ZT details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s game between the Nuggets and the Rockets.
NBA Cup group play continues this Friday night with nine games on the schedule. One of the tastiest matchups of the night is the second game of Prime Video’s doubleheader, featuring a pair of Western Conference powerhouses. With the Houston Rockets hosting the Denver Nuggets, plenty of star options are ready to take the court on both sides, so let’s jump in and take a look at a few player prop bets that stand out as my favorites.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Rockets are slight 2.5-point home favorites, with the game total set at O/U 235.5 points.
All five teams in Group C are 1-1 after two games, with the Nuggets in the top spot just ahead of the Rockets at No. 2 based on tiebreakers. Both teams won at home and lost on the road in their first two games of Cup Play, but they have been very strong throughout the regular season to this point and are running second and third in the conference behind only the Thunder. The Nuggets are currently the No. 2 seed at 11-3, while the Rockets are 10-3 as the No. 3 seed. In what should be an outstanding and very entertaining matchup, let’s dive in and hunt down a few player prop bets that make sense.
Nuggets vs. Rockets Best Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Aaron Gordon over 17.5 points (-106)
Gordon has been excellent so far this season for the Nuggets, taking on a little more offense with Michael Porter Jr. traded to the Nets and Cameron Johnson struggling to fit into the Nuggets’ offense.
Gordon has averaged 20.2 points per game this season and has scored at least 18 points in three straight games and six of his last seven. Even if the Rockets hold him under his average, he should be able to go over this point line, and he has come up huge as the team’s third scoring option so far this season.
He is on the injury report for this game but is listed as probable with a hamstring issue. He rested Wednesday, but as long as he is ready to return this Friday as expected, he should be poised for a strong showing in his return.
Amen Thompson under 29.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists (-123)
I’m a huge fan of Thompson, but this line seems very high for him based on his recent usage and production. He’ll also be focused on shutting down Jamal Murray on the other end of the floor, so his offense is really not his primary contribution this Friday.
Thompson has averaged 16.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 28.4 PRA (points, rebounds and assists) on the season. He can definitely stuff the stat sheet in multiple categories, but his scoring has been slightly down in the last couple of weeks.
Thompson only had 12 points against the Cavaliers, despite playing 40 minutes, and he finished with 27 PRA in his team’s big win. He has been under 30 PRA in each of his last six games, with his last time over this number coming back on November 5 in a monster game against the Grizzlies.
In the current Rockets’ rotation, Thompson is a key contributor and creator, but with Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun carrying more of the scoring, I think the exciting young guard will end up coming up short of this total on Friday. If you want to back Thompson to go over a number, one that I like a lot in the matchup is his over 1.5 steals line at -102.
Cameron Johnson over 2.5 assists (+121)
It has been a rough start to the season for Johnson in Denver, but I like him to get at least three assists in this matchup as a good value play at plus money. He’s only averaging 2.2 assists per game, but he has dished out at least three assists in four of his last six games and is coming off a season-high five assists on Wednesday against the Pelicans.
In one of the two games in his last six, Johnson had two assists, falling just short of this prop line, and in the other game he was under it, he played only eight minutes before suffering a biceps strain last Wednesday against the Clippers.
Johnson’s scoring has also been better in his two games since returning, as he had 19 points against the Bulls and 14 points against the Pelicans. However, I like his assist line a little better based on the favorable odds and the fact that he seems to be starting to find his fit in Denver’s offense as they roll into Houston this Friday.
