Alex Hunter details his best player prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for Thursday’s game between the Warriors and Nuggets.
The Warriors are hosting the Nuggets on Thursday night. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Golden State is favored by 1.5 points, with the game total set at 233.5 points.
Below, I dive into three of my favorite player prop bets for Thursday’s matchup between the Warriors and Nuggets.
Best Warriors vs. Nuggets Player Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Brandin Podziemski U 12.5 Points (-111)
The Warriors started their season with a win over the Lakers on Tuesday, but Podziemski didn’t do much as a scorer, finishing with just seven points on 3-of-7 shooting across 33 minutes. After bringing Jonathan Kuminga off the bench for much of last season, Golden State injected the forward into its starting five Tuesday, which muted Podziemski’s role. While Kuminga handled a 17.9% usage rate, Podziemski’s usage rate was easily the lowest of the Warriors’ five starters at 11%. The second-lowest was Draymond Green at 16.7%.
Podziemski taking a backseat in the starting five wasn’t a surprise; in the six games he and Kuminga have started together the last two seasons, Podziemski is averaging just 9.7 PPG with a 15.6% usage rate. While the guard will benefit when Golden State is down key players, Podziemski putting up modest numbers when the Warriors are at full strength is likely to be a regular occurrence, and this 12.5-point line is just too high for him tonight.
Aaron Gordon O 8.5 Rebounds + Assists (-111)
Gordon averaged 4.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last season, and he finished his campaign, clearing 8.5 RA in six of his final 10 starts of the playoffs. For the season, Gordon averaged 5.9 potential assists and 13.9 rebound chances in 28.4 minutes per game. Now, the veteran will be playing without Michael Porter Jr. this season, who was traded to the Nets for Cameron Johnson during the offseason.
While Porter Jr. and Johnson bring similar skillsets offensively, Porter Jr. is a more aggressive rebounder than Johnson, so Gordon should naturally see more rebounding chances playing alongside the latter. In the three starts Gordon made without Porter Jr. last season, Gordon averaged 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. The forward surpassed 8.5 RA in all of his matchups against the Warriors last season, and Gordon topping this number again on Thursday feels likely.
Al Horford U 6.5 Points (-104)
In his Warriors debut Tuesday, Horford finished with only five points vs. the Lakers, shooting 2-of-7 from the field and logging just 20 minutes off the bench. The veteran finished -10 in the boxscore despite Golden State’s victory, and not starting will likely be a big adjustment for Horford. The 39-year-old has started in 95% of his games during his 19-year NBA career, including 72% of his games with the Celtics last season. But when the Warriors are at full strength, Horford should only see around 20 minutes a night.
While the big man has the potential to make a notable impact defensively, even with that small role, Horford’s scoring numbers are likely to be very underwhelming with the reserve role. The former Celtic is averaging just 0.3 points per minute over the last two seasons, and Horford should fall short of 6.5 points tonight.
