that oddsmakers are focusing far too much on what happened the last time these two met, when 214 was scored. As mentioned, the Nuggets’ shooting was below-par in that one and should do enough to tip it over this time.
Nikola Jokic over 7.5 assists (+116)
We’ve already flagged this one up as one of our best player props for today’s action, and I think it is well worth adding it to this same game parlay. Jokic hasn’t been too hot in the assists department lately, but his matchup with Rudy Gobert should see him luring that opponent out of the paint and laying the ball off to the likes of Murray and Porter Jr. to put points on the board. It’s also worth noting that Jokic had nine assists the last time these two teams faced off, and his role tonight will likely focus on creating plays for teammates as well as securing some buckets of his own.
Michael Porter Jr. over 15.5 points (+100)
A lot of what I have said so far feeds into why backing Porter Jr. to score at least 16 is a smart play. With Jokic bumping up the assists, the ball will likely fall to Murray and Porter Jr. and the latter has a great shot of lighting it up. Porter Jr. racked up 30 points against the Mavericks on Monday night and has been on fire with his shooting, having scored 57 percent of field goals in his last three games. He scored just nine points against the Spurs on Friday but played just 19 minutes, and should have plenty more time and opportunities tonight to eclipse this line.
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