Peter’s Points: Nba Best Bets Today (predictions, Prop Bets For Nikola Jokic, Nuggets-warriors, Andrew Nembhard)

The last 2 teams that person yet to play their play opener – nan Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers – are successful action connected Thursday nighttime successful a two-game NBA slate. 

Indiana opens nan action pinch an NBA Finals rematch against nan Oklahoma City Thunder, who are coming disconnected a chaotic double-overtime triumph against nan Houston Rockets connected Tuesday. OKC was without aggregate rotation players successful that crippled successful Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe, but oddsmakers person nan Thunder group arsenic awesome roadworthy favorites successful this game.

Granted, nan Pacers are without superstar defender Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) successful nan 2025-26 season, but tin they astatine slightest screen nan dispersed successful this one? I’m eyeing a prop stake for Pacers defender Andrew Nembhard arsenic he looks to switch immoderate of Haliburton’s production.

In nan 2nd crippled connected Thursday, Nikola Jokic and nan Denver Nuggets deed nan roadworthy to play Steph Curry and nan Golden State Warriors, who knocked disconnected nan Los Angeles Lakers by 10 points connected Tuesday night. 

Oddsmakers person nan Nuggets favored successful this matchup, arsenic they’ve won 8 of their past 9 matchups pinch Golden State (although they did suffer nan last 1 successful nan 2024-25 season).

Here’s a look astatine my favourite bets for Thursday’s two-game slate! 

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting grounds here (futures included). You tin besides travel my regular plays connected  BetStamp here.

NBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Andrew Nembhard OVER 22.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-106)

Nembhard is group to locomotion into a monolithic domiciled successful nan 2025-26 season, arsenic Haliburton is retired for nan twelvemonth and T.J. McConnell is sidelined for astir a period pinch a hamstring issue.

So, that leaves Nembhard arsenic nan lead defender successful an discourtesy that loves to push nan gait and lacks proven scoring options aft Pascal Siakam.

I deliberation Nembhard could beryllium successful nan operation to mean 15 aliases much points per crippled this season, and he’s shown successful his profession that he tin tally this discourtesy erstwhile Haliburton sits. Across 43 games without Haliburton, Nembhard is averaging 13.0 points, 6.8 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game.

He’s go a amended scorer arsenic his profession has gone on, averaging career-highs successful points (10.0) and assists (5.0) successful nan 2024-25 season. He’s a premier campaigner to make a leap this season, and I deliberation this statement is excessively debased against OKC.  

Nikola Jokic OVER 11.5 Rebounds (-103)

I emotion this matchup for Jokic, arsenic he’s been ascendant connected nan boards against Golden State successful his past 10 games against them.

Jokic is averaging 12.7 rebounds per crippled successful his past 10 vs. nan Warriors, picking up 12 aliases much boards successful 7 of those games.

The Warriors were fundamentally moreover connected nan solid successful their play opener against nan Lakers, but they only played Draymond Green (started astatine center) and Al Horford astatine nan halfway spot. Both of those players person a awesome size disadvantage against Jokic, who averaged a 12.7 boards per crippled past play and astatine slightest 12.4 boards successful 3 of nan past 4 seasons.

Golden State besides allowed 62 points successful nan overgarment successful nan crippled against L.A., truthful I wouldn’t beryllium shocked if nan Nuggets attraction connected attacking nan overgarment – and nan violative solid – connected Thursday. 

Jimmy Butler H2H Points Prop -2.5 vs. Aaron Gordon (-124)

This is nan first head-to-head subordinate prop that I’ve taken this season, and I deliberation Jimmy Butler is massively undervalued against nan Nuggets and Aaron Gordon.

There’s a bully chance these 2 players will lucifer up connected some ends of nan level connected Thursday, but Butler is intelligibly nan amended scorer successful this matchup, and we only request him to outscore Gordon by three?

Sign maine up. 

Gordon’s coming disconnected a play wherever he averaged 14.7 points per game, but he’s only averaged 14.6 points connected 10.3 shots per crippled successful his Denver tenure. He’s a secondary scorer to Jokic and Jamal Murray successful this Nuggets offense, and there’s a chance he’s moreover nan 4th action down Cam Johnson.

Meanwhile, Butler is coming disconnected a 31-point crippled successful nan play opener against nan Lakers, getting to nan statement 16 times and knocking down each of them. He’s 1 of nan much move scorers successful nan crippled erstwhile he’s getting to nan statement astatine a precocious rate, and nan Warriors made a constituent of feeding him connected Tuesday.

Butler ended up playing 35.0 minutes and took 14.0 shots, and he averaged 17.9 points per crippled aft nan waste and acquisition to Golden State past season. I deliberation Butler could extremity up person to 20 points connected Thursday, particularly pinch nan full successful this crippled sitting astatine 233.5.

Odds refresh periodically and are taxable to change.

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