There are five games of NBA action tipping off across tonight’s Saturday slate.
The Denver Nuggets open the schedule against the New Orleans Pelicans at 7:00 p.m. ET. A half-hour later, the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Dallas Mavericks. Three games close out the slate at 8:00 p.m. ET, with the Detroit Pistons visiting the Miami Heat, the Brooklyn Nets facing the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Chicago Bulls taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There are plenty of ways to get involved on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here are my top three player prop bets for Saturday’s NBA slate.
Best NBA Prop Bets Today
Nikola Jokic to Record 10+ Assists (-149)
Nikola Jokic continues to drive the production for this Nuggets team. The three-time MVP is averaging 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 9.0 assists through Denver’s first 10 games. The Nuggets enter at 6-4, and Jokic has recorded double-digit assists in five appearances.
Tonight presents a great opportunity to add to that total against a struggling Pelicans defense. New Orleans enters at 4-9 after allowing at least 138 points in four consecutive games. The Nuggets have already beaten the Pelicans twice this season, with Jokic recording exactly 10 assists in both meetings. They rank 29th in opponents’ points allowed, 28th in defensive rating, 29th in opponents’ field goal percentage, 19th in opponents’ three-point percentage, and 24th in opponents’ three-point attempts allowed. Jokic and the Nuggets have already faced off with this Pelicans team twice, and the Denver star has recorded 10 assists in both games.
The Pelicans lack the quality of interior defenders it requires to slow down Jokic, with Yves Missi, Derik Queen, and DeAndre Jordan seeing the bulk of these chances. Jokic is capable of dominating a game in any way that he sees fit, and expect him to continue to punish any double teams sent his direction or when the Pelicans fail to properly stick with cutters and spot-up shooters. New Orleans is also playing on the second night of a back-to-back, so don’t be surprised if these slippages for their already struggling defense are frequent. Count on Jokic to remain in complete control as the best player on the floor and for the eight-time All-Star to record double-digit assists for the sixth time this season and the third time against the Pelicans.
Cameron Boozer Over 28.5 Points & Rebounds (-110)
Cameron Boozer has wasted little time establishing himself as a foundational piece of the Grizzlies’ future. This year’s third overall pick is averaging 15.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists through his first 12 NBA games. He has cleared 28.5 combined points and rebounds four times during that stretch.
Boozer will benefit from a friendly matchup against the Nets tonight. Brooklyn enters the matchup with a 3-8 record, while ranking 19th in opponents’ points allowed, 19th in defensive rating, and 21st in rebounds per game. Memphis is playing on the second night of a back-to-back, although Friday’s 142-111 victory over New Orleans limited the workload of its rotation. Boozer played 25:07 of game time and attempted nine shots, his first game with fewer than 10 field goal attempts and his shortest time on the court thus far in his NBA career.
Expect this to pave the way to Boozer being able to produce to his expected standard and be eager to put forth a strong statistical output against an inferior opponent. Standing 6-foot-10, he possesses the size to attack Julius Randle in the post and has a veteran savvy in the way that he gets to his spots. Outside of Randle, it will be Day’Ron Sharpe, Danny Wolf, or Noah Clowney likely to be primarily tasked with slowing down the talented rookie, and there are advantages that Boozer’s skill set holds in each of these matchups. Michael Porter Jr. is currently the Nets’ leading scorer. Zach Edey remains questionable for tonight and has not played more than 23 minutes in a matchup this season, with Boozer looked at as the primary rebounding threat. Count on the 19-year-old to have plenty of success on the interior and record over 28.5 combined points and rebounds tonight.
LaMelo Ball Over 21.5 Points (-108)
LaMelo Ball and the Minnesota Timberwolves will be licking their chops at the matchup tonight against the Bulls. Chicago enters with the weakest defense in the NBA, which has been the driving force of their 2-9 start. The Bulls enter this matchup ranking 30th in opponents’ points allowed, 30th in defensive rating, 25th in opponents’ field goal percentage, and 26th in opponents’ three-point percentage. Chicago enters this game coming off a 125-117 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, which is the fewest points they have held a team to all season. The Bulls have allowed 124 points or greater in every other game this year.
The Timberwolves’ outlook changed significantly when Anthony Edwards suffered a right knee injury that required surgery. With Edwards sidelined, Ball has taken on more responsibility as a scorer and creator. The offseason acquisition has given Minnesota another player capable of initiating the offense and generating his own opportunities Across his first 12 games with the team, the All-Star guard is posting averages of 18.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds across 27.5 minutes per game.
But Ball has seen his level of responsibility grow following the injury to Edwards, and has held up his end of the bargain. The 25-year-old is averaging 22.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds across his past seven games, playing 31+ minutes in three of these games and recording over 21.5 points in five of these matchups. This includes three consecutive games entering tonight. Expect Minnesota to continue to count on him to continue producing at a high rate and be eager to take advantage of the NBA’s least effective defense tonight.
